In the downtown core of Sudbury, hunger is a constant struggle that has presented an economic need for food amongst the lower-class populations. Even with the provincial government coordinating emergency shelters & local services, homelessness is recognized as a pressing social issue due to health risks and a lower quality of life.
Plants With Purpose is a local project with the goal to raise awareness about urban agriculture providing a food source for homeless in the downtown Sudbury area. Apples and other fruits such as serviceberries are extremely winter hardy and produce bountiful crops, thus making an effective source of produce for those in need on an ongoing basis.
Branding
An official brand will provide a professional image to the project that the general public can recognize and stand behind in order to achieve the goals through approval by city council.
Downtown Banners
Produce Stickers
After the seasonal harvest, remaining produce such as apples and plums will be collected by city workers and branded with stickers to identify them as local and unmodified by chemicals. This food will be sent to Sudbury food banks, shelters and soup kitchens.
Informational Labels
Recyclable tags placed in the earth near the plants would provide pivotal information such as the plant's use (ex: medicinal, ceremonial, food source) and if it is edible, which part is edible and visual cues (ex: colour, size, time of year) to look for. After all, most human beings would not ingest something they did not know was nutritious.
Poster
Posters would raise awareness of the project and redirect the public to a website where they can donate or sign a petition.
Themed Report Spread
The report recaps all information that might have been missed and provides a detailed analysis ready to be presented before the mayor. The first few pages launch into interviews with individuals from various sectors (homeless person, horticulturist, dietician, manager of soup kitchen) to showcase the practicality of Plants With Purpose.
Themed Report
A part of the report explains how partnering with the Elgin Greenway (a conceptual plan for Sudbury to be achieved in a few years) can provide both parties with an opportunity to achieve their green goals. As part of the project, Plants With Purpose would replace most of downtown’s plants with fruitful and curative ones, but coupling its efforts with the Greenway would open a new platform for more trees, herbs and shrubs. The report also supplies an aerial view of downtown to display where the apple trees would be planted and how many apples would be given (226 trees give 113 000 apples in 1 season).
Infographic
Website (Mobile)
Website (Mobile)
Website Home Page (Laptop)
“Edible Landscapes & Urban Agriculture can help strengthen food security in many communities and assist in feeding the most vulnerable in our city’s downtown core.”
- Éric Blondin, Produce & Meat Manager, Eat Local Sudbury
