The Fruitful Forest: Developing a Fruit Tree Care Program for Toronto
Tucked away in backyards and along alleyways, Toronto’s urban forest is teeming with fruit trees. Approximately 1.5 million pounds of fruit are produced from our urban canopy every year, and yet most of this fruit goes unpicked. Not Far From The Tree sprang to life in 2008 as a bright and hopeful solution to this surplus of local fruit. Volunteers are mobilized to harvest the fruit and then the bounty is shared: 1/3 to the homeowner; 1/3 to the volunteers, and 1/3 to a neighbourhood food bank or shelter. It’s a win-win-win solution.
As the lead partner in this venture, Not Far From The Tree will house the fruit tree care social enterprise upon its implementation. Operating since 2008, Not Far From The Tree is a charitable project whose mission is to pick and share the abundance of fruit growing in Toronto. In this short time, Not Far From The Tree has proven itself to be a game-changing approach to environmental engagement, particularly in an urban setting, as recognized by the following:
- Shortlisted for a Green Toronto Award in the category of Leadership (2011)
- Awarded the Urban Leadership Award for ‘City Soul’ from the Canadian Urban Institute (2010)
- Received international media attention with a feature in Glamour France (2010)
- Selected as a Hometown Heroes Finalist by Earth Day Canada (2010)
- Received an Environmental Award of Excellence from the City of Toronto in the category Community Projects (2009)
- Named 1 of “50 Reasons to Love Toronto Now” by Toronto Life (2009)
Not Far From The Tree has a database of over 750 homeowners with fruit trees on their properties, over 900 volunteers looking for adventures with fruit trees in the city, and a solid management team supported by Tides Canada Initiatives Society. We also have a strong Steering Committee who are very keen to see the development of a fruit tree care program to help support the overall work of Not Far From The Tree.
Tides Canada Initiatives Society, the parent charity of Not Far From The Tree, is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to environmental sustainability and social change. It provides a shared administrative platform (comprehensive financial, human resources, risk and grant management) for 40+ projects across the country.
Three members of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists are already involved in the initial research phase of this program. They have received their expertise from international training programs and are now faced with the dilemma of finding meaningful work in their fields in Canada.
MaRS is where science, technology and social entrepreneurs get the help they need. Where all kinds of people meet to spark new ideas. And where a global reputation for innovation is being earned, one success story at a time. The SiG (Social Innovation Generation) practice of MaRS offers programs and services for social innovators and entrepreneurs. Clients like Not Far From the Tree access to a range of expertise and resources (all on a pro bono basis) that help them turn their ideas into positive outcomes for society, enhancing the quality of life for people in Ontario and across Canada. SiG@MaRS is contributing market intelligence to quantify the demand for fruit tree care services in Toronto including the finer details of a business plan.
The George Cedric Metcalf Foundation has contributed start-up funding for the initial research phase of this program. This has allowed us to hire the team of agrologists and to cover some overhead costs to develop the idea.
11% of trees in Toronto are fruit-bearing trees, though few homeowners have the capacity to provide the special care that these trees need. Not Far From The Tree already houses a database of over 900 fruit trees from 750 Torontonians, and so many people have already approached us seeking help with pruning, organic pest control, what kind of fruit tree to plant in their yard, and general care for their fruit trees. To better steward this portion of our urban canopy, we see great potential to develop a meaningful social enterprise that can both respond to this demand and generate core revenue to support our other programs. We are in the midst of an initial research phase with three expert agrologists and are looking to launch a fruit tree care apprenticeship program for 2012.
The wet spring and dry summer of 2011 have really driven home how urban fruit trees are particularly susceptible to fluctuations and disease. This program's immediate aim is to provide enough care to prevent trees from being cut down. The long-term aim is to steward the existing fruit trees so that they thrive and are productive as well as to enable homeowners to plant more fruit trees thereby increasing the overall urban canopy.
Although some fruit tree care services are offered by arborists, home gardening companies, and landscapers, the specific care required for each type of fruit tree is often lost among other tree care services. There is a gap in services for professional agrologist knowledge to be applied to the fruit trees that make up our "urban orchard" - a significant portion of our urban forest. Fruit-bearing trees account for 11% of the urban canopy, the majority of which are on residential property. Not Far From The Tree has achieved a strong community identity in the neighbourhoods where we operate, and so a natural fit is to meet the need for fruit tree care with excellence while sustaining our core mission.
