Green Bridge Growers
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Hey there! Glad you could stop by to learn more about Green Bridge Growers, the innovative social venture with the mission of  growing good food and good jobs for young adults on the autism spectrum.

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Growing Partnerships: The ESTEEM Program

3/20/2016

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Green Bridge Growers is an urban aquaponics farm and social enterprise that was designed to create jobs throughout the South Bend Community for gifted young adults with autism. Since 2012 Green Bridge Growers has been awarded a number of grants and prizes including the University of Notre Dame’s coveted McCloskey Business Plan Competition Klau Family Prize. Green Bridge Growers has had a relationship with ESTEEM since its inception because a number of its McCloskey Business Plan Competition team members were ESTEEM students.

After operating a successful pilot at a special needs agency – Hannah & Friends – Green Bridge Growers has expanded to a larger site and is in the process of setting up two new commercial greenhouses. Janaeé Wallace, a current ESTEEM student has been aiding in this expansion process. Janaeé has a background in Biology and Chemistry with a special interest in Environmental Science & Policy, Marine Science, and 3 years of fish biology experience. Janaeé is currently working on a founder’s project where she hopes to innovate on current aquaponic systems to develop a marine aquaponic system that grows saltwater fish and freshwater produce in the same system. She has been working with Janice Pilarski, the co-founder and CEO of Green Bridge Growers, the past 10 months to help Green Bridge Growers to plan and execute its growth into the larger greenhouse spaces.

Janaeé has also been key in this growth by serving as a research consultant while aiding in overall business development, marketing materials, grant writing, and system design. The Green Bridge Growers team has also been essential to the development of Janaeé’s business plan submission to this year’s McCloskey Business Plan Competition at the University of Notre Dame, and to the OWN Bahamas Business Competition –a Bahamian business plan competition.  This business plan was a launch strategy for Janaeé’s thesis and founder’s idea that aims to launch an aquaponic venture similar to Green Bridge Growers in the Bahamas.

Since its inception Green Bridge Growers has:
  • Built and operated a successful pilot greenhouse while training 4  autistic apprentices
  • Trained over 20 students and autistic individuals in innovative farming methods
  • Expanded to a new 3 acre site with 4,000 square feet of year-round greenhouse space
  • Developed training programs to employ at least 5 autistic young adults

Janice Pilarski has said that ESTEEM students have played a pivotal role in the development and growth of her business. As a Notre Dame alumna, she is proud to still have a connection to the university and especially enjoys working with ESTEEM students because of their diverse skill sets. She finds that the combination of applicable scientific knowledge combined with business acumen is what makes the ESTEEM student so different, and so desirable to work with.

"ESTEEM consistently recruits and turns out graduates who  are extremely focused, resourceful, and creative. I'm very impressed by the innovative approaches taken by these students and their commitment to excel both in the classroom and at their industry placements. ESTEEM students arrive at Notre Dame with outstanding backgrounds, ready to learn and contribute."  In particular, "Janaeé's academic interests in fish biology and aquaponics are a perfect fit for our venture. From the start of her work with Green Bridge Growers, she was committed to excellence in research and design that reflected a deep knowledge of aquaponics.   Janaeé is exceptional and has brought value to so many aspects of our work."

As the year wraps up, Janice and Janaeé hope to continue to work together as the new green house spaces are finalized and Janaeé’s business proposal is critiqued. Because of companies like Green Bridge Growers, students like Janaeé can receive excellent business mentorship in their specific fields of interest while developing their founder's ideas.

-Janaeé Wallace
(Reprinted with permission from the ESTEEM ND Blog, 3/3/16)



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Growing and Learning: Aquaponics Across the Spectrum

3/7/2016

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PictureAquaponics Across the Spectrum students hard at work

We are so excited to be starting our second year of the "Aquaponics Across the Spectrum" program at Edison Intermediate Center in South Bend. Last year we began implementing the after school program for fifth graders, and it went so well, we decided to do it again! It is always rewarding to see the community involved and to spark the interest of science and aquaponics that we have at Green Bridge Growers in others. Aquaponics Across the Spectrum is inclusive to both autistic and non-autistic students, a great way to build relationships between students outside of the traditional classroom setting. The program will run Thursdays after school through April, concluding with an opportunity for up to 14 Edison students to demonstrate all they have learned and their final products to their loved ones at a science fair.

This program has some wonderful members of the community involved who help make it all possible. Amy Gillan, a professor at Saint Mary’s College, has been instrumental in getting the program off the ground by designing a fun and interactive curriculum for the students at Edison. Amy has refined the curriculum since last year and believes that this year’s program really involves the best practices to reach the students and have them really grasp the concept of aquaponics and environmental stewardship.

Dr. Gillan has the help of two Notre Dame students, Henri Chung and Yaa Dankwa, who will aid in making sure the program runs as smoothly as possible. Henri and Yaa both have backgrounds in science and will be in the classroom helping the students understand not only the technicalities of how aquaponics work, but also how applicable and exciting science can be! Both Dr. Gillan and Yaa have expressed their desire for the students to develop a love of science from the program. The students will be doing hands-on work while building their own aquaponic systems, and the hope is to inspire a confidence in the students as they approach real life problems with science and engineering. At Green Bridge Growers, we want to instill the value of sustainability in our community. With the Aquaponics Across the Spectrum program, we are able to reach children and encourage them to take action in their own lives to become more sustainable now and in the future.

PictureProfessor Susan Latham. Photo Credit: Bre Kloski
This year the program will also involve Saint Mary’s undergraduate and graduate students working in the Communicative Disorders and Sciences (COMD) field. We are excited to see what this new addition will bring the program. Susan Latham, the COMD Department Chair at Saint Mary’s, is looking forward to getting her students involved and building relationships with the Edison students. There will be an emphasis placed on collaborating with the curriculum in order to make meaningful connections between science and speech. The Saint Mary’s students will assist Edison students in interacting with the curriculum in a way that gives the students in the program the confidence and skills to fully participate in the activities. Susan shares the same mission as Green Bridge Growers and recognizes the need to recognize the skills of autistic adults and to give them opportunities to contribute to society. She has instilled this value in her Saint Mary’s COMD students as they have prepared for this program and will work to optimize every student’s experience. They are all very anxious to begin with the Edison students!

    The COMD Saint Mary’s students will be responsible for transitioning the Edison students from the school day to the Aquaponics Across the Spectrum activities. The students will be working as equal partners and will learn from one another along the way. The goal of the COMD students is to help facilitate good interactions and aid the students in communicating their scientific findings to their peers daily and to others at the science fair. Susan believes education should be individualized and the COMD students will bring this individualization to the program, determining what needs to be adjusted to make each Edison student as successful as possible. The Saint Mary’s students are looking forward to sharing this hands-on, meaningful experience with the Edison fifth graders! 

    We all cannot wait for the Aquaponics Across the Spectrum program to get going! It is always a pleasure to see children getting excited about science and to share our passion for aquaponics. This year’s program looks like it will be a great time for everyone involved and we are eager to see where the program takes us in the years to come. 

    - Erin Taylor

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    About Us

    Green Bridge Growers is a social enterprise created to put to work the many gifts and skills of young adults with autism.  Our founders, Chris and Jan, are building an exciting venture that grows fresh local food and grows great jobs for autistic adults. We invite you to learn about us and follow our work! 

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Green Bridge Growers
61591 Bremen Highway
Mishiwaka IN 46544


574-310-8190
info@greenbridgegrowers.org

  • Our Blog
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
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