Laureate for John Abbott College Students!
We are thrilled to share that The Sprout House, made up of Yutong (Jia) Hu, Julia Morzycki, and Sofia McVetty brought home the trophy in the Environment category at Wednesday’s Forces AVENIR gala.Forces AVENIR is an organization that recognizes student involvement in projects that contribute to the development of engaged, responsible, and persevering young citizens who are rooted in their community and open to the world, (forcesavenir.qc.ca).
Of the forty-eight CEGEPs in the province-wide network, sixteen were present among the finalists at the awards gala, hosted by popular Montreal journalist and TV show host Monsieur Stéphane Bureau.
Winners received a trophy for the team as well as a scholarship.
The Sprout House is an indoor vegetable growing space located in the Anne-Marie Edward science building of John Abbott College. It is composed of two parts: microgreen shelves and hydroponic towers. Microgreens are essentially seedlings that are just past their sprouting phase. Many vegetables and herbs can be harvested in their microgreen state, but team favourites are broccoli, alfalfa, beans, lentils, basil. These little plants are about fifty times more nutritious than in their mature state under the same weight, so they provide many more nutrients and health benefits to the consumer. The Sprout House was created with the intention of helping the John Abbott food bank, named The JAC Pantry.
The Sprout House harvest provides fresh produce to students facing food insecurity, educating people about indoor hydroponic gardening and sustainable living, creating a calming green space on campus, all while furthering John Abbott’s contributions to the United Nation’s Sustainable Developmental Goals.
