0:00:00.426,0:00:01.747 Good afternoon. 0:00:01.747,0:00:04.690 I am not a farmer. 0:00:04.690,0:00:05.625 (Laughter) 0:00:05.625,0:00:09.177 I'm not. I'm a parent, I'm a resident and I'm a teacher. 0:00:09.177,0:00:10.739 And this is my world. 0:00:10.739,0:00:12.352 And along the way I've started noticing -- 0:00:12.352,0:00:13.821 I'm on my third generation of kids -- 0:00:13.821,0:00:15.074 that they're getting bigger. 0:00:15.074,0:00:16.233 They're getting sicker. 0:00:16.233,0:00:18.217 In addition to these complexities, 0:00:18.217,0:00:20.130 I just learned that 70 percent of the kids that I see 0:00:20.130,0:00:22.140 who are labeled learning disabled would not have been 0:00:22.140,0:00:24.497 had they had proper prenatal nutrition. 0:00:24.497,0:00:28.173 The realities of my community are simple. They look like this. 0:00:28.173,0:00:30.907 Kids should not have to grow up and look at things like this. 0:00:30.907,0:00:33.049 And as jobs continue to leave my community, 0:00:33.049,0:00:35.992 and energy continues to come in, be exported in, 0:00:35.992,0:00:41.327 it's no wonder that really some people refer to the South Bronx as a desert. 0:00:41.327,0:00:43.927 But I'm the oldest sixth grader you'll ever meet, 0:00:43.927,0:00:46.560 so I get up every day with this tremendous amount of enthusiasm 0:00:46.560,0:00:48.896 that I'm hoping to share with you all today. 0:00:48.896,0:00:52.373 And with that note, I come to you with this belief 0:00:52.373,0:00:54.847 that kids should not have to leave their communities 0:00:54.847,0:00:56.228 to live, learn and earn in a better one. 0:00:56.228,0:00:57.866 So I'm here to tell you a story about me 0:00:57.866,0:01:01.387 and this wall that I met outside, which I'm now bringing inside. 0:01:01.387,0:01:03.130 And it starts with three people. 0:01:03.130,0:01:05.208 The crazy teacher -- that's me on the left, 0:01:05.208,0:01:08.586 I dress up pretty, thank you, my wife, I love you for getting a good suit -- 0:01:08.586,0:01:10.250 my passionate borough president 0:01:10.250,0:01:12.795 and a guy named George Irwin from Green Living Technologies 0:01:12.795,0:01:14.059 who helped me with my class 0:01:14.059,0:01:16.546 and helped me get involved with this patented technology. 0:01:16.546,0:01:19.410 But it all starts with seeds in classrooms, 0:01:19.410,0:01:22.066 in my place, which looks like this. 0:01:22.066,0:01:27.719 And I'm here today hoping that my reach will exceed my grasp. 0:01:27.719,0:01:29.418 And that's really what this is all about. 0:01:29.418,0:01:31.154 And it starts with incredible kids like this, 0:01:31.154,0:01:32.875 who come early and stay late. 0:01:32.875,0:01:35.843 All of my kids are either IEP or ELL learners, 0:01:35.843,0:01:37.602 most come with a lot of handicaps, 0:01:37.602,0:01:40.155 most are homeless and many are in foster care. 0:01:40.155,0:01:42.406 Almost all of my kids live below poverty. 0:01:42.406,0:01:45.827 But with those seeds, from day one, we are growing in my classroom, 0:01:45.827,0:01:48.018 and this is what it looks like in my classroom. 0:01:48.018,0:01:50.619 And you see how attentive these kids are to these seeds. 0:01:50.619,0:01:55.058 And then you notice that those seeds become farms across the Bronx that look like this. 0:01:55.058,0:01:59.275 But again, I am not a farmer. I'm a teacher. 0:01:59.275,0:02:01.931 And I don't like weeding, and I don't like back-breaking labor. 0:02:01.931,0:02:04.059 So I wanted to figure out how I could get this kind of success 0:02:04.059,0:02:06.427 into something small, like this, 0:02:06.427,0:02:09.219 and bring it into my classroom so that handicapped kids could do it, 0:02:09.219,0:02:10.941 kids who didn't want to be outside could do it, 0:02:10.941,0:02:12.241 and everyone could have access. 