Grand Rapids Reporter

A plant cultivation project at Interlochen Center for the Arts Academy students has been awarded a $500 grant from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education, according to sustainability farm manager Dylan Kulik.

“My intention for this project is to have students think about a ‘full diet’ of nutrients that plants can access in soil, just like we humans need a full diet to stay happy and healthy,” Kulik said in a news release. “All of the students in Agricultural Science this spring will be able to learn in a hands-on setting, experimenting with live plants, different organic nutrient substances, and thinking about how ‘full diets’ in soils, for plants, and for us as consumers, ultimately have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing.”

In 2016, Interlochen's Board of Trustees vowed to develop an ecological and sustainable campus that has supported numerous projects including the R.B. Annis Botanical Lab and Community Garden, which were established in 2017, according to the release.

Since then, Interlochen has grown to become an “800-square-foot botanical laboratory and greenhouse powered by solar and heated with geothermal energy” with three 800-square foot hoop houses that are centered on research initiatives including:  “a chicken coop; an aquaponics unit; an educational apiary with four beehives; a student-designed and installed fruit yard with an orchard, brambles, and a vineyard; and an outdoor community kitchen with a stone bread oven.”

Led by Mily Umbarger, Interlochen's director of sustainability, the building has been chosen with numerous certifications including:  Certified Naturally Grown; a Monarch Waystation; a National Wildlife Federation Certified Schoolyard Habitat; Michigan Green School and the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program.

“The Plant Nutrient Experimentation Project is an opportunity for students to have a hands-on cultivation experience through a scientific, experimental lens,” Kulik added.

Interlochen reported that students formed groups where they were given various nutrients to cultivate spinach plants and contrast the differences in order to learn how the richness of soil impacts the development of a plant.