Fruit Tree Initiative
We're planting trees for a healthy and bright Maryland!
In an effort to increase our resilience to the economic and ecological pressures of our present day system, the campaign has begun planting fruit bearing trees all throughout the district.
We are currently living in uncertain times that have been testing our communities since last year. When the pandemic initially hit us, we all felt the impact as stores closed, food inventory stalled, and the established norms of our society were torn asunder. The current situation, however, brings to the forefront a need for strong and empowered communities with good food security. We have been shown that supermarkets and retail stores will not fare well in an unexpected emergency, so we should plan and prepare with the people around us to ensure we have surplus.
As such, we believe the best way forward is to begin with things like the fruit tree initiative. We believe that planting fruit trees that will not only beautify our neighborhoods, but provide a steady and reliable food source for the community to enjoy.
We believe the COVID-19 gardening movement is rooted in a deep human instinct to cultivate resilience through connecting to the earth. As we touch soil, tend plants and grow food we reclaim our power to nourish ourselves and our communities. The best way we can address food insecurity and long-term consequences of the pandemic is by creating hyperlocal responses that are rooted in mutual aid, collaboration, and a sense of shared risk and autonomy.
Some major benefits of planting fruit trees include:
- Free food!
- Healthy, fresh fruit!
- Increased property values
- Decreased carbon footprint
- Benefits to local wildlife
There are too many reasons why we should be doing this, and plenty of time to start.
Resistance is Fertile
MARYLAND MUTUAL AID GARDENS
Bringing Communities Together with Food
This campaign has a long term goal of establishing community gardens in every possible area in the district. This effort, like the fruit tree initiative, will increase our resilience to the pressures of our current system and provide healthy food for our communities.
Community gardens have a myriad of benefits, such as:
- They help improve air and soil quality
- They increase biodiversity of plants and animals
- They reduce “food miles” that are required to transport nutritious food
- They can replace impervious structures and improve water infiltration
- They can reduce neighborhood waste through composting
- They positively impact the urban/suburban micro-climate
- They reduce crime and poverty
- They increase jobs and economic opportunities by training people crucial skills in food production, farming, and business
Social ties are important to the wellbeing of people in a community since they can bring positive health effects and community involvement. Community gardens allow for the creation of social ties and build a greater feeling of community. These connections help reduce crime, empower residents and allow residents to feel safe in their neighborhoods.
MUTUAL AID FAQs
What is Mutual Aid?
Mutual Aid is essentially another way of saying “people helping each other”. It is a concept popularized by anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin to describe how people work together to survive, and how cooperation across ancient human culture has been the driving mechanism behind our evolution.
"The Mutual Aid tendency in man has so remote and origin, and it is so deeply interwoven with all the past evolution of the human race, that it has been maintained by mankind up to the present time, notwithstanding all vicissitudes of history" - Kropotkin
In other words, we strive to organize our community to help each other through mutual cooperation under the axiom “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need”
Isn't that just charity?
Mutual aid is not charity. They differ fundamentally in many crucial ways. For example, while charity can be means-tested, and divides people into categories of "deserving" versus "undeserving", mutual aid is solidaristic, meaning we give things away without expectations. It is also structured with a horizontal hierarchy in mind, meaning everyone has equal say on how resources are doled out, while charities are generally structured with a vertical hierarchy, with major decisions being decided by a "Board" of professionals or people associated with big institutions or big donors.
Sounds great! What can I do to help?
It's as easy as just talking with your neighbors! Establishing mutual aid networks involves communicating with your community about its needs and figuring out the best way to address those issues. It can range from creating free stores that give away clothes and food away for free to providing pro bono healthcare services with fellow healthcare professionals. The only main requirement is that things are structured democratically and horizontally, to ensure everyone has an equal say in what needs to be done in your community.