[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.43,0:00:01.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Good afternoon.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.75,0:00:04.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am not a farmer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.69,0:00:05.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.62,0:00:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not. I'm a parent, I'm a resident and I'm a teacher.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.18,0:00:10.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is my world.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.74,0:00:12.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And along the way I've started noticing --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.35,0:00:13.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm on my third generation of kids --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.82,0:00:15.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they're getting bigger.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.07,0:00:16.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're getting sicker.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.23,0:00:18.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In addition to these complexities,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.22,0:00:20.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just learned that 70 percent of the kids that I see
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.13,0:00:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are labeled learning disabled would not have been
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.14,0:00:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had they had proper prenatal nutrition.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.50,0:00:28.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The realities of my community are simple. They look like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.17,0:00:30.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Kids should not have to grow up and look at things like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.91,0:00:33.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as jobs continue to leave my community,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.05,0:00:35.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and energy continues to come in, be exported in,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.99,0:00:41.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's no wonder that really some people refer to the South Bronx as a desert.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.33,0:00:43.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I'm the oldest sixth grader you'll ever meet,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.93,0:00:46.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I get up every day with this tremendous amount of enthusiasm
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.56,0:00:48.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm hoping to share with you all today.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.90,0:00:52.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with that note, I come to you with this belief
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.37,0:00:54.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that kids should not have to leave their communities
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.85,0:00:56.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to live, learn and earn in a better one.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.23,0:00:57.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm here to tell you a story about me
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.87,0:01:01.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this wall that I met outside, which I'm now bringing inside.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.39,0:01:03.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it starts with three people.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.13,0:01:05.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The crazy teacher -- that's me on the left,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.21,0:01:08.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I dress up pretty, thank you, my wife, I love you for getting a good suit --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.59,0:01:10.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my passionate borough president
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.25,0:01:12.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a guy named George Irwin from Green Living Technologies
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.80,0:01:14.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who helped me with my class
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.06,0:01:16.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and helped me get involved with this patented technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.55,0:01:19.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it all starts with seeds in classrooms,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.41,0:01:22.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in my place, which looks like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.07,0:01:27.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm here today hoping that my reach will exceed my grasp.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.72,0:01:29.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's really what this is all about.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.42,0:01:31.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it starts with incredible kids like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.15,0:01:32.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who come early and stay late.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.88,0:01:35.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of my kids are either IEP or ELL learners,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.84,0:01:37.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most come with a lot of handicaps,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.60,0:01:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most are homeless and many are in foster care.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.16,0:01:42.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Almost all of my kids live below poverty.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.41,0:01:45.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But with those seeds, from day one, we are growing in my classroom,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.83,0:01:48.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is what it looks like in my classroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.02,0:01:50.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you see how attentive these kids are to these seeds.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.62,0:01:55.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then you notice that those seeds become farms across the Bronx that look like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.06,0:01:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But again, I am not a farmer. I'm a teacher.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.28,0:02:01.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I don't like weeding, and I don't like back-breaking labor.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.93,0:02:04.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I wanted to figure out how I could get this kind of success
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.06,0:02:06.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into something small, like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.43,0:02:09.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bring it into my classroom so that handicapped kids could do it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.22,0:02:10.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kids who didn't want to be outside could do it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.94,0:02:12.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and everyone could have access.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.24,0:02:14.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I called George Irwin, and what do you know?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.37,0:02:18.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He came to my class and we built an indoor edible wall.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.04,0:02:21.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what we do is we partner it with authentic learning experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.38,0:02:23.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,private-based learning.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.09,0:02:25.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And lo and behold, we gave birth to
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.71,0:02:27.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first edible wall in New York City.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.96,0:02:29.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you're hungry, get up and eat.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.12,0:02:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can do it right now. My kids play cow all the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.95,0:02:34.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? But we were just getting started,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.30,0:02:35.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the kids loved the technology,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.67,0:02:38.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we called up George and we said, "We gotta learn more!"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.01,0:02:40.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, Mayor Bloomberg, thank you very much, we no longer need work permits,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.87,0:02:43.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which comes with slices and bonded contractors -- we're available for you --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.64,0:02:45.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We decided to go to Boston.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.65,0:02:48.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my kids, from the poorest congressional district in America,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.08,0:02:51.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,became the first to install a green wall,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.34,0:02:53.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designed by a computer, with real-live learning tools,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.63,0:02:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,21 stories up -- if you're going to go visit it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.18,0:02:57.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's on top of the John Hancock building.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.23,0:03:00.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But closer to home, we started installing these walls in schools