0:02:12.241,0:02:14.374 So I called George Irwin, and what do you know? 0:02:14.374,0:02:18.035 He came to my class and we built an indoor edible wall. 0:02:18.035,0:02:21.383 And what we do is we partner it with authentic learning experiences, 0:02:21.383,0:02:23.090 private-based learning. 0:02:23.090,0:02:25.714 And lo and behold, we gave birth to 0:02:25.714,0:02:27.962 the first edible wall in New York City. 0:02:27.962,0:02:29.122 So if you're hungry, get up and eat. 0:02:29.122,0:02:30.946 You can do it right now. My kids play cow all the time. 0:02:30.946,0:02:34.298 Okay? But we were just getting started, 0:02:34.298,0:02:35.667 the kids loved the technology, 0:02:35.667,0:02:38.012 so we called up George and we said, "We gotta learn more!" 0:02:38.012,0:02:40.867 Now, Mayor Bloomberg, thank you very much, we no longer need work permits, 0:02:40.867,0:02:43.644 which comes with slices and bonded contractors -- we're available for you -- 0:02:43.644,0:02:45.650 We decided to go to Boston. 0:02:45.650,0:02:48.076 And my kids, from the poorest congressional district in America, 0:02:48.076,0:02:51.341 became the first to install a green wall, 0:02:51.341,0:02:53.626 designed by a computer, with real-live learning tools, 0:02:53.626,0:02:55.175 21 stories up -- if you're going to go visit it, 0:02:55.175,0:02:57.234 it's on top of the John Hancock building. 0:02:57.234,0:03:00.026 But closer to home, we started installing these walls in schools 0:03:00.026,0:03:01.946 that look like this with lighting like that, 0:03:01.946,0:03:05.035 real LED stuff, 21st-century technology. 0:03:05.035,0:03:07.354 And what do you know? We made 21st century money, 0:03:07.354,0:03:10.173 and that was groundbreaking. Wow! 0:03:10.173,0:03:12.985 This is my harvest, people. 0:03:12.985,0:03:15.742 And what do you do with this food? You cook it! 0:03:15.742,0:03:18.646 And those are my heirloom students making heirloom sauce, 0:03:18.646,0:03:21.108 with plastic forks, and we get it into the cafeteria, 0:03:21.108,0:03:23.308 and we grow stuff and we feed our teachers. 0:03:23.308,0:03:25.519 And that is the youngest nationally certified 0:03:25.519,0:03:28.342 workforce in America with our Bronx Borough President. 0:03:28.342,0:03:31.246 And what'd we do then? Well, I met nice people like you, 0:03:31.246,0:03:32.983 and they invited us to the Hamptons. 0:03:32.983,0:03:35.254 So I call this "from South Bronx to Southampton." 0:03:35.254,0:03:37.759 And we started putting in roofs that look like this, 0:03:37.759,0:03:40.047 and we came in from destitute neighborhoods 0:03:40.047,0:03:43.615 to start building landscape like this, wow! People noticed. 0:03:43.615,0:03:45.609 And so we got invited back this past summer, 0:03:45.609,0:03:47.368 and we actually moved into the Hamptons, 0:03:47.368,0:03:50.191 payed 3,500 dollars a week for a house, and we learned how to surf. 0:03:50.191,0:03:52.967 And when you can do stuff like this -- 0:03:52.967,0:03:56.183 These are my kids putting in this technology, 0:03:56.183,0:03:58.720 and when you can build a roof that looks like that 0:03:58.720,0:04:01.134 on a house that looks like that 0:04:01.134,0:04:03.944 with sedum that looks like this, 0:04:03.944,0:04:06.686 this is the new green graffiti. 0:04:06.686,0:04:10.191 So, you may wonder what does a wall like this 0:04:10.191,0:04:12.751 really do for kids, besides changing landscapes and mindsets? 0:04:12.751,0:04:14.647 Okay, I'm going to tell you what it does. 0:04:14.647,0:04:16.967 It gets me to meet incredible contractors like this, 0:04:16.967,0:04:19.119 Jim Ellenberger from Ellenberger Services. 0:04:19.119,0:04:21.852 And this is where it becomes true triple bottom line. 0:04:21.852,0:04:25.341 Because Jim realized that these kids, my future farmers, 0:04:25.341,0:04:28.225 really had the skills he needed to build affordable housing 0:04:28.225,0:04:30.423 for New Yorkers, right in their own neighborhood. 