So here’s the plan: We’re already in the midst of an initial research phase with the help of three fruit tree experts through the Ontario Insitute of Agrologists. These three in particular are internationally-trained individuals who are finding it difficult to apply their expertise in the Canadian context. They are now in the field, checking out some of the 800 trees that we’re already working with in order to assess the knowledge, skills, equipment, and strategy needed to deliver proper urban fruit tree care. (By providing employment opportunities even in the initial research phase, we’re already engaged in social purpose enterprise even in the research phase.)
In 2012, this team of agrologists will start training a group of apprentices who will ultimately deliver the fruit tree care services. They will be overseen by a special project steering committee comprising orchardists, agrologists, and arborists. We envision that many of these apprentices will come from our current pool of 900+ fruit picking volunteers, except that now they will be finding employment through what was once a volunteer opportunity.
The final outcome will be a social enterprise housed within Not Far From The Tree to deliver fruit tree care services. The exact model has yet to be decided although we are strongly considering a worker co-op comprised of graduates from the apprenticeship program. Homeowners would connect with Not Far From The Tree for the care of their fruit trees and pay a fee for the service offered. Depending on the needs of the homeowner, this may range from attending a workshop on small steps that the homeowner can do to better care for the trees themselves to hiring a worker to provide year-round care for their tree. Once the worker is paid fairly and the overhead costs for equipment and administration are covered, Not Far From The Tree earns a portion of the revenue to provide core support for their high-impact programs.
The impact of this work on climate change is huge. First of all, we are directly cutting emissions by making use of an extremely local source of fresh fruit. You can’t get much more local than the fruit trees in your own backyard! It’s the 1-mile diet, delivered through a community-driven effort.
In 2010 alone, Not Far From The Tree’s harvest reduced CO2 emissions by 109 tonnes simply by making use of this existing source of fresh fruit instead of sourcing this same quantity from conventional sources. Proper pruning, pest control, watering, and other care will result in larger yields to harvest, thereby further reducing food miles. Indirectly, this encourages our audience of 2500+ to source local food in their daily lives as they become better educated about what’s in season and how to make use of it.
Encouraging urban agriculture is an incredibly powerful way to reduce carbon emissions and change behaviour of city-dwellers. With 80% of Canadians living in cities, it's important to produce our food close to where the eaters are. This dorectly reduces carbon emissions associated with food miles and, by connecting city-dwellers with hands-on opportunities to understand where food comes from, we are providing a crucial educational link in order for us all to make changes elsewhere in our lives.
In addition, we transport all of our fruit and equipment using a fancy fleet of cargo bikes, keeping our own carbon footprint extremely low. The bikes we have acquired can be outfitted with electric-assist systems in anticipation of our future expansion into more spread-out neighbourhoods and possibly requiring heavier equipment. We are investigating ways to launch the fruit tree care program in keeping with our mandate of sustainable transportation and welcome ideas about this aspect of the project in particular.
The overall health and vigour of the urban forest, of which fruit trees make up a significant 11%, will increase with the addition of these targeted services. We know that our picking program has stopped many a homeowner from cutting down their trees. We anticipate that the fruit tree care program will also grow to have a tree-planting component to encourage more homeowners to plan fruit trees on their properties and thereby increase the urban canopy as a whole.
Not Far From The Tree's senior management team is comprised of Laura Reinsborough, Founder & Director, and Laurel Atkinson, Program Manager. Laura's hard work and dedication in starting Not Far From The Tree has earned her numerous accolades and awards:
- Received a Women of the Earth Award from the Yves Rocher Foundation (2011)
- Awarded a Vital People grant through the Toronto Community Foundation (2011)
- Named an Agent of Change through the Centre for Social Innovation (2011)
- Featured as an inaugural GreenHero on GreenHeroes TV (2010)
- Portrayed in a chapter in former Toronto Mayor David Miller’s book, Witness to a City, for contributing to the strength of Toronto (2010)
- Named a “local hero” by The Village Post and a “local food visionary” by the Toronto Star (2010)
- Presented as “We’ve got our eye on…” in Chatelaine Magazine (2009)
On behalf of Tides Canada Initiatives Society, Todd Jaques works with Not Far From The Tree as Project Specialist. As past Director of Operations & Agriculture Partnerships at the Ontario Association of Food Banks, Todd brings a wealth of experience to this position.
Rounding out the team is Not Far From The Tree's Steering Committee:
Derek Smith, Chair
Derek Smith is Senior Counsel in the legal department of TD Bank Group. He is the founder and chair of TD Legal’s pro bono program, through which TD lawyers provide free legal advice to small, well-run non-profits that cannot afford the legal help they need. Derek handpicked Not Far From The Tree as the first client of the program. At TD, he provides legal advice to TD Asset Management and he is one of the leaders of TDAM’s sustainable investing initiative.
Joshna Maharaj
Joshna Maharaj is a chef, writer and activist. With a simple but thoughtful approach to food and cooking, Joshna creates food with excitement and enthusiasm. With recipes that are diverse, wholesome and delicious, her approach to food is accessible and uncomplicated. Currently, Joshna is working with the Scarborough General Hospital to put more wholesome, local food on patients’ plates. Joshna has a regular guest spot on CBC’s Steven & Chris. Joshna is an organizer, working with members of Toronto’s food community to develop our vision about a truly sustainable food system and culture.
Ravenna Nuaimy-Barker
Ravenna is the director of Sustain Ontario, the Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming. Prior to joining Sustain Ravenna worked at FoodShare in a wide variety of roles, from composter to Community Food Program Manager. At FoodShare, Ravenna designed, developed, and fundraised for a wide variety of programs including urban agriculture; consulted with community groups and government decision makers on policy issues; and organized and supported a number of local, provincial, and national networks. Ravenna has also worked for the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy and for Public Interest Research Groups in the U.S. She has a Masters of Urban Planning from York University. In her free time Ravenna enjoys fruit gleaning, gardening, and canning.
Chris Chen
Chris Chen works on economic policy in the Ontario government. He is a candidate for the Master of Finance degree at the University of Toronto as well as the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. Chris holds a bachelor degree (art history) from Dartmouth College and a master's degree (sociology) from the University of Virginia. At the Centre for Social Innovation, he is launching a project that connects artists with Chinatown residents through an oral history project that brings art and community history to local schools.
Jodi Lastman
Jodi discovered her calling after she told a head-hunter "I think I want to be in marketing, but I don't want to sell shampoo." She's been helping market the "good guys" ever since. For the past three years Jodi's been General Manager at Hypenotic, a communications company that works exclusively with values driven brands. Jodi landed at Hypenotic after 5 years at Social Marketing firm Manifest Communications, and before that, a number of non-profits including Harbourfront and the Toronto Symphony. In her free time Jodi finds time to organize a networking/learning/socializing gathering called Women in Food.
Jordy Gold
Jordy Gold is a sustainability consultant, journalist and speaker focused on creating the greatest possible changes leading to a more vibrant society living within natural limits. As Deputy Campaign Manager he recently helped Elizabeth May become the first elected Green Member of Parliament in Canadian history. He is also a founding member and Editor for OpenCity Projects, a consultancy and online publication using strategic design to problem solve and enhance urban experiences.
Ben Marans
Ben Marans is the Manager of Social Innovation & Transportation for the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, the City of Toronto's climate agency. For the past five years, Ben has been managing TAF's grants and electric vehicle programs. Ben's role at TAF is to cultivate, incubate, develop and support projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in Toronto. Ben also serves on the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network Board of Directors, is a professional photographer and does most of his traveling by bike. Ben lives in the east end of Toronto with his wife and son, both of whom are also avid cyclists.
The initial research phase is already underway, linking our current team with agrologists who are assessing the needs of fruit trees in the urban context. This initial assessment will enable us to prepare a business plan to set out a clear strategy to achieve our goal of creating a fruit tree care program.
Phase two will involve training of apprentices in urban fruit tree care under the supervision of the expert agrologists, to be rolled out starting in the spring of 2012, from within a portion of Not Far From The Tree’s total operating area (which is currently at 1/3 of Toronto’s total area). At the same time, we will be developing promotional material to attract interest from homeowners. For the apprenticeship phase, homeowners will be offered a discounted price for services delivered to care for their fruit trees. The crew of apprentices will be fully able to deliver fruit tree care services starting in 2013 when homeowners will be offered the services at full price.
Our five-year goal is to offer a full range of fruit tree care services in the full geographic area where Not Far From The Tree will be operating at that time (approximately one half to two thirds of Toronto’s area). At this time, revenue generated from the fruit tree care program will cover the costs of the fruit tree care program itself and provide 10% of core revenue required to run Not Far From The Tree’s fruit picking program.
Comments
Not Far From the Tree
I think that the biggest strengths of the project are:
1) that it puts food right into the hands of ordinary citizens and provides them with a beautiful learning opportunity about connecting food to nutrition to environment to economy. It is brilliant.
2) that it can be a connection between not for proftis and charitable organizations working on food security issues and environmental groups working on urban canopies.
3) that it can be an easy way for government to get involved to support communities (and beautification) without having to commit too much money.
A weakness might be that it can be hard to maintain commitment from government following elections. However, I feel this idea is such good sense that any government would be hard pressed to oppose it.
Keep up the great work!
Deborah
By being funded! :D
strengths: it enables the
strengths: it enables the community to benefit from an existing resource
weakness: it depends heavily on tree owners for revenue
Well timed
This proposal is awesome. Fruit tree care and knowledge is reaching an end in my family, with none of the grandkids willing/able to learn oral history from our parents/grandparents.
Strengths:
- lasting potential
- deals with multiple environmental concerns (food, canopy, climate change, etc)
- integrates diverse range of collaborators
Weaknesses:
- maybe just a question .... will NFFTT care for trees if they are diseased but the homeowners can't pay? What about a sliding scale?
pay in fruit
If the agreement with the homeowner is that they get to keep 1/3 of the fruit, for a diseased tree under care, if there is a sliding scale, the agreement could be amended so that NFFTT keeps all the fruit for a number of years. Having said that, unless treatment is very effective, that fruit may not amount to much.
Roll out
I agree with the others, this project has some potential.
How will you plan on rolling out your program? Will you be mobilizing through social media or by organizational structure?
Is there a way that the fruit can be built in as a profit generator, or is this against the aim of the project?
Solid idea
This is a solid and much-needed initiative; I am not quite convinced that it will be financially sustainable (though this is not really the objective).
Strengths:
Put fruit to good use that would otherwise be wasted
Improve the overall health and productivity of Tronto's trees
Connect people with their food sources
Provide education/learning/employment opportunities
Weaknesses:
Relies entirely on tree-owners (who are currently getting fruit picked for free) for support
Over-reliance on one ongoing source of revenue (tree-owners) may be a little risky; one idea would be to broaden the scope by reaching out to places like schools, hospitals and parks to provide tree-planting and tree-care services. The company would plant and maintain trees, and provide educational services and/or fruit for the canteen in return for an annual fee.
Keep up the good work
Strengths are obvious: utilizing fresh fruit that otherwise goes to waste and getting volunteers to start realizing what bounty is so close to them.
Weaknesses are few because everybody wins overall.
Funding is always gonna make it better. Overhead is already so low compared to so many other organizations that have less hands on practical support for the community, so money should be well spent compared to just paying for rental space, etc.
Great Idea!
This is a great social venture for NFFTT. It's a perfect way to extend the value of your offering to homes where you already have a presence and are already making an impact.
local fruit tree captains!
This is such a practical idea, and one that captivates people's imaginations. I would think that this proposal, along with other local food related ones could really benefit from some assistance in understanding the carbon emissions impacts. Your emissions of 109 tonnes last year is great - but just for perspective, by 2020 the City of Toronto is trying to reduce overall emissions by 15.4 million tonnes annually - so we really need to see how we can enhance the carbon impacts of each and every initiative.
If you haven't already, maybe check out LEAF's "Tree Tender" initiative to see what they learned about supporting local people to undertake basic tree maintenace at a local level on a volunteer basis - maybe some lessons to share. Janet McKay is the ED at LEAF.
wow ...great idea!
This idea has a strong community feel and is a win win win for all.
I am not sure how this idea would be revenue generating, and offer long term sustainability.
This whole concept makes so much sense
I have a been a big fan of the organization for a long time and love going on picks each year.
