Association of Vertical Farming partners with Green Bronx Machine

The Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) have partnered with their new advisory board member, Stephen Ritz, and his non-profit, Green Bronx Machine. 

Green Bronx Machine was born via collaboration between author and educator Stephen and his students. Originally an after-school, alternative program for high school students, Green Bronx Machine has evolved into a K-12+ model fully integrated into the core curriculum, focusing on educating and training kids for the future, while providing sustainable and healthy food to the community. 

Stephen Ritz and his students have grown more than 165,000 pounds of vegetables in the South Bronx, were celebrated at the Obama White House three times, have been featured on the cover of TIME for KIDS, and are the subject of a new, full-feature documentary, Generation Growth. A replica of his classroom was installed in the US Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC and his curriculum is being used in hundreds of schools across the United States, and internationally from Colombia to Dubai, from Canada to Cairo, to Doha, and beyond. 

“We at AVF are privileged to have Stephen join the AVF Board and are thrilled to partner with him on a number of significant planned projects,” said Prof. Joel Cuello, AVF Vice Chair and Professor of Biosystems Engineering at The University of Arizona. “Stephen clearly shines a light on and strengthens the social and community-building dimensions of vertical farming through education and outreach with children and young people, which is absolutely crucial in truly fostering the society-wide understanding, appreciation and championing of the vertical farming industry not only for today but well into the future with the succeeding generations,” he added. “Stephen is uniquely qualified and well-positioned to help achieve such critical goals one locality at a time and on a global scale,” he concluded. 

For more information:
Green Bronx Machine
www.greenbronxmachine.org