Passive Solar Greenhouse Ribbon Cutting

On May 18th, 2026, we officially opened the Passive Solar Greenhouse at our ribbon cutting ceremony. At the ribbon cutting, Jeff Kane, father of Gabriel Kane for whom Gabriel’s Field is named, evoked imagery of how this whole structure’s purpose is to capture warmth to radiate back and share, so that it might nurture the tender beings within. And that this is exactly what Glen Brook does: captures warmth, to share it with the world and those who come here.

Farmer Sam shared some of the ways in which our passive solar greenhouse is an incredible structure. The sunlight comes through the panels and heats a thermal battery, which in this case is barrels of water and a concrete floor, and when temperatures drop at night, the thermal mass sheds the heat back into the structure creating constant warmth for the crops inside without the use of fossil fuels. We can use this warm space to start seeds earlier than we have been able to do in the past, which will allow us to have a wider of variety of produce earlier in the summer camp season. And finally, this greenhouse allows us to have a space right in the heart of Gabriel’s Field where children can learn, grow, and experience the Glen Brook garden.

To make this incredible project possible, our generous community contributed $118,000 to make it a reality. This project is the latest in our Sustainability Initiative that includes:
– The campus solar array
– The barn solar array with battery backup
– The first electric vehicle
– Heat conversions to heat pumps
– This passive solar greenhouse.

Totaling over $650,000 in projects, we have transformed Glen Brook’s campus to:
– Generate all our own electricity
– Generate $20,000 per year toward campership through electric generation (I call it our “Solar Endowment”)
– Reduce propane use by 95%
– Reduce our carbon emissions by as incredible 150,000 pounds of C02 per year
– Make Glen Brook not just carbon neutral, but “Carbon Negative”– we sequestered far more C02 in our forest and farm than the small amount we emit.

Please enjoy some photos of the joyful event, and some delicious farm-fresh food from the greenhouse on your next visit to Camp Glen Brook!