The mission of the Radix Center is to promote ecological literacy and environmental stewardship through educational programs based around the demonstration of sustainable technologies.

A rural scene with a wooden shed, a greenhouse, and trees with fall foliage under a partly cloudy sky.

The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit urban environmental education center and one-acre farm in Albany’s South End, where our mission is teaching people—especially youth—how to reclaim control over essential resources like food and water using sustainable and regenerative practices. Operating since 2011, it’s a living model of interconnected systems including gardens, greenhouses, honeybees, fish, and composting systems.

Radix is built on a formerly vacant asphalt lot. There’s plenty of these lots around Albany and in urban areas all over the world, and they contribute to the heat island effect. We collectively need to figure out how to make our cities cooler, and our solution is taking these nonporous, underutilized areas and turning them into green spaces. The most basic part of that is planting trees where we can, as they immediately provide shade, air purification, and food production.

We believe it is possible to meet human needs while simultaneously restoring ecosystems. Good environmental stewardship is rewarded by better health, wholesome food, and strong communities. The Radix Center teaches practical skills that can be applied to create environmental and economic sustainability.

Inside a greenhouse with rows of various green plants and vegetables.

A community outdoor event with tents and tables, surrounded by blooming trees with white flowers, in a parking lot with a brick building in the background.

A yellow bench under a leafless tree on a fall day with fallen yellow leaves on the ground and a stone wall in the background.

Two people jackhammering on a grassy area near the street.

A construction site in winter with a yellow excavator digging a hole, concrete pillars in the ground, and a tripod with surveying equipment, with snow-covered ground and bare trees in the background.

Construction site with the wooden framing of a building, construction tools, and vehicles, including a truck and a blue lift, in an urban area.

Construction site with an excavator removing dirt and rocks, debris piled to the right, on a sunny day with a clear blue sky, residential buildings, parked cars, and utility poles in the background.

Radix Site, 2011:

Radix, Current Day: