Another Generation of Generators
My 2024/2025 CAHS intern working on a design challenge to help students better understand physical electricity. Here they are ready to install wind power, solar power and an electrical load.
What Confidence Looks and Feels Like
A quick blogpost about a moment in time in my 2024 BioEngineering Camp. Four interns - students trained to teach STEM subjects to other kids - but also learning new ideas from other interns.
Rethinking Life: From The Atom Up
My board asked me to define the educational direction of my applied STEM programming and how I see sustainability, food, livestock and life. I responded glibly with, “Mezzacello is committed to rethinking life: from the atom up.” The board liked that, and I did too; It’s an apt description.
How We Build Ecology, Technology, and Confidence Through Curriculum
At Mezzacello, we don’t recreate the wheel with new curriculum. We use the wheels of existing curriculum and build a new vehicle blending traditional Amish strategies and cutting edge STEM technology. This is how we do it.
Introducing Camp Stories at Mezzacello
The beginning of a series of blog posts about my summer camp experiences here at Mezzacello Urban Farm. These happen all the time, but I rarely share them. I think I should start!
War of The Winds: Evolution
I am on the FOURTH iteration of wind turbines here at Mezzacello Urban Farm. We started with a traditional horizontal axis wind turbines. Then I switched to the vertical axis flower turbines. Now I am exploring vertical blade vertical axis wind turbines in new configurations.
Mezzacello Portable Ag Workshop systems (PAWs)
A complete setup for the Portable Ag Workshop stations at Mezzacello Urban Farm including the Energy and Animal components.
A System Winds Through It
This blogpost is about a rebellious chick who survived a wild night out in Mezzacello Urban Farm but survived because of the integrated systems she is standing on in this photo. Let’s talk about it.
Generations of Livestock at an Urban Farm
On an urban Farm, livestock pay a VERY important role in developing healthy ecologies and environmentally stable and sustainable systems. Fortunately they can also build their own ranks. Baby animals on a farm.
Workforce Development at Mezzacello
Students with Columbus’ All That After School STEAM program have been visiting Mezzacello Urban Farm on Thursdays to learn about STEM programming and ag experiences. This program is on physical electricity and solar and wind power.
An Urban Farm Midden
A midden is one important way that archaeologists and anthropologists understand a site or a culture. It what the “trash” of a site looks like. This is what an urban farm midden looks like at Mezzacello Urban Farm.
Climate Reality and Permaculture
This is a story about sticking to your guns and working to build resilient ecosystems. All of the beds at Mezzacello are planted with good soil and manure, as well as built in permaculture features like swales and hugelkulttur. But will a level 4 drought, that is just not enough.
Ohio EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Training
HS students visiting Mezzacello to test the environmental health of it using a variety of sensors for the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and pedasphere. They took those sensors back to Pickerington High School where they will use them to teach others (as well as their YouTube videos) and they will take an environmental assessment of their school grounds and their homes and upload that data.
There’s No Place Like Home
We are in the midst of a major renovation and retrofit of the 1868 house and the rear kitchen. There is a two-storey porch and classroom addition planned for the house and the farm. But the kitchen is a war zone!
It’s The Small Things That Matter
Mezzacello Urban Farm is rapidly building its capacity to inspire and educate the next generation of innovators and leaders, but we need your help. It's the little things that matter, like sharing our story or social media posts! That would help us a lot!
Science Hides On a Farm
This blog post is dedicated to a board member of Mezzacello Urban Farm who challeneged me to think about Mezzacello as just a farm - the way that most people who don't know why Mezzacello exists will do.
Mezzacello Age of Steel Part 4
This is part four of a multi-part detailing of Mezzacello Urban Farm's transition from wood to steel in its infratsructure. This is the hornbeam allee.
Mezzacello Menu of Camps and Workshops, Tours, and Mobile Labs
A complete menu of all of the educational learning opportunities on offer from Mezzacello Urban Farm.
It’s Time For a New Map
The addition of several new structures at Mezzacello to proviode shade and cover from rain -- all steel -- and the building of the classroom and side porch means it's time for a new map.
When Kids Get To Make The Rules
Mezzacello is purpose built to allow kids, families, and communities better understand sustainability, ecology, STEM content and food. One of our favorite components of this learning journey is being there for when kids get to make the rules.