0:04:30.423,0:04:32.767 And this is what my kids are doing, making living wage. 0:04:32.767,0:04:35.607 Now, if you're like me, you live in a building, there are seven guys 0:04:35.607,0:04:37.622 out of work looking to manage a million dollars. 0:04:37.622,0:04:40.031 I don't have it. But if you need a toilet fixed 0:04:40.031,0:04:42.042 or, you know, some shelving, I gotta wait six months 0:04:42.042,0:04:44.495 for an appointment with someone who drives a much nicer car than me. 0:04:44.495,0:04:46.274 That's the beauty of this economy. 0:04:46.274,0:04:49.608 But my kids are now licensed and bonded in trade. 0:04:49.608,0:04:52.584 And that's my first student to open up, the first in his family to have a bank account. 0:04:52.584,0:04:55.993 This immigrant student is the first one in his family to use an ATM. 0:04:55.993,0:04:58.375 And this is the true triple bottom line, 0:04:58.375,0:05:00.630 because we can take neighborhoods that were abandoned and destitute 0:05:00.630,0:05:03.551 and turn them into something like this with interiors like this. 0:05:03.551,0:05:05.630 Wow! People noticed. And notice they did. 0:05:05.630,0:05:09.126 So CNN called, and we were delighted to have them come to our farmer's market. 0:05:09.126,0:05:11.694 And then when Rockefeller Center said, NBC, 0:05:11.694,0:05:13.598 could you put this thing up on the walls? We were delighted. 0:05:13.598,0:05:17.590 But this, I show you, when kids from the poorest congressional district in America 0:05:17.590,0:05:20.310 can build a 30-foot by 15-foot wall, 0:05:20.310,0:05:23.475 design it, plant it and install it in the heart of New York City, 0:05:23.475,0:05:25.494 that's a true "sí se puede" moment. 0:05:25.494,0:05:27.879 Really scholastic, if you ask me. 0:05:27.879,0:05:30.150 But this is not a Getty image. 0:05:30.150,0:05:32.726 That's a picture I took of my Bronx Borough President, 0:05:32.726,0:05:35.941 addressing my kids in his house, not the jailhouse, 0:05:35.941,0:05:37.488 making them feel a part of it. 0:05:37.488,0:05:39.842 That's our State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Bob Bieder, 0:05:39.842,0:05:42.442 coming to my classroom to make my kids feel important. 0:05:42.442,0:05:44.160 And when the Bronx Borough President shows up 0:05:44.160,0:05:46.342 and the State Senator comes to our class, 0:05:46.342,0:05:50.086 believe you me, the Bronx can change attitudes now. 0:05:50.086,0:05:51.608 We are poised, ready, willing and able 0:05:51.608,0:05:54.808 to export our talent and diversity in ways we've never even imagined. 0:05:54.808,0:05:56.874 And when the local senator gets on the scale in public 0:05:56.874,0:06:00.087 and says he's got to lose weight, so do I! 0:06:00.087,0:06:02.952 And I tell you what, I'm doing it and so are the kids. 0:06:02.952,0:06:05.030 Okay? And then celebrities started. 0:06:05.030,0:06:07.046 Produce Pete can't believe what we grow. 0:06:07.046,0:06:09.262 Lorna Sass came and donated books. 0:06:09.262,0:06:11.494 Okay? We're feeding seniors. 0:06:11.494,0:06:15.055 And when we realized that we were growing for food justice in the South Bronx, 0:06:15.055,0:06:16.940 so did the international community. 0:06:16.940,0:06:18.510 And my kids in the South Bronx were repped in 0:06:18.510,0:06:20.686 the first international green roof conference. 0:06:20.686,0:06:22.118 And that's just great. 0:06:22.118,0:06:23.729 Except what about locally? 0:06:23.729,0:06:26.793 Well, we met this woman, Avis Richards, with the Ground Up Campaign. 0:06:26.793,0:06:29.153 Unbelievable! Through her, my kids, 0:06:29.153,0:06:31.281 the most disenfranchised and marginalized, 0:06:31.281,0:06:35.050 were able to roll out 100 gardens to New York City public schools. 