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.03,0:03:01.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that look like this with lighting like that,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.95,0:03:05.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,real LED stuff, 21st-century technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.04,0:03:07.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what do you know? We made 21st century money,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.35,0:03:10.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that was groundbreaking. Wow!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.17,0:03:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is my harvest, people.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.98,0:03:15.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what do you do with this food? You cook it!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.74,0:03:18.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And those are my heirloom students making heirloom sauce,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.65,0:03:21.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with plastic forks, and we get it into the cafeteria,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.11,0:03:23.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we grow stuff and we feed our teachers.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.31,0:03:25.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that is the youngest nationally certified
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.52,0:03:28.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,workforce in America with our Bronx Borough President.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.34,0:03:31.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what'd we do then? Well, I met nice people like you,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.25,0:03:32.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they invited us to the Hamptons.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.98,0:03:35.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I call this "from South Bronx to Southampton."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.25,0:03:37.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we started putting in roofs that look like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.76,0:03:40.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we came in from destitute neighborhoods
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.05,0:03:43.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to start building landscape like this, wow! People noticed.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.62,0:03:45.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we got invited back this past summer,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.61,0:03:47.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we actually moved into the Hamptons,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.37,0:03:50.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,payed 3,500 dollars a week for a house, and we learned how to surf.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.19,0:03:52.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you can do stuff like this --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.97,0:03:56.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These are my kids putting in this technology,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.18,0:03:58.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when you can build a roof that looks like that
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.72,0:04:01.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a house that looks like that
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.13,0:04:03.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with sedum that looks like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.94,0:04:06.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is the new green graffiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.69,0:04:10.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, you may wonder what does a wall like this
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.19,0:04:12.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really do for kids, besides changing landscapes and mindsets?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.75,0:04:14.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, I'm going to tell you what it does.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.65,0:04:16.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It gets me to meet incredible contractors like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.97,0:04:19.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jim Ellenberger from Ellenberger Services.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.12,0:04:21.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is where it becomes true triple bottom line.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.85,0:04:25.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because Jim realized that these kids, my future farmers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.34,0:04:28.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really had the skills he needed to build affordable housing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.22,0:04:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for New Yorkers, right in their own neighborhood.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.42,0:04:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is what my kids are doing, making living wage.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.77,0:04:35.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, if you're like me, you live in a building, there are seven guys
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.61,0:04:37.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of work looking to manage a million dollars.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.62,0:04:40.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't have it. But if you need a toilet fixed
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.03,0:04:42.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or, you know, some shelving, I gotta wait six months
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.04,0:04:44.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for an appointment with someone who drives a much nicer car than me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.50,0:04:46.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the beauty of this economy.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.27,0:04:49.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my kids are now licensed and bonded in trade.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.61,0:04:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's my first student to open up, the first in his family to have a bank account.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.58,0:04:55.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This immigrant student is the first one in his family to use an ATM.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.99,0:04:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is the true triple bottom line,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.38,0:05:00.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we can take neighborhoods that were abandoned and destitute
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.63,0:05:03.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and turn them into something like this with interiors like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.55,0:05:05.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wow! People noticed. And notice they did.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.63,0:05:09.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So CNN called, and we were delighted to have them come to our farmer's market.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.13,0:05:11.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then when Rockefeller Center said, NBC,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.69,0:05:13.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could you put this thing up on the walls? We were delighted.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.60,0:05:17.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this, I show you, when kids from the poorest congressional district in America
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.59,0:05:20.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can build a 30-foot by 15-foot wall,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.31,0:05:23.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,design it, plant it and install it in the heart of New York City,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.48,0:05:25.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's a true "sí se puede" moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.49,0:05:27.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Really scholastic, if you ask me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.88,0:05:30.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is not a Getty image.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.15,0:05:32.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a picture I took of my Bronx Borough President,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.73,0:05:35.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,addressing my kids in his house, not the jailhouse,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.94,0:05:37.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,making them feel a part of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.49,0:05:39.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's our State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Bob Bieder,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.84,0:05:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming to my classroom to make my kids feel important.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.44,0:05:44.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when the Bronx Borough President shows up
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.16,0:05:46.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the State Senator comes to our class,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.34,0:05:50.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,believe you me, the Bronx can change attitudes now.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.09,0:05:51.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are poised, ready, willing and able
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.61,0:05:54.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to export our talent and diversity in ways we've never even imagined.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.81,0:05:56.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when the local senator gets on the scale in public
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.87,0:06:00.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and says he's got to lose weight, so do I!
