5th World spoke with Talya Sloan, Manager at Foresters Financial, and Carey Kress, Member Coordinator at Foresters Financial, about our collaboration to rejuvenate the McCauley Community Orchard.
The McCauley Community Orchard is located in Edmonton, Alberta. It was established in 2009 as a community space and a ‘fruit rescue’—an initiative where urban fruit that would otherwise go to waste is salvaged. However, the orchard declined throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period. This year, Foresters Financial, working in partnership with Sustainable Food Edmonton, engaged 5th World on transforming the struggling orchard into a thriving food forest.
“A very important part of Foresters history and tradition is volunteerism. And our purpose of enriching family and community well-being is at the centre of what we do. So we wanted to create hands-on volunteer activities that are impactful for our members, and thought of food forests,” said Carey. “Knowing that Verge [by 5th World] had a huge history of permaculture education, we approached them.”
As part of their long-term sustainability initiative, Foresters Financial’s aim was to create community benefits that would last for generations, as well as multiply in terms of yields. And a regenerative food forest—with its potential to produce an abundance of healthy, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and plants—is well-positioned to foster this legacy. What’s more, the permaculture techniques implemented by 5th World in its food forests also enhance soil quality, water flows, and offer other compounding benefits, improving ecological health.
5th World’s plans for the McCauley Community Orchard were to:
- Transition the site from a conventional orchard to an integrated food forest ecosystem
- Create home for pollinators to enhance food production, in alignment with increasing biodiversity, by selecting perennial plants that flower from May to October
- Select plants to compete with weed pressure from quack grass, dandelions, sow thistle, plantain, and a few other ‘invasive weeds’
“The McCauley Community Orchard project supported by Foresters Financial was an incredible experience. Our designs, planning, and implementation will result in an ecosystem that fosters a habitat for over 40 different pollinators, competes with weeds to keep them under control, all while teaching the community how they can do these things for themselves,” said Kevin Dubienski, Regenerative Property Designer, 5th World. “It was a delight to take part in this project and I look forward to seeing the space grow for the rest of my life. I’ll definitely be back there to volunteer and taste some of the orchard’s delicious fruits!”
“The [5th World] folks that we worked with onsite were fantastic,” said Talya. “I needed people who really understood what we’re doing, why we’re doing A before B, and how it all works together. Highly, highly knowledgeable and personable staff.”
The McCauley Community Orchard project culminated in a community planting day on 21 September, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event included members from Foresters Financial, Sustainable Food Edmonton, volunteers from both of these parties, and members from 5th World. There were approximately 30 people at the orchard volunteering to plant out the orchard to complete the understory, creating a more holistic food forest.
“The community brought out a lot of volunteers,” said Carey. “And I’m hoping that little bit of love will stay in the space and continue to make it serve the area.”
