SOLAR PANELS

Click here to view a short video of the ribbon-cutting ceremony held on September 30th.

Solar Panels Update, September 25, 2009: At 10:48 this morning the 7th and 8th graders together turned on the solar power at the Farm.  They lined up at the switch holding hands.  Jamie began the "spark" by squeezing the hand of the student next to him, and so on down the line til the "spark" reached Brittney, who pulled the switch. 

While environmental sustainability and green initiatives may be relatively new concepts to many, at MCS the idea of being green is not so new. Teaching children to live sustainability from an early age, at MCS a strong commitment to respecting and protecting the environment has been one of the core values and philosophies of school since day one.

In recent years, the school has expanded its commitment to food sustainability at the farm and in the city in important ways - including building a new greenhouse off the side of the farm house to provide fresh herbs and vegetables for both city and farm meals and significantly increasing the amount of meat from the farm served at lunchtime on 96th Street. In this way, kids at MCS are developing a greater appreciation for the concept of sustainability and sharing as well as the joy of eating good healthy food.

Recently MCS has initiated a major effort that will dramatically move our mission and commitment to sustainability forward. Seizing the opportunity presented by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) offer to subsidize alternative energy installation costs, MCS has recently received a $122,500 grant from NYSERDA that enabled us to install a 24840 watt Photovoltaic (PV) system which will generate 100% of the farm’s non-heat producing electricity.

The installation of the new solar panels:
- Lower the school’s carbon footprint by 29,297 lbs of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide annually
- Reinvigorate our mission and distinguish ourselves as a model/leader for environmental sustainability
- Expand and develop new curriculum around renewable energy at the farm and NYC
- Significantly decrease the school’s energy costs

“For many years at the beginning of the school,” says Ginny Scheer, Farm Director, “we were content with our back-to-the-land philosophy that shed the technologies of our consumer society.  We have grown to espouse sophisticated technologies, such as solar energy, that will become widespread but environmentally sound practices in our society in the future.”