Clinton Hill School Gets Millions In Greenhouse Funding

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN — A Clinton Hill school can begin building its greenhouse after Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announced the expansion of his green school initiative.

Urban Assembly Unison is one of seven schools slated to share $7 million from Adams’ Growing Brooklyn’s Future initiative, which will fund building rooftop gardens and greenhouses, the borough president announced Tuesday.

“This is about keeping Brooklyn’s kids at the forefront of innovation and growing their futures,” said Borough President Adams.

“Young people across the borough will now have the opportunity to learn about growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants that will empower them to make healthy choices.”

Urban Assembly — a profession-focused public school with an urban farming program — received $2 million from Growing Brooklyn’s Future and an additional $1.05 million from City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo’s office.

The school plans to begin construction on its courtyard greenhouse — which is expected to produce about 25 thousand pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables per year — early in 2018 with an anticipated completion date set for 2020, school officials said.

Under the program, seven schools will receive funding for green initiatives:

• Brownsville Collaborative Middle School in will get $2 million to fund an urban rooftop garden.
• George W. Carver and Gotham Professional Arts Academy (P.S. 40) in Bedford-Stuyvesant will get $1.5 million to expand a green roof project.
• The Bergen Beach School (P.S. 312) will get $1 million to create an urban farm and greenhouse.
• The Brooklyn New School (P.S. 146) in Carroll Gardens will get $500,000 to construct a green roof.
• LIFE Academy High School for Film and Music will get $200,000 to establish a healthy gardening hub.
• Nelson A. Rockefeller (P.S. 121) in Mapleton will get 200,000 to support a greenhouse.
• Origins High School in Sheepshead Bay will get $167,000 to furnish a hydroponics lab and urban sustainability center.

Adams first launched Growing Brooklyn's Future in 2015 when he channeled more than $2 million to create hydroponic classrooms to 12 Brooklyn schools in Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick, Canarsie, Cypress Hills and East New York.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Kelly