Help Your School Change the World
So you want to save the planet and get free fresh fruit for your good efforts?

“Fruit Tree 101” is a program that brings fruit tree orchards to schoolyards so students can improve the quality of the air and water while creating a source of tasty snacks for decades to come. Not only do schoolyard fruit orchards help the environment, but they give your teacher an excuse to hold class outside when it’s time for science lessons!

“Fruit Tree 101” is made entirely possible through the generous support of Stretch Island Fruit Co., makers of FruitaBü, organic smoooshed fruit for kids. Such environmentally-conscious companies are truly making the world a better place for everyone.

Protect the Planet, Plant a Tree!
“Fruit Tree 101” orchards can serve as outdoor edible classrooms, where students meet to learn about botany, ecology, and how to protect the planet’s health. One school district official wrote that they expect the orchards “…to last for decades, giving our students the opportunity to receive environmental education that would not otherwise be available to them.”

When FTPF donates an orchard to your school, you and your teachers help plant the young trees while you learn about how important they are to your health and the planet. This is one class where it is OK to get muddy and dig in the dirt!

FTPF’s orchards have been planted throughout the United States and include trees bearing figs, cherries, apples, pears, citrus, cherimoyas, sapodillas, and much more! That means that students across the country have a fresh, healthy source of nutrition in their diets. You can read more about some of the schools that have benefited from the program here.

Bring “Fruit Tree 101” to Your School
FTPF will plant orchards at up to 30 schools in 2008. If you go to a public school, you can nominate it to receive an orchard by asking an interested school official to email us at info@ftpf.org. We are particularly interested in public schools in or near the following cities: Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, San Antonio, and Seattle. If your school is picked, we will feature photos of it on our web site after the orchard has been planted. Take a peek at some other schools that have already participated in “Fruit Tree 101” and see the students who made it happen by clicking here.

Fruity Facts
Fruits are low in fat, sodium, and contain no cholesterol, which means they help keep you strong and in shape. Eating fruits gives you the vitamins and minerals you need to fight infections and stay out of the doctor’s office. The American Heart Association recommends you eat 4 to 5 servings of fruit a day. A serving could be an orange or banana, a glass of 100% fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of cut-up fruit like watermelon, cantaloupe or peaches.

Where does oxygen come from?
Trees produce oxygen, which humans need to breathe. Just 2 trees can provide all the oxygen you need to breathe.

Natural Purifiers
Trees absorb pollutants like carbon dioxide from the air. One tree can clean about 10 pounds of pollution and 330 pounds of carbon dioxide from our air every year!

Johnny Appleseed: Not Just a Legend
His real name was John Chapman and he planted fruit trees across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois in the 1800s. This meant people and animals could have nutritious food year after year.

View media reports about recent "Fruit Tree 101" plantings
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii)
The Daily Breeze (Lawndale, California)
Good Morning San Diego (San Diego, California)
The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
The Bee (Portland, Oregon)
The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)

Select quotes from Fruit Tree 101 participants

“We expect the FTPF orchards planted at each school to last for decades, giving our students the opportunity to receive environmental education that would not otherwise be available to them.” -Clint Taylor, National School District, National City, California

“The effect of the trees on the students, faculty, staff and the community will be felt on so many levels.” -Jeannette Vaughn, Elementary Principal, Albert Einstein Academies, San Diego, Calif.

“We were literally ‘blown away’ by the sheer number of trees and plants we received and by your group’s dedication to your mission. We are so grateful for the plants and excited about the fruits that we will have in a few years.” -John Burkholder, Principal, Midvale Elementary School, Madison, Wisconsin

“After seven years we are now able to create the gren educational center and the fruit trees that we planted with you are the center piece of this model… Together we have created an oasis among a concrete jungle.” -Sara Laimon, Green Ambassador Director, Environmental Charter High School, Lawndale, California

“Your generosity is another positive step in the realization of many special programs and campus improvements, which will help to enrich the education of our students.” -Jesus M. Gandara, Superintendent, Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, California

“This award is presented to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation in appreciation of your contribution to the Life Skills Garden” -Milor High School, Rialto, California

“I could not utter enough superlatives about your organization: Hope, inspiration, and all around goodness to name a few.” -Jaime Ogden, Certified Elementary School Teacher, Colo.

“Your organization was instrumental in making our dreams of garden-based education in schools come closer to reality.” –Yveline Wilnau, Farm Manager, Learning Garden Laboratory, Portland, Ore.

“I just want to express my deep appreciation and respect for what your organization does, for your vision is truly the most vital, essential, and noble in all the world.” -Emily Nowell, High School Junior, Orlando, Florida