Explain our programs, promote ecological literacy, and invite individuals and groups to apply and donate for programs.

Step One is about early opt-in to our concepts in communities where we already have rapport.

Apply to governments, foundations, and other organizations for targeted projects in specific communities and regions.

Step Three helps us broaden our capacity beyond annual operating costs and core project initiatives; all other steps support this through visibility, impact, and fundraising.

We will source site-suitable varieties for community plantings for long-term environmental resilience and community food security.

Step Five not only ensures we have quality seeds and plants for community planting, but also nurtures novel varieties discovered in Step Four.

Track plant performance, community outcomes, and site data to guide our future plantings.  Help communities realize the great potential for food security and environmental benefits with suitable edible plants by identifying plantings with nameplates of the best plants.

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Step Seven creates a living record of the plants in communities—including those planted, found, and grown by nurseries in Steps Four, Five, and Six.

Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers, educators, and ecological contractors so we have the strongest possible outreach and on-the-ground presence in each community.

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Step Nine is a natural scale-up in operations, both locally and across regions.

Create demonstration landscapes in city parks, community gardens, school grounds, municipal greenspaces (such as boulevards and bikeways), and other under-used lands.

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Step Eleven can occur alongside smaller community plantings or grow out of them; it represents maximizing funding for larger plantings that serve as educational sites and living biodiversity conservation areas, linked back to the original EBCA.

Build relationships with people and community groups in other regions who are interested in edible biodiversity, neighbourhood planting, and long-term stewardship. Make general educational information about ESI’s approach available to the public and explore opportunities to establish ESI-led demonstration plantings and educational programs where there is strong local stewardship.

Step Thirteen leaves room for ESI to bring its programs to new communities over time, building on what it learns from its initial neighbourhood plantings.

Set up booths and give presentations at winter and early-spring events across Canada to promote programs, build partnerships, and accept donations.

Step Two expands our reach for programs and donations into new communities—at which point we can return to Step One and host information sessions in these new places.

Identify the most resilient and suitable varieties for different climates, soils, and urban/rural conditions, especially those that succeed with more passive, homeowner-friendly management.

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Step Four helps us know which varieties to sponsor for community planting.

Provide a “low-hanging fruit” program that allows fast planting action and steward creation—especially in areas facing food-security challenges and under-served neighbourhoods, as well as communities with a strong ethic for larger landscape transitions through many small planted spots. Minimal investment in peoples yards can yield years of environmental benefits and community action.

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Step Six is the bread and butter of our community action—getting many name-tagged trees established in communities, drawing on all previous steps.

Support participants with tree planting and early-years care through local work bees and hands-on visits.

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Step Eight builds on community planting success by offering practical help to those who have opted into our planting programs.

Provide skill-building sessions on planting, pruning, biodiversity stewardship, and long term care to ensure planting success—through community workshops and other educational events, and by bringing this learning into neighbourhoods, schools, and public spaces.

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Step Ten goes beyond information sessions and follow-up care workshops to create a culture of learning for the next generation of stewards—a distinct branch of our programs that we hope to grow over time.

Help the most successful sites, individuals, and community groups become key stewards—forming ongoing stewardship circles with enough momentum to continue transitioning their neighbourhoods over time.

Step Twelve carries all previous steps into the future by nurturing a local base that cares not only for the trees, but also for the knowledge and motivation to expand programs in their own ways.

These thirteen core steps are how we put this mission into practice in our initial phase. Our focus is on community tree planting and edible biodiversity conservation. Over time, this same framework will support other forms of community-based biodiversity conservation and food security. This may include locally led projects and small-scale initiatives that go beyond tree planting. Where appropriate, it may also include collaborations with land trusts to help secure fragmented, biodiversity-significant sites in both urban and rural areas.