Show Your Earth Love

The last few weeks have been full of successes. We welcomed on board the last of our four schools to receive an educational orchard in 2012; we accepted another application from a school to participate in 2013; we prepared for tomorrow's fundraiser at Flatbread Pizza in Portland, ME, which will help fund the 1,000 trees we will plant in 2012, reaching 1,000 kids through the orchards we install. That's not to mention the number of teachers, family members, and communities our programs will inspire to grow their own food, make gardens and orchards their playground, and prepare nutritious meals for each other.

At ReTreeUS, we like to incorporate creative expression with our environmental education. Here I am, in one of Kat Gillies' art classes, with my guitar and some Cricket Hunt School students who will receive an orchard and programming this year. 

Which brings us to another great milestone: this week, we received one hundred packets of tomato, onion, lettuce, squash, and many other delicious plants including kale, our favorite vegetable.  These were sent by High Mowing Seeds, one of our new, very generous sponsors. The seeds they delivered will be planted this spring in the ReTreeUS garden, and those plants will be available at our farm stand for donations on a sliding scale.

This is just one more way ReTreeUS is creating greater access to good food, growing organically and selling it at a price you can afford--no matter how much money is in your bank account. Our suggested donations will range from a few dollars down to a few cents, and we ask clients to be fair in assessing how much they can spend on a bundle of organic kale, for example. Our farm stand will be conveniently located on a busy thorough-fair used by a diverse array of people on their commutes each day. (Please stay tuned as spring approaches for more details on our produce.)

Of course, we will use only earth's preferred pesticides, as I like to call them. That means those organic mechanisms for controlling insects, rodents and disease without interfering with the flow of the surrounding ecosystem. And luckily, the ReTreeUS farmers will have some help.

We often see bald eagles--the most skilled organic pest managers of all--soaring over our fields, moving from river to ocean and back, and hunting for rodents along the way.

One morning last week, we had the privilege of witnessing a most impressive display of a healthy ecosystem in full swing. We were having breakfast by the kitchen window when a huge juvenile eagle swooped down to have her breakfast, too! She circled the field a few times before landing behind a hill, out of site from the kitchen window.

This gave us just enough time to grab our binoculars before the raptor emerged with a giant rodent in her talons! I saw the long, skinny tail and thought it must be a huge rat, and Richard thought, from the sheer size of the animal, that it must be a groundhog.

Either way, that rodent would have ravaged our fields in the coming spring, and we were amazed and relieved to watch our new eagle friend enjoy the meal.

After the eagle had finished, I went out to see what the bird might have left behind in the fight for her breakfast. I had been hoping to see a beautiful feather lying on the snow, but instead I found what some might call a disgusting display of entrails from whatever rodent had just been eaten. I was certainly not disgusted, though; in fact, I found the remains quite interesting! The cycle of life and death is a beautiful, natural progression that works. If nothing interferes with the function of an ecosystem, the plants and animals who live there (including humans) will have everything they need.

I am glad to see that the ReTreeUS site is home to an already-thriving natural dynamic, and we plan to keep it that way! We also plan to create new places for wildlife and humans to thrive through our school orchards and home garden programs.

The banner we made to hang at Flatbread Tuesday evening.

If you live nearby, please come to the Flatbread Pizza fundraiser tomorrow and share in the excitement of the ReTreeUS program! Meet Richard, myself, our members and volunteers, as well as students and teachers from participating schools, who will benefit directly from your support. Eat delicious, locally-made food, and get great deals on cool items like Wilbur's of Maine Chocolate Confections, Lost Valley Ski Tickets, and more!

The Wilbur family donated some delectable treats for Valentine's Day! 

Lost Valley Ski generously donated 2 full day passes to our auction, which you can get at a fraction of the price!

Local musician Matt Loosigian uses music to teach about the environment as well!  He donated this award-winning CD to our auction, to be held at Flatbread Pizza tomorrow, January 31st. 

...another item in our auction: 3 Maine-made Pantry Candles, donated by  Michele Bois-Gilbody.

Come to the auction to see what else we have to offer!

If you are an out-of-town supporter, don't worry; you can Show Your Earth Love, too by donating $1, $5, or $100 to the ReTreeUS Kickstarter Campaign starting February 14th. It's a great way to send a Valentine to the Planet, and you'll even earn rewards for donating...no matter how much you give.

So, please join us as we plant 1,000 trees, reach 1,000 students, and raise $1,000+ by March 14th. Buy a pizza, go online, and Show Your Earth Love today!