Celebrating perennial fruit culture   

The Environmental Youth Alliance is please to announce the development of the Copley Community Orchard!

Get Involved!

Membership

Membership in the orchard project is in the form of a share. The orchard will be cultivated collectively for the first two years. This means that there will be no individual plots, but rather the members will collectively manage and maintain the orchard along with the Environmental Youth Alliance. Members will also collectively share the harvest. The EYA will be providing skill-building workshops for the membership on various topics such as pruning, grafting, soil building and canning. We encourage each individual who would like to participate in educational workshops and receive some of the harvest to buy a membership share. As well share holders commit to attend work parties (no more than 1x per month), and will receive invitations to orchard events such as harvest celebrations.

A Member share costs $20. This cost currently covers a very small portion of the costs of installing and maintaining the orchard, including the purchase of all plant materials, infrastructure, soil amendments and coordination. There will be no additional costs for members in the first year for educational workshops, fruit trees, shrubs, infrastructure and soil amendments. Payment for shares will be accepted upon confirmation of your membership application. You will receive an email in early April with further information about how to pay.

Note: Membership is closed for 2012, but will open again in Spring of 2013.

STAY IN TOUCH - EMAIL UPDATE LIST

If you missed membership, but would like to be kept up to date with what is happening at the Orchard (including planting dates and community celebrations) subscribe to our Email update list. Click HERE.

How it all began...

Awarded a 5 year license in August 2011 from the City of Vancouver, the EYA has partnered with community members in creating a new urban agriculture site on the former grounds of Richard Copley's orchard. The site has been vacant for decades, and now, in keeping with the site's history, the focus of the project will be perennial fruit culture and celebration.

Some of the proposed elements for the site include an apple orchard, espaliered apple and pear trees, rare or unique fruit trees, berry bushes and fruiting shrubs, as well as communal plots where neighbours can team up to take care of their own small perennial food systems. There will be a focus on community celebration and education, as well as good old fashioned organic food production!

Please visit the Copley Community Orchard website for more information.

(Copley Community Orchard Site, Summer 2011)

Where is it?

Near the Nanaimo Skytrain Station, between Copley St and Walker St (south of Vaness Ave). (Map)

Upcoming Events/Activities

Next Workparty

Saturday, June 2nd, 10 - 4pm

Past Events/Activities

INAUGURAL WORKPARTY, April 28, 29th, 2012

Photo gallery

If you would like to get involved with the Copley Community Orchard project please contact jodipeters@eya.ca or call the EYA at 604-689-4446

 Our Values:

• Connecting youth with nature through sustainable, local, urban food production
• Supporting youth to build skills in community development, organic horticulture, environmental conservation and urban greening
• Exploring and analyzing the environmental benefits of perennial food systems
• Engaging the diverse community surrounding the site through celebration of perennial fruit culture
• Providing educational opportunities for the community to increase awareness of the possibilities of perennial fruit production in Vancouver, and build skills for maintaining perennial fruit crops
• Investing in the long term food security of the neighbourhood through increasing community members awareness and confidence with organic perennial fruit production