Sustainable Design Class Hopes to Turn Terrace into Greenhouse

The Form V and VI boys in the sustainable design class, taught by Emilie Wolf and Dr. Betty Noel, propose to turn the School’s fourth floor terrace into a greenhouse. This project came about as part of their class discussion of what it means to be sustainable and environmental in the 21st century. The boys have been applying their knowledge to a real-world application by doing a LEED assessment of the terrace in order to produce a floor plan and budget proposal allowing Browning to move forward in developing this greenhouse.

To this end, the class traveled in early October to the Upper West Side to meet with NY Sun Works, a non-profit organization that has facilitated the design of greenhouses in over 40 schools in the city's five boroughs. Ms. Wolf hopes that Browning can partner with Sun Works to make their greenhouse a reality. In addition to building the structure, NY Sun Works also works with schools to develop a sustainability curriculum that they can manage.

In the conference room, the boys asked questions of Sidsel Robards, the director of development of NY Sun Works, regarding the feasibility of building a green house at Browning and the next logical steps to move this project forward. Ms. Wolf reported, "It was a great visit! Meeting Ms. Robards helped adjust our short- and long-term goals and made it a more concrete project for class members."