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.09,0:06:02.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I tell you what, I'm doing it and so are the kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.95,0:06:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? And then celebrities started.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.03,0:06:07.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Produce Pete can't believe what we grow.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.05,0:06:09.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Lorna Sass came and donated books.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.26,0:06:11.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? We're feeding seniors.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.49,0:06:15.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when we realized that we were growing for food justice in the South Bronx,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.06,0:06:16.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so did the international community.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.94,0:06:18.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my kids in the South Bronx were repped in
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.51,0:06:20.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first international green roof conference.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.69,0:06:22.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's just great.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.12,0:06:23.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Except what about locally?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.73,0:06:26.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, we met this woman, Avis Richards, with the Ground Up Campaign.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.79,0:06:29.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unbelievable! Through her, my kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.15,0:06:31.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the most disenfranchised and marginalized,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.28,0:06:35.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were able to roll out 100 gardens to New York City public schools.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.05,0:06:37.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's triple bottom line! Okay?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.91,0:06:40.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A year ago today, I was invited to the New York Academy of Medicine.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.84,0:06:44.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought this concept of designing a strong and healthy New York
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.31,0:06:47.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made sense, especially when the resources were free.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.02,0:06:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So thank you all and I love them.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.79,0:06:51.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They introduced me to the New York City Strategic Alliance for Health,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.81,0:06:54.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,again, free resources, don't waste them.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.78,0:06:56.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what do you know? Six months later,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.92,0:07:00.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my school and my kids were awarded the first ever
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.02,0:07:03.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,high school award of excellence for creating a healthy school environment.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.71,0:07:05.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The greenest class in New York City.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.83,0:07:08.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But more importantly is my kids learned to get,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.28,0:07:09.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they learned to give.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.91,0:07:12.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we took the money that we made from our farmer's market,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.38,0:07:13.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and started buying gifts for the homeless
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.82,0:07:15.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and for needy around the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.26,0:07:16.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we started giving back.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.68,0:07:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's when I realized that the greening of America
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.17,0:07:22.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starts first with the pockets, then with the heart
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.41,0:07:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then with the mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.63,0:07:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were onto something, and we're still onto something.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.96,0:07:27.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And thank God Trinity Wall Street noticed,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.79,0:07:31.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they gave us the birth of Green Bronx Machine.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.02,0:07:32.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're 3,000 strong right now.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.83,0:07:34.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what does it really do?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.15,0:07:36.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It teaches kids to re-vision their communities,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.19,0:07:39.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so when they grow up in places like this, they can imagine it like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.23,0:07:41.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my kids, trained and certified --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.38,0:07:43.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ma, you get the tax abatement. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.37,0:07:47.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can take communities that look like this and convert them into things that look like that,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.08,0:07:50.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that to me, people, is another true "sí se puede" moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.46,0:07:52.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, how does it start? It starts in schools.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.54,0:07:54.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No more little Knicks and little Nets.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.26,0:07:57.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Group by broccoli, group by your favorite vegetable,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.67,0:07:59.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something you can aspire to.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.30,0:08:01.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? And these are my future farmers of America,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.35,0:08:03.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,growing up in Brook Park on 141st Street,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.82,0:08:05.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the most migrant community in America.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.55,0:08:07.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When tenacious little ones learn how to garden like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.64,0:08:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's no wonder we get fruit like that.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.00,0:08:11.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I love it! And so do they.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.99,0:08:14.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we're building teepees in neighborhoods that were burning down.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.91,0:08:17.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's a true "sí se puede" moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.28,0:08:20.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And again, Brook Park feeds hundreds of people