0:06:35.050,0:06:37.907 That's triple bottom line! Okay? 0:06:37.907,0:06:40.842 A year ago today, I was invited to the New York Academy of Medicine. 0:06:40.842,0:06:44.306 I thought this concept of designing a strong and healthy New York 0:06:44.306,0:06:47.017 made sense, especially when the resources were free. 0:06:47.017,0:06:48.793 So thank you all and I love them. 0:06:48.793,0:06:51.811 They introduced me to the New York City Strategic Alliance for Health, 0:06:51.811,0:06:54.775 again, free resources, don't waste them. 0:06:54.775,0:06:56.921 And what do you know? Six months later, 0:06:56.921,0:07:00.020 my school and my kids were awarded the first ever 0:07:00.020,0:07:03.707 high school award of excellence for creating a healthy school environment. 0:07:03.707,0:07:05.833 The greenest class in New York City. 0:07:05.833,0:07:08.275 But more importantly is my kids learned to get, 0:07:08.275,0:07:09.908 they learned to give. 0:07:09.908,0:07:12.377 And we took the money that we made from our farmer's market, 0:07:12.377,0:07:13.825 and started buying gifts for the homeless 0:07:13.825,0:07:15.265 and for needy around the world. 0:07:15.265,0:07:16.675 So we started giving back. 0:07:16.675,0:07:19.174 And that's when I realized that the greening of America 0:07:19.174,0:07:22.409 starts first with the pockets, then with the heart 0:07:22.409,0:07:23.627 and then with the mind. 0:07:23.627,0:07:25.958 So we were onto something, and we're still onto something. 0:07:25.958,0:07:27.792 And thank God Trinity Wall Street noticed, 0:07:27.792,0:07:31.025 because they gave us the birth of Green Bronx Machine. 0:07:31.025,0:07:32.832 We're 3,000 strong right now. 0:07:32.832,0:07:34.153 And what does it really do? 0:07:34.153,0:07:36.187 It teaches kids to re-vision their communities, 0:07:36.187,0:07:39.233 so when they grow up in places like this, they can imagine it like this. 0:07:39.233,0:07:41.376 And my kids, trained and certified -- 0:07:41.376,0:07:43.368 Ma, you get the tax abatement. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg -- 0:07:43.368,0:07:47.075 can take communities that look like this and convert them into things that look like that, 0:07:47.075,0:07:50.464 and that to me, people, is another true "sí se puede" moment. 0:07:50.464,0:07:52.544 Now, how does it start? It starts in schools. 0:07:52.544,0:07:54.264 No more little Knicks and little Nets. 0:07:54.264,0:07:57.674 Group by broccoli, group by your favorite vegetable, 0:07:57.674,0:07:59.305 something you can aspire to. 0:07:59.305,0:08:01.352 Okay? And these are my future farmers of America, 0:08:01.352,0:08:03.825 growing up in Brook Park on 141st Street, 0:08:03.825,0:08:05.552 the most migrant community in America. 0:08:05.552,0:08:07.640 When tenacious little ones learn how to garden like this, 0:08:07.640,0:08:10.001 it's no wonder we get fruit like that. 0:08:10.001,0:08:11.992 And I love it! And so do they. 0:08:11.992,0:08:14.907 And we're building teepees in neighborhoods that were burning down. 0:08:14.907,0:08:17.280 And that's a true "sí se puede" moment. 0:08:17.280,0:08:20.657 And again, Brook Park feeds hundreds of people 0:08:20.657,0:08:23.075 without a food stamp or a fingerprint. 0:08:23.075,0:08:25.128 The poorest congressional district in America, 0:08:25.128,0:08:28.312 the most migratory community in America, we can do this. 0:08:28.312,0:08:32.016 Bissel Gardens is cranking out food in epic proportions, 0:08:32.016,0:08:34.320 moving kids into an economy they never imagined. 0:08:34.320,0:08:36.784 Now, somewhere over the rainbow, my friends, 0:08:36.784,0:08:40.512 is the South Bronx of America. And we're doing it. 0:08:40.512,0:08:43.367 How does it start? Well, look at Jose's attention to detail. 