NY Sun Works Youth Conference 2019

NY Sun Works (NYSW), a non-profit organization that builds innovative science labs in urban schools, held its eighth annual Youth Conference on May 20. Through its Greenhouse Project Initiative, NYSW use hydroponic farming technology to educate students and teachers about the science of sustainability. The Youth Conference offers a platform for students to share their scientific creativity while celebrating the Greenhouse Project, which promotes urban sustainability through science education and approaches sustainability science by studying the interaction between humans, technology, and the environment.

As a company committed to community, education, and environmental sustainability, Broadway Stages is proud to support this initiative and hopes that it will serve to encourage a "...generation of environmental innovators, empowered to create solutions to global resource challenges."

Check out a live stream of the event here and a photo gallery below.

Broadway Stages Encourages Hydroponic Learning

Hydroponic systems have exploded in popularity over the past few years, with more New Yorkers joining in on the revolutionary urban agricultural era. The demand for fresh, high-quality produce by urban dwellers has helped drive innovation and technology in designing new urban hydroponic systems.

Hydroponic systems overcome traditional obstacles of large-scale agriculture by reimagining ways to utilize space, water, and nutrients for plants. One of the advantages of hydroponic farming is that it consumes up to 90 percent less water than traditional agricultural methods. The systems resemble connected channels in which nutrient-rich water flows through so it can be absorbed by plants.

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento is a big fan of the hydroponic movement. When first introduced to the concept, Gina was ecstatic to learn how she could help younger generations learn about the amazing innovations in healthier agriculture.

Her search led her to partner with NY Sun Works, an organization that works with educational institutions to teach young scholars about hydroponic systems, solar energy, and fish farms. Since 2016, Gina has worked with NY Sun Works by sponsoring various events and donating to promote its educational programs. Working with NY Sun Works has helped make it possible for dozens of schools across the five boroughs to have hydroponic system learning labs. Under the name Project Greenhouse, the hydroponic labs come fully equipped with modern technology and processes for growing plants. Students are able to learn hands-on with each one of them monitoring and nurturing their very own plant using the hydroponic system. The best part of the whole partnership as summed up by students is that the whole process lets them explore with their own hands! As long as the students are excited, Gina says she is excited to continue to support NY Sun Works and its green education!

Broadway Stages Celebrates Opening of NY Sun Works Project Farm House

Celebrating alongside sponsors and supporters, NY Sun Works revealed its new Project Farm House location yesterday. Among the attendees were members of the Broadway Stages family, who came to show their support and learn from students how hydroponic education has changed their learning experiences. Broadway Stages was happy to hear from students that they were able to design their own scientific experiments involving hydroponic systems and test their hypotheses. Seeing the students' excitement in presenting their findings inspired the Broadway Stages family to do even more for New York City students. 

As a strong supporter of science education accessibility, Gina Argento, President of Broadway Stages, is enthusiastic about NY Sun Works's incredible dedication to introduce an innovative and interactive style of education to students. In fact, Gina, along with the Broadway Stages family, did not hesitate to sponsor and donate to NY Sun Works's Greenhouse Project and Youth conference when first partnering with NY Sun Works. After all, Gina and NY Sun Works both share the same goal of providing access to innovative and quality educational resources to students without any costs. Seeing the fruition of her dedication and commitments to NY Sun Works last night was truly a treat that only further strengthens her commitment to education. We hope to see NY Sun Works continue to do great things and will always be supporting them as your family at Broadway Stages!

Broadway Stages Supports Hydroponic Education

Over the summer, hydroponic education and STEM education sprouted in dozens of new schools and local communities across Queens and Brooklyn. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez welcomed five new partnerships between schools in Brooklyn and Queens through federal grants. She was able to allocate these federal funds to build new hydroponic labs, provided by NY Sun Works, to teach city students about urban agriculture.

Moreover, the biggest hydroponic news story of the summer came from Brooklyn and the "Growing Brooklyn's Future" initiative set forth by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. His new educational initiative will create new hydroponic classrooms in over a dozen schools in Brooklyn communities including Brownsville, Bushwick, and East New York. With an outstanding budget of $2 million to be used on labs built by NY Sun Works, students will now have unparalleled access to hydroponic and STEM resources like never before.

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento is grateful that city officials share her passion and advocacy for greater access to and greater quality education for students in Queens and Brooklyn. As a sponsor to and financial supporter of NY Sun Works, Gina wants to express her gratitude toward city officials who share her goals to add new educational resources to New York City's school curriculum. The additional support from city officials will ensure that greater funds will be allocated to allow interested students to learn about innovative urban agriculture, sustainability, and STEM education that was unprecedented before.

Broadway Stages Supports Science Education for All

Broadway Stages believes in supporting science education for the advancement of green technology and energy efficiency. Over the past few years, Broadway Stages has contributed to a series of events that helped spread, educate, and inspire new recruits to join the scientific community.

Earlier this year, Broadway Stages sponsored Green Science Week at PS 110. The annual event centers around the importance of sustainable living and renewable energy resources. The educational lessons and activities sponsored by Broadway Stages teach elementary school students about solar energy, agriculture, and recycling. Students at the Greenpoint school learned also learned about nutrition, chemistry, and physics through a collection of mini experiments and activities.

