A solar-powered television and shuttle rides were also displayed.
These were some of the very interesting things on
display during the three-day Sci-Tech Green Expo held at the Sherbourne
Conference Centre which ended yesterday.
The students from Ignatius Byer Primary School and
those from the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic brought the world of
hydroponics to the grounds of Sherbourne Conference Centre. Hydroponics
is the cultivation of plants without the use of soil, using nutrients
and water only.
The St Lucy Primary School students are growing 20 tomato plants using
the method.
Science teacher Terry Carrington said the ten Class Two and Class Three
students did most of the work themselves with assistance from Adhim Mohammed.
The students cut the PVC pipe, glued it together and did everything, Carrington
said. In explaining the process and the project, he said: "We have
used a solar panel, a battery as a back-up, and the battery is actually
charged from the solar panel and it is pumping water and liquid nutrients
through the system.
"This piping is two-and-a-half-inch PVC pipe, but any size pipe could
be used depending on the crop you are growing," Carrington said.
The plants on display were three weeks old.
Head of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic's Agricultural Science
programme, Hector Belle, said the aggregate way was cheaper.
Under this system perlite and sand are used. Seedlings are sown in plastic
trays.
He exhibited sweet peppers, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, basil, oregano,
and lettuce.
"You can grow anything with this method," Belle said.
On the inside, the students of The St Michael School also had an interesting
recycling project that could reduce the number of coconut shells that
go to the landfill.
After drying the coconut husks, the students extracted the fibres, cleaned
them, and then went to work showing how they can be used.
They showed that coconuts could be used for bedding, clothing, decorations,
for making baskets to grow orchids, and as oil.
