Green Bronx Machine: Growing Opportunities in NYC

In recent years there has been a growing focus on programs that 'green the ghetto' - trying to make environmental fixes to deprived areas.  While these projects are to be applauded for trying to beautify public space, and for their desire to create more inhabitable neighborhoods - they often come up short in the face of the real, and multifaceted, problem - poverty.  Many new food growing projects are trying to take on multiple goals, with more nuanced plans to attack the various problems presented by the 'ghetto'.  We have seen urban farming projects popping up all over NYC and other large cities, which try at some level to address the economic disparities that lead to the environmental problems, as well as a multiplicity of social problems - Bad health, joblessness, poor education, and a basic lack of opportunities.

All in a days work. Steve, The Graham Windham crew and I behind our second finished wall!

Enter Steve Ritz and and his Green Bronx Machine.  Steve is a teacher in the South Bronx, where he and his kids grow lush gardens for food, greenery -- and jobs.  His unique mix of community greening, education, mentoring, and job opportunity creation is going a long way to addressing the aforementioned problems.  GBM centers around the idea that the greening of America starts with the greening of hearts, minds and wallets rooted in triple bottom line orientations. THe project is dedicated to changing mind-sets and landscapes while harvesting hope and cultivating opportunities inclusively.  The project works to better interconnect the cities neighborhoods, and focuses on creating opportunities for youth of the Bronx.  Steve works with the kids to teach them different methods of community greening, but with an eye for the fact that they need jobs.  Through various partnerships he has been able secure jobs and funding for his students so they can remain focused on developing careers.  His team works to feed themselves, their school and their community - they grow in classrooms and in the Hamptons, they install green roofs and green walls, build greenhouses in Harlem and install turf on Randall,s Island - in short they do it all. Behold the glory and bounty that is Bronx County! 

I spent the last month in Harlem with  Ritz  building vertical growing walls and working to expand his project into new territory - namely Brooklyn.  We worked with the young men from Graham Windham to build growing walls for their center as well as one of our sponsors. It was incredible and inspiring work.  The group that showed up learned a lot and loved it.  Fingers crossed that we'll be able to continue with Graham Windham and expand the Green Machine across all 5 boroughs! 

“Kids should not have to leave their community to live, learn and earn in a better one.”

The Graham Windham crew and I learning to mix growing medium for their centers new growing wall!

“The greening of America starts first with the pocket, then with the heart and then with the mind.”


Here's Josh and George learning how to make a big paycheck in a clean green way - planting ivy for the indoor growing walls in one of our sponsors' houses!

“Black field, brown field, toxic waste field, battlefield — we're proving in the Bronx that you can grow anywhere.”

Steve, TJ, Alex, Alexandra, and Josh with our first finished wall.  Si Se Puede!

To learn more about the Green Bronx Machine, 'like' them on Facebook or click here.