Participate with one of our most favorite people in the world of eco-education, social justice, and sustainable urban ag, Stephen Ritz of Emmy-Award Winning Green Bronx Machine, who’ll be live this Sunday night!

Live Event with Stephen Ritz

Starting at 9 PM to 10 PM EST, the webinar concludes with a LIVE Q&A.  For more details and to RSVP, visit the Stephen Ritz Facebook Event page.

Stephen is beloved across the world as the compassionate and exuberant Bronx educator, founder of the Green Bronx Machine, and author of The Power of a Plant: A Teacher’s Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools.  If you attended last year’s 2017 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit, you’ll know he created an excellent Keynote video and realize how much we at Greenroofs.com admire him and his work.

2018 Daytime Emmy Award®

And now Stephen gets to add “Emmy-Award winner” to the Green Bronx Machine’s belt, sort of because Growing a Greener World® can.  The long-running sustainability television program received a Daytime Emmy Award® on June 16 for its powerful episode featuring the non-profit’s work in the aptly-titled The Green Bronx Machine.

The broadcast’s first Emmy win, Executive Producer and show host Joe Lamp’l said “After filming over 100 episodes of Growing a Greener World, I don’t think we’ve ever told a story that’s impacted me more emotionally than this one.”

“In a community where it’s easier to get liquor than lettuce, Mr. Ritz’s non-profit has helped high school attendance improve from 40% to 93% and has reduced behavioral incidents and out-of-classroom time by a whopping 50% in the elementary school in which he teaches.

This humble man with unparalleled charismatic, infectious energy has changed the landscape of students’ lives through tireless 12-hour days where “Garden Time with Mr. Ritz” is always in eager demand. The kids are taught the botany, the biology, and the history of the fruits and veggies they grow in a way that sparks fascination and new-found ownership of the joy of growing food that is improving eating habits and helping create healthy food relationships.

And as the children love and nurture the plants they’re raising, the plants reward them with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, and apples to be eaten during school lunch and taken home to their families. The sense of accomplishment and taste for success that is borne of this symbiotic relationship will carry into the rest of these kids’ lives.” ~ Joe Lamp’l, Emmy Win for Growing a Greener World – The Green Bronx Machine

Watch the Emmy Award Winning Episode

Learn about the 2018 Emmy award-winning Episode 808 The Green Bronx Machine at Growing a Greener World®.  The episode can be viewed at: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode-808-green-bronx-machine/

Kudos to everyone involved in this Emmy-winning program, including Joe Lamp’l and Stephen Ritz, and everyone at both Growing a Greener World® and the Green Bronx Machine!

And, don’t miss the opportunity to see Stephen Ritz in action live in this Sunday’s interview and Q&A session!

By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host

Growing a Greener World® is a sustainability-focused lifestyle broadcast that features compelling and inspirational stories of people, places and organizations making a positive impact on the planet. The ninth season of Growing a Greener World is currently in production, with new episodes premiering September 1, 2018 and running through December 31, 2018 on public television stations nationwide.

Check your local listings for broadcast dates/times. Growing a Greener World is presented by UNC-TV in North Carolina and distributed by American Public Television. All episodes can also be viewed on demand on the show’s website and on the show’s YouTube channel of the same name.

The Green Bronx Machine is a non-profit organization that builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and career exploration vital for 21st Century college and career opportunities. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, this school-based model uses urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators to grow healthy students and healthy schools.