High Tunnels with FSNYC

High Tunnels provide an increase in pollinators, decrease rainwater runoff, and generally increase healthy soil biodiversity.  We plan to purchase materials with the funds raised to facilitate a high tunnel build with an educational component centering  soil health, and cultivating an ecosystem that benefits the environment. At Farm School NYC our popular education model trains our students to use what they learn to educate and motivate the community toward actionable steps helping replicate their findings and protect the environment. Our students, faculty, and staff are committed to  building more sustainable communities, specifically with BIPOC land stewards.

Using the funds raised from our project we will purchase the lumber for raised beds, irrigation system supplies, tunnel replacement plastic, propagation tables, and high tunnel materials. These are the materials needed to create the environmental impact and subsequent education in the communities we outlined. We have two sites that have been selected, one in the Bronx and one in Brooklyn that will be used for the building/ educational sites. 

These supplies and various repair materials will create an immense environmental benefit by cultivating the extended growing season. 

 Farm School NYC works in communities that bear the brunt of environmental racism. By improving the environment in these communities, there is an evident improvement in the quality of life. Improving the environment in places where it is most needed is a priority of the work at Farm School NYC. 

Creating a habitat that serves all of the living things it fosters means that it will be a longstanding part of the community space it is built in. The key to a high tunnel as an environmental change maker is its longevity and staying power. This closed system creates an opportunity to build a thriving ecosystem where it may have previously  not existed. Providing a way for a green space cultivated by the community to create positive environmental impacts is essential.