Microgrid Engineers of Tomorrow Laboratory (MET Lab) Installed December 2019 on a shipping container at 6321 St. Clair Ave. The MET Lab was installed by high school students, learning about sustainability and urban causes of air emissions along with a PurpleAir Monitor donated by the Cleveland Department of Air Quality. At that time, Food Not Bombs began using the shipping container to store their pantry produce for their twice monthly free food shares. 

This year we will Insulate the MET Lab with Mycelium insulation panels, grown locally from recycled construction materials combined with mycelium- the roots of mushrooms.  We will be installing additional solar panels to increase the green power capacity and installing a split system air conditioning system to keep the container cool in the summer months and warm in the winter for the Food Not Bombs pantry. 

What's more is that the Panels will be decorated with Food- and Sustainability-Themed designs that will be grown into them through the Myceleum process.  This will create inspiring murals within the MET Lab for the students and the community members to enjoy.  These designs will be inspired by the spirit of our community of youth, environmental engineers, activists, volunteers, and organizations.  Creativity is key to creating green solutions to the climate crises that face the next generation.  We intend this project to be the first of many in Cleveland and across Ohio that delivers inspiration through sustainable technology to communities with limited access to these types of solutions.

We are working with so many community partners to train aspiring engineers and environmental scientists while helping feed countless Cleveland residents in the historical St. Clair Superior neighborhood. All proceeds will go to toward supervising the youth engineers and installing insulation, A/C, and solar panels.