In an age when many children are amazed to learn carrots have green tops and strawberries are not grown in plastic punnets, St Brigids School is showing its pupils exactly where food comes from.
The Andersons Bay, Dunedin, school has built a BioDome - one of only four of its kind in New Zealand schools - which incorporates technology so that it can grow food with little human help.
Principal Chris Hogue said it looked like a "lunar landing module", yet everything about the polycarbonate geodesic structure was natural.
"It self ventilates, it self waters and it is thermostatically controlled - all without the use of electricity.
"It's so strong, you can park a car on top of it."
However, the weeding still needs to be done and is taken care of by the pupils.
Mr Hogue said the best thing about the BioDome was the growth inside.
"It's just phenomenal. We had our first crop of lettuces within three weeks of planting."
Mr Hogue said the BioDome (developed by BioDome New Zealand Ltd) was implemented as part of the school's Enviroschools Project, and it tied in with its healthy eating programme.
Three to four times a term, pupils would harvest their crop of fruit and vegetables grown in the BioDome and make dishes such as stir-fries, sandwiches and frittatas for lunches at the school.
Mr Hogue said the $7000 BioDome was built with a grant from the Southern Acres Trust, and soil from Delta.
It would be officially opened on December 3 when the school received an Enviroschools bronze award for its environmentally friendly and sustainable practices.
