From the classroom to the kitchen counter, a local high school senior is turning curiosity into innovation. This week's 'Hometown Hero' created an affordable, indoor hydroponic system, and he's giving back to the program that inspired it all.
Joshua Reiter is 17 years old and already thinking like an engineer and an entrepreneur. It all started in a hands-on field biology class at Grandview Preparatory School, where Josh and his classmates were challenged to learn how to use a large hydroponic system donated to the school. Before long, Josh was looking for ways to make the technology more accessible, turning a system that can cost up to $2,000 into something much more affordable for everyday use.
"So I started scaling down, focusing more on microgreens and ignoring the tomatoes and lettuces because not everybody wants to do that," Josh explains. "A lot of people here locally want to grow microgreens, and it's something that I knew I understood more."
After about two and a half years of designing, testing, and 3D-printing the system himself, Josh created a compact, self-watering hydroponic system that can turn any kitchen counter into a mini microgreens garden.
Read more at CBS12
