The TFFJ/Green Mountain Energy Sun Club Farm at the Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus

Farm Details

Location: Lower East Side (LES), Manhattan

Students: 1,300

Annual Production: 9,000 lbs (when fully operational in Fall 2024)

Year Launched: 2018

Co-located schools: The Urban Assembly Maker Academy; Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers; Manhattan Early College School for Advertising; The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management.

The TFFJ/Green Mountain Energy Sun Club Farm at the Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus — which will unfold over the next 18 months — will grow a projected 9,000 pounds of produce per year in a 1,500-square-foot space that is adjacent to the campus cafeteria. This produce will be served to 1,300 students in the campus cafeteria and distributed through partnerships with local community-based organizations to food-insecure community members.
Urban Assembly Maker Academy students are already engaged in TFFJ programming in the lab in room 439 even before their farm is built, using smaller hydroponic towers, DIY grow-kits, and a vine crop system to grow food while also designing a “green wall” to live outside the farm classroom.

Major Funders: Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, New York City Council, Manhattan Borough President, NYC DOE Office of Space Planning, USDA Farm to School Program, New York State Senate

Community Partners: Coming Soon!

“Green Mountain Energy and Teens for Food Justice share a common vision of creating a more equitable and sustainable future,” said Mark Parsons, vice president and general manager of Green Mountain Energy. “This hydroponic farm at the Murry Bergtraum Educational Campus is a testament to what can be achieved when organizations collaborate and address critical issues like food insecurity and climate change. We are thrilled to announce this innovative project and its potential to transform the lives of students and community members.”

Mark Parsons, Vice President and general manager of Green Mountain Energy