0:08:43.367,0:08:46.008 Thank God Omar knows that carrots come from the ground, 0:08:46.008,0:08:47.584 and not aisle 9 at the supermarket 0:08:47.584,0:08:50.375 or through a bullet-proof window or through a piece of styrofoam. 0:08:50.375,0:08:53.075 And when Henry knows that green is good, so do I. 0:08:53.075,0:08:56.129 And when you expand their palates, you expand their vocabulary. 0:08:56.129,0:08:59.762 And most importantly, when you put big kids together with little kids, 0:08:59.762,0:09:02.109 you get the big fat white guy out of the middle, which is cool, 0:09:02.109,0:09:05.541 and you create this kind of accountability amongst peers, which is incredible. 0:09:05.541,0:09:08.130 God, I'm going to run out of time, so I've gotta keep it moving. 0:09:08.130,0:09:11.330 But this is my weekly paycheck for kids; that's our green graffiti. 0:09:11.330,0:09:12.995 This is what we're doing. 0:09:12.995,0:09:17.474 And behold the glory and bounty that is Bronx County. 0:09:17.474,0:09:20.817 Nothing thrills me more than to see kids pollinating plants instead of each other. 0:09:20.817,0:09:22.977 I gotta tell you, I'm a protective parent. 0:09:22.977,0:09:24.518 But those kids are the kids who are now putting 0:09:24.518,0:09:26.394 pumpkin patches on top of trains. 0:09:26.394,0:09:29.235 We're also designing coin ponds for the rich and affluent. 0:09:29.235,0:09:30.941 We're also becoming children of the corn, 0:09:30.941,0:09:33.545 creating farms in the middle of Fordham Road for awareness 0:09:33.545,0:09:35.098 and window bottles out of garbage. 0:09:35.098,0:09:36.897 Now I don't expect every kid to be a farmer, 0:09:36.897,0:09:40.258 but I expect you to read about it, write about it, blog about it, offer outstanding customer service. 0:09:40.258,0:09:42.745 I expect them to be engaged, and man, are they! 0:09:42.745,0:09:45.129 So that's my incredible classroom, that's the food. 0:09:45.129,0:09:48.929 Where does it go? Zero miles to plate, right down into the cafeteria. 0:09:48.929,0:09:51.008 Or more importantly, to local shelters, 0:09:51.008,0:09:53.361 where most of our kids are getting one to two meals a day. 0:09:53.361,0:09:55.049 And we're stepping it up. 0:09:55.049,0:09:57.611 No Air Jordans were ever ruined on my farm. 0:09:57.611,0:10:00.890 And in his day, a million dollar gardens and incredible installations. 0:10:00.890,0:10:02.530 Let me tell you something, people. 0:10:02.530,0:10:06.436 This is a beautiful moment. 0:10:06.436,0:10:09.621 Black field, brown field, toxic waste field, battlefield -- 0:10:09.621,0:10:12.476 we're proving in the Bronx that you can grow anywhere, on cement. 0:10:12.476,0:10:16.397 And we take orders for flowers. I'm putting the bake sale to shame. 0:10:16.397,0:10:18.429 We take orders now. I'm booking for the spring. 0:10:18.429,0:10:21.797 And these were all grown from seeds. We're learning everything. 0:10:21.797,0:10:24.693 And again, when you can take kids from backgrounds as diverse 0:10:24.693,0:10:26.750 as this to do something as special as this, 0:10:26.750,0:10:28.474 we're really creating a moment. 0:10:28.474,0:10:31.190 Now, you may ask about these kids. 0:10:31.190,0:10:34.371 Forty percent attendance to 93 percent attendance. 0:10:34.371,0:10:37.260 All start overage and under-credit. 0:10:37.260,0:10:41.196 They are now, my first cohort is all in college, earning a living wage. 0:10:41.196,0:10:43.477 The rest are scheduled to graduate this June. 0:10:43.477,0:10:46.429 Happy kids, happy families, happy colleagues. 0:10:46.429,0:10:50.565 Amazed people. The glory and bounty that is Bronx County. 0:10:50.565,0:10:52.828 Let's talk about mint. Where is my mint? 0:10:52.828,0:10:55.016 I grow seven kinds of mint in my class. 