The white box container sitting in the parking lot of the Watertown Public Schools' administration building has smooth metal walls on the outside, but inside the walls have a lush floor-to-ceiling covering of green plants. The freight container is not just a teaching tool but also provides fresh produce for students around the district.
Known as a Freight Farm, the container is filled with walls outfitted with equipment to water and nourish hundreds of plants, and lights to help them grow. When up to full production it will produce all the greens used in salads and other dishes served in Watertown's five public schools.
The Watertown Public Schools recently received a $82,946 FRESH (Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health) grant, much of which will be used to fund the Freight Farm. As part of the official announcement of the grant, a bevy of state officials visited Lowell School on Feb. 5, including Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. Before the speeches, members of Watertown High School's High-Tech Farming class showed the delegation how the Freight Farm works.
"So what we have is we have these different tanks that have nutrients built into the water," said WHS senior William Powazinik. "And so when the water goes through this line up here, it comes out of the emitters for soil and water they just go right into seeds."
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