By Marc Buckley
Stephen Ritz is my guest today on Inside Ideas. Known as America’s favourite teacher, he created the first edible classroom in the world. He and his students have grown more than 100,000 pounds of vegetables in the South Bronx; were celebrated at the Obama White House three times, and have been featured on the cover of TIME for KIDS and are the subject of a new, full-feature documentary, Generation Growth. Stephen was recently awarded the 2020 Change-Maker Award by NYC Food Policy Center for his work, advocacy and impact in public schools across NYC and America. Dedicated to harvesting hope and cultivating minds, Stephen dreams of opening a nationally replicable Career Technical Education public school rooted in urban agriculture, as well as green, and sustainable initiatives.
An internationally acclaimed, award-winning educator, and author of the best-selling book, The Power Of A Plant, Stephen is also the founder of Green Bronx Machine.
To date, Stephen’s work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC, TNT, Disney, NPR, PBS, Univision, Upworthy and in many international media outlets. His TEDx Manhattan Talk boasts over 975,000 views – ranked in the Top 10 Food/Education TED Talks of all time. It is used for teacher training and workforce development globally.
Stephen recently lost more than 100 pounds by modelling positive behaviour and eating what he and his students grow in school. He believes that together, via collaboration, coalition and get to yes solutions, we can all prosper.
Inside Ideas is on every Tuesday + Thursday. You can watch all the shows on YouTube, and listen to the audio wherever you get your podcasts.