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.66,0:08:23.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without a food stamp or a fingerprint.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.08,0:08:25.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The poorest congressional district in America,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.13,0:08:28.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the most migratory community in America, we can do this.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.31,0:08:32.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bissel Gardens is cranking out food in epic proportions,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.02,0:08:34.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moving kids into an economy they never imagined.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.32,0:08:36.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, somewhere over the rainbow, my friends,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.78,0:08:40.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the South Bronx of America. And we're doing it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.51,0:08:43.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does it start? Well, look at Jose's attention to detail.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.37,0:08:46.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank God Omar knows that carrots come from the ground,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.01,0:08:47.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not aisle 9 at the supermarket
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.58,0:08:50.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or through a bullet-proof window or through a piece of styrofoam.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.38,0:08:53.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when Henry knows that green is good, so do I.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.08,0:08:56.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you expand their palates, you expand their vocabulary.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.13,0:08:59.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And most importantly, when you put big kids together with little kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.76,0:09:02.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you get the big fat white guy out of the middle, which is cool,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.11,0:09:05.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you create this kind of accountability amongst peers, which is incredible.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.54,0:09:08.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God, I'm going to run out of time, so I've gotta keep it moving.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.13,0:09:11.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is my weekly paycheck for kids; that's our green graffiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.33,0:09:12.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is what we're doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.100,0:09:17.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And behold the glory and bounty that is Bronx County.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.47,0:09:20.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nothing thrills me more than to see kids pollinating plants instead of each other.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.82,0:09:22.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I gotta tell you, I'm a protective parent.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.98,0:09:24.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But those kids are the kids who are now putting
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.52,0:09:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pumpkin patches on top of trains.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.39,0:09:29.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're also designing coin ponds for the rich and affluent.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.24,0:09:30.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're also becoming children of the corn,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.94,0:09:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,creating farms in the middle of Fordham Road for awareness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.54,0:09:35.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and window bottles out of garbage.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.10,0:09:36.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now I don't expect every kid to be a farmer,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.90,0:09:40.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I expect you to read about it, write about it, blog about it, offer outstanding customer service.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.26,0:09:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I expect them to be engaged, and man, are they!
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.74,0:09:45.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that's my incredible classroom, that's the food.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.13,0:09:48.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Where does it go? Zero miles to plate, right down into the cafeteria.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.93,0:09:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or more importantly, to local shelters,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.01,0:09:53.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where most of our kids are getting one to two meals a day.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.36,0:09:55.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we're stepping it up.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.05,0:09:57.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No Air Jordans were ever ruined on my farm.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.61,0:10:00.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in his day, a million dollar gardens and incredible installations.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.89,0:10:02.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me tell you something, people.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.53,0:10:06.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a beautiful moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.44,0:10:09.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Black field, brown field, toxic waste field, battlefield --
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.62,0:10:12.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're proving in the Bronx that you can grow anywhere, on cement.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.48,0:10:16.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we take orders for flowers. I'm putting the bake sale to shame.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.40,0:10:18.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We take orders now. I'm booking for the spring.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.43,0:10:21.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And these were all grown from seeds. We're learning everything.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.80,0:10:24.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And again, when you can take kids from backgrounds as diverse