0:10:55.016,0:10:57.167 Mojitos, anybody? I'll be at Telepan later. 0:10:57.167,0:11:00.362 But, understand this is my intellectual Viagra. 0:11:00.362,0:11:03.562 Ladies and gentlemen, I gotta move quick, but understand this: 0:11:03.562,0:11:06.298 The borough that gave us baggy pants and funky fresh beats 0:11:06.298,0:11:08.450 is becoming home to the organic ones. 0:11:08.450,0:11:11.386 My green [unclear] 25,000 pounds of vegetables, 0:11:11.386,0:11:14.698 I'm growing organic citizens, engaged kids. 0:11:14.698,0:11:17.408 So help us go from this to this. 0:11:17.408,0:11:20.698 Self-sustaining entities, 18 months return on investment, 0:11:20.698,0:11:22.890 plus we're paying people living wage and health benefits, 0:11:22.890,0:11:24.746 while feeding people for pennies on the dollar. 0:11:24.746,0:11:28.362 Martin Luther King said that people need to be uplifted with dignity. 0:11:28.362,0:11:31.627 So here in New York, I urge you, my fellow Americans, 0:11:31.627,0:11:34.274 to help us make America great again. 0:11:34.274,0:11:36.218 It's simple. Share your passion. 0:11:36.218,0:11:38.643 It's real easy. Go see these two videos, please. 0:11:38.643,0:11:41.542 One got us invited to the White House, one's a recent incarnation. 0:11:41.542,0:11:44.176 And most importantly, get the biggest bully out of schools. 0:11:44.176,0:11:46.281 This has got to go tomorrow. 0:11:46.281,0:11:48.342 People, you can all do that. 0:11:48.342,0:11:51.578 Keep kids out of stores that look like this. 0:11:51.578,0:11:53.275 Make them a healthy plate, 0:11:53.275,0:11:56.026 especially if you can pick it off the wall in your own classroom -- delicioso! 0:11:56.026,0:11:59.362 Model good behavior. Get them to a green cart. 0:11:59.362,0:12:01.578 Big kids love strawberries and bananas. 0:12:01.578,0:12:04.594 Teach them entrepreneurship. Thank God for GrowNYC. 0:12:04.594,0:12:07.826 Let them cook. Great lunch today, let them do culinary things. 0:12:07.826,0:12:09.745 But most importantly, just love them. 0:12:09.745,0:12:12.059 Nothing works like unconditional love. 0:12:12.059,0:12:15.266 So, my good friend Kermit said it's not easy being green. 0:12:15.266,0:12:17.950 It's not. I come from a place where kids can buy 0:12:17.950,0:12:20.975 35 flavors of blunt wrap at any day of the moment, 0:12:20.975,0:12:23.626 where ice cream freezers are filled with slushy malt liquor. 0:12:23.626,0:12:28.013 Okay? My dear friend Majora Carter once told me, 0:12:28.013,0:12:31.276 we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. 0:12:31.276,0:12:33.528 So here, and at a time when we've gone from 0:12:33.528,0:12:36.083 the audacity to hope to hope for some audacity, 0:12:36.083,0:12:37.978 I urge you to do something. 0:12:37.978,0:12:39.449 I urge you to do something. 0:12:39.449,0:12:41.193 Right now, we're all tadpoles, 0:12:41.193,0:12:44.487 but I urge you to become a big frog and take that big, green leap. 0:12:44.487,0:12:47.781 I don't care if you're on the left, on the right, up the middle, wherever. 0:12:47.781,0:12:51.541 Join me. Use -- I've got a lot of energy. Help me use it. 0:12:51.541,0:12:54.175 We can do something here. 0:12:54.175,0:12:56.845 And along the way, please take time to smell the flowers, 0:12:56.845,0:12:58.382 especially if you and your students grew them. 0:12:58.382,0:13:00.981 I'm Steve Ritz, this is Green Bronx Machine. 0:13:00.981,0:13:04.350 I've got to say thank you to my wife and family, for my kids, 0:13:04.350,0:13:06.108 thank you for coming every day, and for my colleagues, 0:13:06.108,0:13:07.542 believing and supporting me. 0:13:07.542,0:13:09.675 We are growing our way into a new economy. 0:13:09.675,0:13:12.876 Thank you, God bless you and enjoy the day. I'm Steve Ritz. 0:13:12.876,0:13:15.042 Sí se puede! 0:13:15.042,0:13:20.413 (Applause)