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EMPOWERING OUR STUDENTS “Thank you so much for accepting our proposal! ESW HEAT is excited to be able to provide all of these supplies to people at the Pitt Pantry. ...Again, thank you for allowing us to be able to provide energy/water efficient devices to those in the Pitt community.” -
Adalee Jacobs, Pitt ‘20 & Co-President, ESW
PITT HYDROPONICS Faculty Advisor: Dr. David Sanchez
Pitt Hydroponics aims to educate Pitt students and community members about hydroponics, provide fresh, sustainably grown produce to food deserts in the surrounding area, and further university research in hydroponic systems. The club regularly offers hands-on “build a mini system” nights to teach students and community members how to grow their own lettuce or basil without soil — even on a dorm room windowsill. Members are exploring the potential for installing systems in prominent spots on campus to raise awareness and produce. In addition to their Homewood location, club members maintain a hydroponic system at Community Human Services in Pittsburgh’s South Oakland neighborhood. It provides fresh lettuce for the CHS food pantry, which serves more than 800 families. Dr. Sanchez’s students also are partnering with The Community Day School in Squirrel Hill, which serves PreK through 8th grade students. Club members teach the students about hydroponics and have helped 6th through 8th grade students design and build a system that can be moved among their classrooms. The Pitt volunteers helped brainstorm and fine-tune Community Day students’ own designs. Concomitantly, they have brought hydroponics demos and kits to STEAM days programs at Lincoln Elementary School, which serves the city’s Homewood and Larimer neighborhoods. The Pitt Hydroponics club was recently highlighted in Sustainable America; read the full profile.