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.69,0:10:26.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as this to do something as special as this,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.75,0:10:28.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're really creating a moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.47,0:10:31.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, you may ask about these kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.19,0:10:34.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Forty percent attendance to 93 percent attendance.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.37,0:10:37.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All start overage and under-credit.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.26,0:10:41.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are now, my first cohort is all in college, earning a living wage.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.20,0:10:43.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The rest are scheduled to graduate this June.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.48,0:10:46.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Happy kids, happy families, happy colleagues.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.43,0:10:50.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Amazed people. The glory and bounty that is Bronx County.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.56,0:10:52.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's talk about mint. Where is my mint?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.83,0:10:55.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I grow seven kinds of mint in my class.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.02,0:10:57.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mojitos, anybody? I'll be at Telepan later.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.17,0:11:00.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, understand this is my intellectual Viagra.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.36,0:11:03.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ladies and gentlemen, I gotta move quick, but understand this:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.56,0:11:06.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The borough that gave us baggy pants and funky fresh beats
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.30,0:11:08.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is becoming home to the organic ones.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.45,0:11:11.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My green [unclear] 25,000 pounds of vegetables,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.39,0:11:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm growing organic citizens, engaged kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.70,0:11:17.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So help us go from this to this.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.41,0:11:20.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Self-sustaining entities, 18 months return on investment,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.70,0:11:22.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plus we're paying people living wage and health benefits,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.89,0:11:24.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while feeding people for pennies on the dollar.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.75,0:11:28.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Martin Luther King said that people need to be uplifted with dignity.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.36,0:11:31.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here in New York, I urge you, my fellow Americans,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.63,0:11:34.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help us make America great again.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.27,0:11:36.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's simple. Share your passion.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.22,0:11:38.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's real easy. Go see these two videos, please.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.64,0:11:41.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One got us invited to the White House, one's a recent incarnation.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.54,0:11:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And most importantly, get the biggest bully out of schools.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.18,0:11:46.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This has got to go tomorrow.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.28,0:11:48.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People, you can all do that.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.34,0:11:51.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Keep kids out of stores that look like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.58,0:11:53.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Make them a healthy plate,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.28,0:11:56.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially if you can pick it off the wall in your own classroom -- delicioso!
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.03,0:11:59.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Model good behavior. Get them to a green cart.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.36,0:12:01.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Big kids love strawberries and bananas.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.58,0:12:04.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Teach them entrepreneurship. Thank God for GrowNYC.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.59,0:12:07.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let them cook. Great lunch today, let them do culinary things.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.83,0:12:09.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But most importantly, just love them.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.74,0:12:12.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nothing works like unconditional love.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.06,0:12:15.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, my good friend Kermit said it's not easy being green.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.27,0:12:17.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not. I come from a place where kids can buy
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.95,0:12:20.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,35 flavors of blunt wrap at any day of the moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.98,0:12:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where ice cream freezers are filled with slushy malt liquor.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.63,0:12:28.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? My dear friend Majora Carter once told me,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.01,0:12:31.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.28,0:12:33.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here, and at a time when we've gone from
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.53,0:12:36.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the audacity to hope to hope for some audacity,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.08,0:12:37.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I urge you to do something.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:37.98,0:12:39.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I urge you to do something.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.45,0:12:41.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right now, we're all tadpoles,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.19,0:12:44.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I urge you to become a big frog and take that big, green leap.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.49,0:12:47.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't care if you're on the left, on the right, up the middle, wherever.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.78,0:12:51.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Join me. Use -- I've got a lot of energy. Help me use it.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.54,0:12:54.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can do something here.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.18,0:12:56.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And along the way, please take time to smell the flowers,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.84,0:12:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially if you and your students grew them.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.38,0:13:00.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm Steve Ritz, this is Green Bronx Machine.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.98,0:13:04.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've got to say thank you to my wife and family, for my kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.35,0:13:06.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thank you for coming every day, and for my colleagues,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.11,0:13:07.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,believing and supporting me.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:07.54,0:13:09.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are growing our way into a new economy.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.68,0:13:12.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you, God bless you and enjoy the day. I'm Steve Ritz.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.88,0:13:15.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sí se puede!
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.04,0:13:20.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)