During the Spring of 2003, aided by a small grant from VT Education For Sustainability, science teacher Tom Sabo organized a group of MHS faculty to form the "Sustainability Group". The goal of this group was to integrate the concept of "sustainability" across the curriculum, and to make Montpelier High School a model of sustainability. The idea to reduce our ecological footprint by having students grow their own food arose early in Fall 2003. After 8 months of planning and fund-raising, construction began Summer 2004. Led by teachers David McGraw and Ben Cheney, students enrolled in a "Community Connections" summer school would build the greenhouse for math credit. The structure, which was built largely from lumber taken from fallen trees in nearby Hubbard Park, sits on a cement slab and is covered by tripled-glazed polycarbonate panels. Further fund-raising, including the sold-out Hunger Banquet, would provide the remaining funds required for completion. After a successful "trial run" in Spring 2005, production in the greenhouse started in ernest at the start of the 2005-2006 school year.

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