The Green Bronx Machine is a program that aims to bring fresh, healthy food to schools through its Tower Garden aeroponic growing system. This system allows students to grow food in school, aligned with project-based learning and the Green Bronx Machine’s proprietary curriculum. The program has transformed schools across the nation and around the world with great success. The Tower Garden uses 90% less water and space than traditional growing methods and can be used in classrooms, commercial settings, and even Yankee Stadium.
In an age where children are increasingly disconnected from the natural world and screened out by technology, the Green Bronx Machine’s program encourages children to see, touch, and smell fresh produce and, thus, to eat it. Ritz has found that when children start eating healthy, they start thinking healthy. The essential school supply in the world is food, he believes, because children will never be well-read if they’re not well-fed.
The Green Bronx Machine’s program has won numerous awards, including the Best of the Bronx Award and the National Social Innovation Award. The program has also been recognized by NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who appointed Ritz to the Urban Agriculture Advisory Board. In an era where plant-based solutions are needed to heal ourselves and our planet, the Green Bronx Machine’s program offers the perfect prescription.
Ritz recently appeared on Montel Williams’ show to discuss his program and the importance of healthy eating for children. He brought a Tower Garden to show how easy it is to grow fresh produce in a classroom setting. Williams, a longtime advocate for healthy living, was impressed by the program and asked Ritz how schools could add it to their curriculum. Ritz explained that the program pays for itself and offers free refills for the rest of the ownership, along with an unlimited site license for the Green Bronx Machine’s curriculum.
You can donate to Green Bronx Machine Here.