Broadway Stages works with NY Sun Works to include high school students and bring the frontier of science education closer by building Greenhouse Project Labs across the five boroughs and New Jersey. Focusing on providing hands-on STEM learning workshops, NY Sun Works wants students to experience the excitement of active participation in scientific experiments that go beyond traditional classroom learning. In addition to learning about solar panels, fish farming, and composting, students also learned about hydroponic growing systems, which are a modern adaptation of farming in smaller urbanized environments. At the Greenhouse Project Labs, students are able to participate in planting hydroponic agriculture with the end goal of harvesting their plants used to create their own nutritious meals.

At Kingsborough Community College, Broadway Stages was able to help sponsor the STEM Lab to allow college students to have the needed equipment and space to conduct their scientific research. Using the lab, student researchers are able to compete at the top level of their fields and explore the frontier of scientific theories, concepts, and experiments.

Broadway Stages wants to inspire scientific learning even beyond the boundaries of a classroom by inviting New Yorkers to our Rooftop Farms location. Dedicated to addressing the benefits of urban farming, water conservation, and sustainable principles, Rooftop Farms looks to accomplish urban agricultural sustainability while preserving freshness and quality. Visitors are welcome to learn and enjoy the experience of urban farming guided by Rooftop Farm instructors and volunteers every Sunday at no cost.

At Broadway Stages, we believe science education is important in creating a better and brighter future. Join us in sponsoring or dedicating your time to create a brighter future for us all!

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento Supports Green Pillars

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento follows four fundamental green pillars that she always seeks to improve upon and encourages others to adopt.

Solar: The power of the sun and its virtually unlimited energy supply should not be underestimated. Solar energy is one of the most powerful resources available and has the potential to power all our energy needs if properly harnessed. Taking a step to replace traditional energy sources, Broadway Stages has been sourcing a significant portion of our energy demands directly from the sun. Sitting under direct sunlight at our Kingsland rooftops are rows and rows of large solar panels. This is part of our solar commitment dating back to 2010, which has saved Broadway Stages over 1,200,000 kilowatt hours annually from traditional sources like nuclear, coal, and gas.

Nature: Contributing back to the natural environment by growing more plants is the most direct way to embrace the green revolution. Planting vegetables or garden greens is crucial in reducing carbon emissions surrounding the metro area. As the top consumers of carbon dioxide, plants directly replace carbon in the air with breathable oxygen. Concerned about air quality and carbon levels, Gina has supported the urban farm revolution since 2008 by creating Rooftop Farms. In operation for almost a decade now, Rooftop Farms has served the Brooklyn community by providing fresh organic vegetables on the edge of Greenpoint while replenishing oxygen in the air.

Water: Water is the one of the most limited and important resources in the world. Learning how to efficiently and effectively utilize water to maximize its output is a challenge that needs to be solved. To help protect the water supply and promote conservation, Gina is teaming up with NY Sun Works to sponsor innovative hydroponic technology education for the next generation. Teaching students to use only a fraction of traditional farming methods, hydroponic technology maximizes water resources by reducing water for crop production by up to 90% compared to conventional farming.

Wildlife: Essential to the preservation of the natural ecosystem, wildlife populations are indicative of the quality of New York City landscapes. However, urbanization threatens to destroy and hinder growth of our native bird species. Hoping to protect New York City wildlife, Gina has partnered with the New York City Audubon to jointly improve and prioritize the safety of New York wildlife. The integrity of wildlife is necessary to the revitalization and conservation of local landscapes across the five boroughs.

Gina Argento, President of Broadway Stages, Joins NYSunWorks at its Annual Youth Conference

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento envisions a future of green education and sustainable energy in New York City. Inspired to promote the exploration of green energy options, Gina has aligned with NY Sun Works (NYSW), an organization that focuses its mission on sustainable energy and environmental stewardship.

The sixth annual Youth Conference held by NYSW highlights students' scientific achievements through self-conducted scientific research. The conference encourages students from grades five through 12 to participate in green energy research and share their findings with their peers across New York City and New Jersey. The conference empowers students to inspire one another to take action for a greener planet by expressing the need for renewable energy and resources.

The Youth Conference acts as a platform for climate change advisers such as Anthony Annett from the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Helping endorse future environmentally friendly solutions, Anthony offers intimate knowledge on climate change and renewable energy.

As a sponsor the NYSW Youth Conference, Gina wants to inspire young minds to think about the wellbeing of our planet. By learning the fundamental scientific principles related to sustainable research, students can develop ecological habits that will positively affect their surrounding environments.

Broadway Stages Joins NY Sun Works to Spread Hydroponic Education

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento wants to inspire New York students to be enthusiastic about going green! Teaming up with NY Sun Work's Greenhouse Project, Gina looks to offer students K through 12 the opportunity to explore the benefits of going green.

The Greenhouse Project equips learning facilities with cutting-edge technology that mimics current industry standards in hydronic farming to allow students to learn under professional standards and procedures. Offering exceptional integrated learning techniques that exceed New York science requirements, the Greenhouse Project seeks to bring the best of environmental stewardship to the urban environment.

The Greenhouse Project brings more than 20 local schools, located across all five boroughs, the technical and educational resources required for students to immediately learn about hydroponics through hands-on activities. Students also learn about the positive benefits of solar energy and rainwater recycling systems.

Together with NY Sun Works, Broadway Stages works hard to promote strong fundamentals in green education for students in public schools. Join Broadway Stages, Gina Argento, and NY Sun Works in creating a greener and eco-friendlier future!