I think this is a great idea that makes lots of sense. You have volunteers eager to help, specialists that know how the trees could be cared for and home owners looking for what to do with their trees. This doesn't begin to recognize the other benefits of connecting people with their food sources, the educational benefits and the serious carbon reduction. Ever apple that comes from down the street does not need to be trucked in from an orchard hundreds or thousands of kilometres away.
I think you need be particularly focussed when you begin (i.e. focussing on the homeowners in certain areas who already have fruit trees) but it would be great if you could expand the mission to educating youth and actively planting new fruit trees in both public and private spaces around the city.
There's so much potential to
There's so much potential to grow more of our food closer to home. Yes In My Back Yard!
Bravo.
I really like your project. I cannot think of any weakness in your proposal.
If you want to live on the wonderful work you are doing, you may want to expand by turning Toronto urban forest to fruit tree forest. I would suggest that you can contact Janet McKay 416-413-9244 [email protected] www.yourleaf.org. Janet may barely remember me, Harry Ha. Back in early June this year I contacted her once by email.
To flesh out revenue generation
I like the spirit behind the project and (bias alert) I love anything food-related. However, I share the same concern as previous posters re: financial viability. Your revenues seem to come solely from tree-care services (separate from fruit-picking activities, if I understand next part correctly), which then provide "10% of core revenue required to run Not Far From The Tree’s fruit picking program". Can I interpret this to mean that 90% of your operating inflows for fruit-picking come from donations?
I'd like to see your vision succeed in that you get to those "1.5 million pounds of fruit in Toronto's urban canopy" (by the way, where does this number come from?). In my opinion, you should describe a clear cut plan of how you will generate revenues for your planned expansion. One idea could be that you scale up your tree-care services or diversify it to include other landscaping services. After you've paid yourself and your workers, the residual amount will finance the fruit-picking activities. In this case, you would seek $500K of funds to boost your operations by purchasing more equipment, hiring staff, and marketing your services. This is one way of reaching your goals, but seeing that you're quite the creative sort, you can probably generate your own path to success.
Great addition to your already-existing programming
I think this is the perfect and necessary compliment to your already-existing programming
I agree with the others that this is not a revenue generating idea. It is focused on education and community engagment and empowering homeowners to interact with and be able to full enjoy the fruit bearing trees on their own properties, but even charging homeowners for the workshops or experts to come and prune their trees (which i don't think is in your existing mandate) is a viable enough source of income. That being said, I LIKE that this service is attempting to be free and accessible, so I hope you can continue to find sources of funding that allows you to keep the accessible model that you already have.
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It's about the transportation and what we eat
Lots of great comments already on the concept, and NFFTT has been winning well-deserved awards. The core program is clear and focused. The gap in the ClimateSpark context is the greenhouse gas emissions -- the direct reductions achieved are tiny, and the direct potential does not sound huge. However, the broader and deeper potential lies with the bigger issue of what we eat, and from where. And even when that is figured in, only a portion of the emissions associated with growing and bringing fruit from afar is directly attributable to our local emissions.
How can this project help instill a carbon-consciousness regarding food? The local food movement has gained such traction over the past 10 years. NFFTT is right at the doorstep, in the neighbourhoods, maybe there is some collaboration or opportunity to land the message, and therefore be in a position to leverage significantly more GHG reduction from the initiative.
This project is a fantastic idea
I volunteer with NFFTT and know that fruit tree owners want this service. This will help NFFTT in their efforts of sustainable programing and the new program can easily be incorporated it into their exsisting programs. I am very excited about this proposal!
Financial Strategy: Bootstrapping and your Lead Customers
Please read below.
I’m excited to see so many entrepreneurial proposals on ClimateSpark. I especially like the model of social ventures that can sustain themselves by creating their own revenue and be less dependent on grants or gifts.
In my own experience starting and building several companies, I’ve often employed “bootstrapping” techniques so I’m not dependent on external capital (VCs, etc.). One technique I’ve used successfully is to recruit one or more “lead customers” who pay me up-front for a service (e.g., consulting or something they need right away), which gives me the capital to build my product or capability for them. The big advantages: cash up-front (or early); a real customer to help make sure my design is something they’ll want to buy; and a great partner to test ideas with as I’m getting off the ground.
What’s your bootstrapping strategy? Have you tried to develop “lead customers” for your product or service? Have you talked to potential customers ? What are you doing to get cashflow from them early, so your idea can gain traction?
