CARROLLWOOD DAY SCHOOL
Sustainability is about the food we eat, the places we live, and the care we give to each other.
REQUEST
Carrollwood Day School respectfully requests a gift of $500,000 to serve as an initial and transformative investment to build an innovative hydroponic farm and learning space that could be named The Green Lab.
This new and modern space will combine science, health, social entrepreneurship, and experiential learning and impact the CDS learning experience for all students. It will serve as a scalable and affordable prototype for schools looking to create healthy eating options and initiatives for all students, regardless of where they are located.
The Green Lab will enhance the school's curriculum, align with its IB philosophy and healthy eating initiatives, and contribute to a more sustainable and healthy future for the community. It will serve as a tangible example of how inquiry, innovation, and real-world problemsolving can be applied to address important issues like food production, healthy eating, and environmental sustainability.
Inspired by our visit to the Wagner household and Food Fight USA’s ongoing work, our team began researching ways to join the movement and educate our students on healthy living and sustainability.
Our Assistant Head of School for Academics, Tim Walsh, surveyed our curriculum and was delighted to find multiple pre-existing units that would benefit from an experiential learning component on campus.
We reached out to our food service provider, FLIK Independent School Dining, and engaged in a brainstorming session with their Vice President, Sari Feldtman, on ways to make an immediate impact on our food service program with limited land availability Moving away from space-intensive solutions, the centerpiece of The Green Lab includes a Freight Farms Greenery container.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Green Lab will produce fresh, healthy food for the school community, directly supporting the school's commitment to nutrition and wellness, while serving as a living laboratory for scientific inquiry and exploration.
This self-contained, climatecontrolled Lab, created with the Freight Frame Greenery container, allows for year-round crop production, regardless of external weather conditions The Green Lab utilizes hydroponic technology, growing plants without soil in a nutrient-rich water solution. With just 5 gallons of water a day, the Lab can grow up to 2 acres of food. This method uses significantly less water than traditional agriculture and eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides, aligning with the school's commitment to environmental responsibility.
Once up and running, students who have already engaged in our Going Green initiative and in courses like Environmental Science, will take the lead in operating and maintaining the center under the mentorship of a dedicated Green Lab educator. Students from 1st grade and up will rotate through the center as they engage in units related to the life cycle of plants, the factors that influence the growth of plants to attain maximum yield, and nutrition
In addition, FLIK will partner with us to provide programs in healthy eating choices and after school programs in health food preparation utilizing the harvest from the Green Lab Green Lab produce will become a center point of our food service program, reminding students daily on the importance of the choices they make for meals.
GreenLabKeyFeatures
Freight Farms Greenery Container: A fully equipped, 40-foot container farm with integrated LED lighting, climate control, and hydroponic growing systems optimized for producing a variety of crops that can be directly integrated into the school's meal plans
Attached Learning Space & Offices: An adjacent indoor/outdoor learning space designed to accommodate up to 24 students This space will be equipped with flexible furniture, technology to support interactive learning activities, and presentation areas to foster collaboration and communication, specifically designed for scientific observation and experimentation related to the farm.
Industrial Aesthetic: The design of the learning space will complement the industrial aesthetic of the Greenery, creating a cohesive and modern look. This aesthetic will also reflect the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of the project.
Add-on Option - Solar Power Integration
The farm will be powered by solar panels, reducing the environmental impact and providing a real-world example of renewable energy in action This feature will allow students to study energy production and consumption, linking it to their science and math curriculum.
EducationalBenefits
Support for Healthy Eating Initiatives: The facility will directly contribute to the school's healthy eating program by providing a consistent source of fresh, nutritious produce that can be incorporated into school meals, promoting healthy eating habits among students.
Social entrepreneurship curriculum and activism: Students will be given a unique opportunity to advocate for healthy food initiatives and governmental policies to develop an understanding of how they can positively change and impact their world
Science Inquiry and Experiential
Learning: The farm will serve as a living laboratory where students can engage in hands-on scientific inquiry, conducting experiments, collecting data, and analyzing results related to plant growth, hydroponics, nutrient solutions, and sustainable agriculture
IB Learner Profile Alignment:
The project fosters key IB learner profile attributes such as inquiry and risk-taking
Interdisciplinary Connections:
The project provides opportunities to connect learning across various subjects, including science, math, economics, and design.
Healthy Living & Sustainability
CostEstimates
Freight Farms Greenery: $150,000 (includes basic setup and training)
Site Preparation: $100,000 (depending on existing infrastructure)
Learning Space Construction: $150,000 (depending on size and features)
Supplies and Materials: $10,000 (initial investment)
Green Lab Education Coordinator start-up costs (2 years): $80,000 - $100,000
Total Estimated Cost: $500,000
PHASE 1:
PHASE 2:
Site preparation and construction (5-6 months)
March - July
PHASE 4:
Staff training and curriculum development (1-2 months)
June - August
Planning, Building Department Approvals (3-6 months)
December - May
PHASE 3:
Installation of the Greenery and Green Lab (2-3 months)
July - August
CONCLUSION
Our project represents a unique opportunity to create an engaging and impactful learning environment for students at Carrollwood Day School. In this living laboratory, students will be given the opportunity to hypothesize, test ideas, gather data, and draw conclusions about the factors that lead to the ideal growing conditions for a variety of food crop plants.
They will learn about clean food production and sustainable growing techniques They will also be introduced to leadership and advocacy opportunities as they fight for access to and education about healthy eating.
The right to clean food is a right for all. Our Going Green students will learn how to become effective lobbyists for change, engage in social entrepreneurship programming after school, and receive training to advocate for legislation at the state and national levels.
Through these experiences, students will learn that food science, sustainable farming practices, and healthy eating are linked; students can play an important role in improving their own well-being and that of their community, as aligned with our vision to prepare and inspire our students to better the world.
Learn. Grow. Share.
