Sarah Bendok’s summers in Lebanon working alongside farmers in her grandmother’s village exposed her to the harsh realities of agriculture. Seeing the extreme heat and scarce resources that make farming a daily struggle, planted a seed that grew into a passion for agrivoltaics, which involves integrating solar panels into agriculture. Sarah saw similar struggles while volunteering with Spaces of Opportunity and other under-resourced community gardens in food deserts around the Valley. 

“We saw farmers put so much effort and hard work into improving their farms and growing food just to take home meager earnings as crop yields decrease with worsening environmental conditions,” said Sarah. 

Determined to make a difference, she founded the nonprofit Growing Green, and after two years of work, helped bring the first grid-connected agrivoltaics system to Phoenix. Her work is supported by a USDA collaboration to collect crop data and so far the data shows increased crop yields, a reduction in Spaces of Opportunity’s carbon footprint by 200 tons, and irrigation needs decreased by 20 percent. These systems also provide farmers with shade and serve as a reliable source of clean energy. The organization then donates the produce to food banks, farmers’ markets and school cafeterias in underserved communities. 

“The seed you initially plant, with time, effort and action, will turn into this thing you dreamed of,” she said. 

Growing Green has since executed several agrivoltaics projects in the middle of South Phoenix’s food desert. The goal is to not only help the local community, but to also set an example for commercial, family, and community farms around the country. Sarah is also using her experience and knowledge to educate other students on agrivoltaics and climate issues. She’s helped develop curriculum to reach thousands of students across 17 schools thanks to collaborations with ASU and U of A, and she’s presented her work at national conferences. 

Sarah is also involved with the Governor’s Youth Commission, her school’s robotics team, the Environmental Club and received the Phoenix Youth Leader Award. Sarah hopes to study chemical engineering and business, with a focus on developing solutions to combat climate change.