We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our newest project at Climate Roots: a hands-on pilot class series where students will build their own small-scale, high-tech mushroom farms using Raspberry Pi and environmental sensors. This initiative brings together sustainable agriculture, programming, and environmental education—giving young people the tools to innovate for the planet’s future.
Why Mushrooms? Why Now?
This course is more than just fungi and fun—it’s about empowering youth with skills in agtech, a field critical to addressing the environmental challenges of tomorrow. Through this 4–6 class course (mix of online and in-person), participants will learn:
- How mushrooms grow and what conditions they need
- How to build a terrarium with humidity and temperature sensors
- How to program Raspberry Pi to automate the mushroom growth process
- How to store, organize, and analyze environmental data
All while building a functioning mushroom farm prototype.
Budget & Materials
We’ve set aside a budget of $3000 for the pilot. A lot of the necessary materials have already been sourced, but the budget will cover:
- Additional Raspberry Pi units and sensor kits
- Cameras for growth capture
- Soil, mushroom spawn, and containers
- Outreach materials (flyers, posters, ads)
- Miscellaneous workshop supplies
We’re confident this amount will be enough to run a high-impact pilot program, with minimal waste and maximum engagement.
Class Breakdown
Here’s how the pilot class is structured:
Class 1 (In-Person): Introductions, project overview, Raspberry Pi basics, and setup
Class 2 (In-Person): Installing pH, temperature, and humidity sensors; attaching camera module
Class 3 (Online): Python programming for automation and data logging
Class 4 (Online): Compiling sensor data and preparing the digital environment
Class 5 (In-Person): Preparing the terrarium and planting mushroom spawn
Class 6 (In-Person): Final presentations and reflection on tech, sustainability, and next steps
Class Size: 6–10 students
Locations: Mix of online and local in-person workshops (possibly local library or a maker space)
Why Raspberry Pi?
Yes, we’re aware of the current Raspberry Pi shortages. But here’s the deal: Raspberry Pi remains the most reliable and well-supported platform for this type of prototyping.
The Bigger Picture
This project isn’t just a one-time class—it’s a testbed for future Climate Roots programs. By piloting this course, we’re exploring a scalable method to introduce youth to environmental engineering and sustainable tech. Future courses could tie directly into larger initiatives, like building greenhouse domes or running school-based agtech programs.
This effort also reflects the heart of Climate Roots’ mission: educating and empowering young people to take real action for the planet. It’s low-cost, high-impact, and deeply aligned with our values.
Final Thoughts
We’re excited to grow something real—literally and figuratively. From spore to sprout, we’ll be documenting every step of this journey. Stay tuned for updates, videos, and student stories as our mushrooms grow and so do we. Let’s build the future, one mushroom at a time.
Climate Roots 