Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

My name is Roberto and leaving high school, I wanted to make a useful senior project that would reflect all the work I have done with an environmentally-active organization called Phresh Philly. With a couple friends, and two mentors, we designed and built a self-sustaining greenhouse that would be able to prolong the life of plants that grow vegetables throughout all the seasons. It would water them automatically to mitigate the actual maintenance needed. With the grown produce, students from my high school, Science Leadership Academy, students would be able to sell it as a method of fundraising for sports or trips. The locally grown produce is organic, not genetically modified, so it promotes healthier eating, and cuts back on transportation costs, making it more affordable for anyone even stores to buy. It also provides valuable life skills for anyone interested in gardening. Another benefit about having this greenhouse is that, while there are so many abandoned lots in Philadelphia collecting trash and decreasing the value of our neighborhoods, we were able to have one donated and actually create a use for it. Therefore, it's a win-win for the environment, neighborhood, schools, and our health!

The whole process took about a couple months, where we would meet every Wednesday after school for about an hour and have creative sessions for stable and low-cost designs with unique features so it could take care of itself. All we would have to do is harvest and weed. The design took rain water in a large barrel and irrigated through the PVC support structure. To recapture the water, the evaporated water would form droplets on the ceiling and either drop back down or slide down the walls back into the soil. To get our materials, we basically scavenged our neighborhood for any potential materials people were throwing out. So basically, the only thing we paid for was the plastic sheeting.