Urban Farming Start-up in Newark

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An Urban Farming Startup Grows in a New Jersey Classroom

May 2, 2011 |

Students at St. Philip’s Academy, an independent K-8 school in Newark, NJ grow their own salad greens. They use an aeroponic growing system installed in a fourth-floor classroom in which they plant, harvest and package such leafy greens as Chinese lettuce, arugula and komatsuna for delivery to their cafeteria.  “It’s kind of amazing – it doesn’t get more local than this,” said Frank Mentesana, a St. Philip’s Teacher and Program Facilitator.

St. Philip’s aeroponic growing system is part of a pilot project being managed and run by an urban farming startup called EcoVeggies to trial a growing system developed by AeroFarms (see our article on AeroFarms for more information). EcoVeggies, led by three former Wall Streeters, was started out of desire to not only profit from an emergent urban agriculture movement, but also to find a way to revitalize the city of Newark, NJ -> Read more … Urban Farming Start-up in Newark.