Apple Blossoms
Issues Addressed
Through Fruition, people learning about cycling of nutrientsNutrients
All of the substances that promote the healthy metabolism of an organism. Main plant nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium. and flows of energy through the biosphere by which life on Earth exists.
- We find incentive to contemplate different ways in which food is grown and processed, and to consider consequences of each for our and others' well-being.
- We reconsider costs and benefits of alternative residential landscape practices.
- We experience stewardship in an activity where rewards are direct, albeit requiring some patience.
- We draw inspiration to think about the future, and to live more with an eye to making it good for everyone — ourselves, our own families and friends, people in other places, and those yet to be born.
Consumer Choices:
With home orcharding we can shape landscapes which are more environmentally benign than many. If we select plant varieties well-matched to our locale, we may successfully cultivate them without applying manufactured pesticides or nutrient, and without using large quantities of imported water.
We may also avoid other negative environmental impacts of industrial agricultureIndustrial Agriculture
Intensive farming concentrated in the hands of large businesses. Industrial agriculture is unsustainable as it harms the environment by overusing pesticides and water resources. It is also very energy-intensive., bypassing energy-intensive transportation and processing, and reducing reliance on open-cycle, non-renewable-resource-depleting,hazardous-substance-dependent methods.
Home growers often sun-dry or can to preserve seasonal surplus for later use. With these methods we typicaly impose fewer burdensome environmental consequences than we do when we purchase commercially canned or frozen food, or when we transport out-of-season foods. Many people also discover recreational value in orcharding, and displace activities with less positive environmental impact to pursue it.
Hazardous Household Waste:
Lawn and garden care products comprise a major fraction of hazardous household wasteHazardous Household Waste
Dangerous chemicals commonly used in households. These can include cleaning agents as well as fertilizers. If not properly disposed of, they can poison the environment.. People who eat from a residential landscape are less likely to poison it. Fruition staff have watched individuals expand sensibilities from a single tree, to a whole property, to a global environment.
Reduction, Reuse, Recycling:
Recycling of carbon is essential to biospheric stabilityBiospheric Stability
The biosphere is capable of processing only a certain amount of toxins released into it. If the amount of toxins released exceeds its ability to process them, it becomes more poisoned and polluted.. Fruit trees on home grounds absorb carbonCarbon (C)
The sixth element on the periodic table, carbon is the sixth most abundant element in the universe and is present in all living things. and trap it in their woody tissues, sometimes for decades. With fruit trees we lessen CO2Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
A gas made up of carbon and oxygen, forming 0.03% of the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide is a by-product of respiration and is absorbed by plants. build-up by:
- diminishing reliance upon a system of agriculture and food processing in which we capture carbon at one-tenth the rate we release it, and
- by providing shade and windbreak benefits to cut fuel requirements for space heating or cooling.
Trees we salvage are destined to be burned as waste within days, putting the carbon from their tissues into the atmosphereAtmosphere
A layer of gases surrounding the earth and held in place by the earth's gravity. The atmosphere is comprised mainly of nitrogen (78.1%) and oxygen (20.9%)., degrading air qualityAir Quality
A measure of how little or how much pollution is in the atmosphere. with particulatesParticulates
Solid particles in the atmosphere that are small enough to be breathed. Most particulates result from auto emissions, heavy industry, industrial agriculture and wood burning..
People engaged in home orcharding commonly come to recognize kitchen scraps, leaves and garden clippings as resources and compostCompost
Decomposed remnants of organic matter. Compost can be mixed with soil to add nutrients. Using compost as a fertilizer is much better for the environment than using chemical fertilizers. them rather than send them to a landfill or incinerator.
In times of drought, fruit trees on home grounds offer strong inducement to capture household waste water (graywater)Graywater
Water used in the home (showers, sinks, washing machines) except toilet water. Graywater make up 50-80% of household waste water and can be reused for purposes such as irrigation. for irrigation. Finally, with home orcharding we obviate food packaging, much of which is difficult to recycle, and comprises a major component of residential waste.
