Hudson Montessori Middle School students recently joined teams from 58 middle schools from our region to envision a more sustainable future city, namely addressing climate change in Discover’s Future City competition. Judges graded the Future City projects on their project plan, essay, model city, presentation, and a question and answer period prompted by the judges.
Our students proposed a fantastic future for their beloved hometown, Jersey City. Students explained the city's historical and ecological importance to the region and predicted that the population would steadily rise to 450,000 in the coming decade.
As our team looked 100 years into the future of Jersey City, they imagined a mix of preserved historical architecture beside skyscrapers, including an equitable city inside these buildings with housing options for all. In addition, all old and new buildings would be outfitted with algae walls to aid in removing carbon dioxide from the air and support options for families and restaurants alike to embrace an urban farm-to-table lifestyle through vertical farming, green roofs, hydroponics, and growing mushrooms in-house.
"Jersey City has an economically diverse population along with affordable housing for low and high-income families," one student stated during the presentation. "Our future Jersey City will attract different types of families because of the affordable housing innovations and renewable solutions."
To accommodate an increasing population, the city requires power and infrastructure reform. It’s in the best interest of the future Jersey City to invest in renewable energy sources. One such resource can include algal biofuels harvested from the city's prospective algae walls. The students proposed these algae farms in addition to solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric, and geothermal power options.
The students proposed expanding public transportation by investing in electromagnetic tracks for hovering trains and encouraging electric car transportation. Electric chargers scattered around the city would offer power to vehicles made from renewable energy sources. These highly computerized programs could be maintained by smart sensors that can detect leaks or other needed repairs. Jersey City could eventually expand the sensor program to discern traffic jams through road sensors and reduce energy waste by monitoring which buildings are not in use.
As a coastal city, securing the city's future could only be achievable by rebuilding our shorelines. Our students planned to revitalize oyster populations along the New York Harbor.
Shellfish beds stabilize sediments, helping to protect the shoreline from erosion and storms. This action can help keep pace with rising sea levels and protect against expected increased storm surges due to climate change.
Additionally, oysters promote biodiversity and strengthening the ecosystem. Unfortunately, oysters sharply declined when they were bulk harvested for food. Today, our students already partner with the Billion Oyster Project, a local non-profit organization, sharing its five-year goal to restore 100 million oysters in the New York Harbor to revitalize the harbor.
To learn more about Hudson Montessori School's interdisciplinary, theme-based learning approach to education, its STEAM curriculum, the Montessori philosophy and methodology, or how the school fosters the love of learning for children aged 2 to eighth grade, contact us to learn more about us and our admissions process.
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