Chicago Open Orchard Project

04/28/2020

12/14/2019

We met our 30 day goal!!! Changex and Microsoft have approved our funding! Look for us this spring as we will be planing trees and hosting educational sessions in a community near you! Ask us how to be involved! 🌺🌲❤️

11/25/2019

Where in Chicago would you like to see a public access fruit orchard?

11/25/2019

Call at 2pm with the folks supplying our grant money! Wish us luck!

11/21/2019

Hey guys! We have our first conference call to approve funding Monday at 2pm! Wish us luck!

11/21/2019

Help us create a more sustainable Chicago by generating some buzz for the Chicago Open Orchard Project (COOP). We wish to grow fresh fruits by the community for our community. Localization is a great step towards a greener tomorrow!

Organize an Open Orchard to bring people together, to provide free fruit to local residents and to green our urban environments.

11/21/2019

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today"- Chinese proverb

The Open Orchard Project connects communities through fruit and the planting of fruit trees in public places. These trees provide free fruit to local residents and greenery to our urban environments. So far Open Orchard groups have operated mostly in London, England but the idea is just as relevant in the US and Ireland and so we would love to see Open Orchard groups start up and plant fruit trees on public land across many more cities.

The Opportunity
The environmental effects of planting trees takes time. A newly planted tree will offer some extra pollination opportunities and absorb a small amount of carbon dioxide and additional rainwater that might have gone into drains, however year on year, these positive effects increase as the tree grows.

Since the fruit tress are planted on public land it is necessary to have buy-in from the local council, but for the project to really be sustainable, engaged communities need to act as the custodians of the trees. The project can give neighbors the opportunity to meet properly for the first time, while working towards a common goal with a sense of purpose. In many areas, especially urban ones, this can be very important. Even if neighburs move away from the area the trees will live for 20-30 years - and remain a shared connection and legacy.

The fruit harvested from the trees can provide the community with a new source of fresh food. This fruit can be eaten raw or used to produce other products (which in years to come could be an opportunity for a social business).