Business & Politics (news)

Last fall we featured The Learning Barge, a good old-fashioned barge that had gotten a really wild renovation to turn it into an eco-friendly classroom that enables teachers and students to more easily study sections of the Elizabeth River in Virginia. That was due to the fact that the rivers edge had become so crowded by industrial development that it had become virtually impossible for them to even reach it for study, but now it appears that a similar idea is catching on in NYC with a twist... A non-profit group called New York Sun Works has come up with The Science Barge. It’s essentially a floating, traveling, sustainable, urban farm. And that may be a mouthful, but it’s also powered by solar, wind, and biofuels; using both rain and purified riverwater as sources of irrigation for the hydroponically grown crops. The result is crops grown right in the city with no carbon emissions, no water use, and no waste stream at all. The ultimate goal, of course, is to educate the public about the benefits of long-term sustainability, and so far they’re really experiencing success as school groups from all 5 boroughs are coming to visit during the week, and even members of the general public touring on weekends. Quite obviously, giving students the opportunity to get a personal look at some great eco-friendly practices farming practices right in the middle of NYC is a terrific way to help properly educate them for the future... But maybe you’d like to stop by and check it out too?

via::PlantTherapy