The sweet smell of basil drifted down the halls of Discovery High School one day in late May. Parents, teachers and neighbors chased it down to Room 279, where Steven Ritz and his science classes hosted a Farmers Market and Edible Plant Sale.

Guests got to shop amidst a selection of fresh veggies, plants, and flowers while learning about Ritz’s unique science curriculum.

“This is my portable science lab,” Ritz explained. “Unlike software that gets outdated and textbooks which are expensive, this room is a constant learning resource.” Ritz says he started bringing plants into the classroom in order to give his students a hands-on lesson, but it’s grown into a mission to make the entire borough eat and grow healthy food. Ritz, a recent winner of ABC’s Above and Beyond Award said his Green Bronx Machine program is much more than just part of his class.

“I have students in my classroom before and after school,” Ritz says. “It just goes to show you the real interest they have.”

The biology and earth science teacher began using farming and gardening in his classes in 2005 when he and his students cleaned up abandoned lots and planted gardens. “We cleaned up 35 to 50 cubic yards of trash and ended up growing 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of food,” Ritz said, adding that students involved in what was then called the Green Team, went from skipping half of their classes to graduating on time.

Discovery student Steven Portes admits that he “wasn’t really into it” when he first learned about plants and gardening in Ritz’s class two years ago.” But later he decided to join the Green Bronx Machine and realized that it made him want to come to school.
“It really motivated me,” he said, adding that before he joined the program he was not going to be able to graduate on time. But Portes passed the biology Regents exam and graduated this week.

Ritz utilizes a unique gardening technology created by Green Living Technologies in Boston, in which the students plant seeds in vertical shelves.

“We’re not just growing vegetables, we’re growing citizens and engaged communities,” Ritz said.

Students say their success has been noted. “People outside our schools want us to show them how to use and build this kind of technology,” said 16-year-old Stephen Barnes.

Ritz said Green Bronx Machine is the youngest certified workforce in America. Students who wish to work can participate in a training program, sponsored by Green Living Technologies, in order to become certified workers. The training program has three components: academic, vocational and field work.

After completing the training program, students are hired to work in a variety of locations. Last summer, Portes went from the south Bronx to Southampton, where he was hired to plant roof gardens and work on other green technology.

Back home in the Bronx, classroom learning about healthy living overflows into the community.

“We are trying to transform the borough. Bronx County has the highest number of food stamps in New York State,” Ritz explained. “People can use these food stamps to buy edible plants and create a self-sustaining indoor garden.”

Discovery student Netali Sorian sees the change all around her. “You have no idea how many lives are affected by this program,” she said. “So many people who are used to the street life come here and get a whole new perspective.”

Ed. Note: For more information on the Green Bronx Machine, visit www.greenbronxmachine.weebly.com. For a Channel 7 video report on the program, go to www.bronxnewsnetwork.org and search for Green Bronx Machine.