ASJA Girls Get Solar-Powered Greenhouse

SATURDAY 20 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – On Wednesday 17 April 2024, The Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (TTAEE) in collaboration with Soroptimist International Esperance, unveiled a solar-powered, drip-to-waste hydroponics system at ASJA Girls College in Barrackpore. The school’s agri-science students will grow kale, patchoi, cabbage and lettuce and other green leafy vegetables in this innovative greenhouse. The project was funded through the Digicel Foundation’s ‘Extraordinary Projects Impacting Communities’ (EPIC) programme, in partnership with Shell Trinidad and Tobago.

At the launch event, student Anisha Jailal delivered an enthusiastic testimonial acknowledging that the project was an exciting venture for her and her colleagues.  She shared that the project has had a great personal impact on her since her father started a similar unit at their home and her mother is teaching the technology to her Standard 3 students.

Ms Ramsaran, the school’s Agriculture teacher, shared that the new system played an integral role in the students’ learning and school-based assessments. Through the sustainable harvest programme, the students were exposed to critical thinking skills, problem-solving and using real science to manage the system to get the desired outputs. Richard Ramrattan, Project Manager at TTAEE, explained that the original project design did not include a shade house, but when the cabbage began to show signs of overexposure to sunlight, the team included a 30% UV-treated shade cloth.

The President of Soroptimist International Esperance, Gemma Casimir-Redman, also expressed her joy at the success of the project and the impact it will have on the school, its students and the wider community.  She expressed gratitude to Digicel Foundation and Shell Trinidad and Tobago for partnering with NGOs to invest in the development of rural communities. In her words: “To do good work we need funding, to do extraordinary work we need plenty funding!” The Digicel Foundation and Shell Trinidad and Tobago provided TT$100,000 towards the project.

Digicel Foundation CEO Penny Gomez emphasised that their organisation is committed to supporting and investing in projects that address pressing issues such as sustainability and food security, and this year’s EPIC Grant programme focused on community projects in the areas of agriculture, renewable energy and the environment.

She thanked co-sponsor Shell Trinidad and Tobago for coming on board to support EPIC partners. “This is a partnership built on shared values, and we hope it sets a precedent for what is possible when like-minded entities come together with a common purpose. We are not only working together to support community development, but we’re also setting a standard for corporate collaboration rooted in integrity and shared vision,” said Gomez.