Seasonal
The idea seems creative howeve too fairytale and too much of a seasonal buisiness. Eight months of the year would hold of no value to your revenues and to your company
This idea might work much better in a place like Florida or California.
I love the idea and would
I love the idea and would partake in the program but it would depend on the cost to myself. It is a seasonal business so what would employees do in the winter unless it is geared more for student employment? Maybe fruit could be donated to social agencies for reduced care cost to tree owners, or somehow funds come from doners or the city?
Sounds good to me!
This proposal comes from an organization with an already wonderful contribution to a healthy urban environment; reducing food waste, providing fresh food donations, and building community in neighbourhoods.
The fruit tree care program would enhance all aspects of the existing program and additionally, would help provide healthy habitat, better green cover for our city, and environmentally focused job opportunities.
As well as graduate students working in the program, perhaps there could be a place for high school co-op students. This would encourage younger citizens to choose careers in green industries.
Such a simple approach but so
Such a simple approach but so powerful on many fronts. I love the community based fact in an urban envirmonment to deliver impact.
Clearly expressing your business value – Mock Press Release
Each proposal in ClimateSpark is bringing a valuable community based idea forward to help with energy conservation and the reduction of carbon emissions
Centennial College, School of Communications Media & Design, Corporate Communications and Public Relations Class of 2012 will be working on a set of mock press releases, in anticipation of this proposal being one of the 20 to be selected on October 31 to continue to ClimateSpark Ignite Phase 2.
If you would like to be interviewed as part of the mock press release development process, please send a note to Professor Barry Waite, [email protected] by Friday October 21, 2011.
If you choose not to be interviewed, the mock press release will be developed based on Information currently posted in the description of your idea, as well as information gleaned from the various comment interactions.
Love Not Far From the Tree!
Love Not Far From the Tree!
And I love your use of infographics - nice job.
I wonder if you could work in encouraging / supporting community members to recognize and value native fruit and nut trees, including elderberries, serviceberries (I know you pick these already), hazelnuts, etc. They are often more resistent to disease and pests. Problem is most people don't know how to use the fruits.
Another thought - the Leslieville-Riverdale Tree Project has had some success working with Urban Forestry partners to find strategies and policy / procedure improvements for mutual gain. The Tree Project might be a good local partner for your work.
Some people like to portray
Some people like to portray Toronto as a city divided. They say it's the suburbs vs downtown. Drivers vs cyclists. Etc, etc, etc. Not Far From The Tree cuts through all those phony divides, and brings people of different backgrounds together in a common purpose. No matter where you live, how you get around the city, or who you vote for, we all know that it's wrong for healthy food grown in our city to go to waste, when so many people go hungry. Not Far From The Tree fights hunger in our city in an environmentally friendly way. The proposed fruit tree care program will be good for fruit tree owners and good for our city. Tell your friends to support this great proposal and great organization. Thanks.
It's a great proposal for a
It's a great proposal for a very worthy cause. People definitely need help with their fruit trees and doing it through Not Far From the Tree makes a lot of sense, especially as they already have a strong presence and are committed to reducing their carbon footprint in their methodology.
I'm not sure how it can be improved - I like it a lot. I do think people need the help with their trees and I know that there are arborists out there who do other work...Is it revenue-generating? A lot of people seem to think this is a problem, but why not NFFTT as opposed to other arborists? Anyway, good luck!!
Connecting with home and garden advisors
This is a logical extension of the amazing work you already do!
There are both volunteer (Master Gardeners) and professional horticultural advisors out there already. How to link them together? It makes sense for Not Far From the Tree to offer support to its contacts / members, but perhaps by collaborating with other groups doing garden or homeowner contact you can co-market services.
Or participate in our co-markketing green advisor initiative: /node/105
Really promising...builds
Really promising...builds upon the excellent fruit-picking idea that Not Far from the Tree has developed across Toronto. Strong linkages to ecology, education, and environmental care.
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It's really a win-win-win-win
It's really a win-win-win-win ... because, in addition to the benefits to the homeowners, volunteers, and food banks, it also benefits the City as a whole. All that "icky rotten fruit" that homeowners likely would've put into their garbage is no longer going to the landfill.
A healthier urban forest benefits us all.
This is a great idea, and NFFTT has helped me and several of our neighbours in the past. I have the delicious plum jam to prove it!