Hi! If you came to VeggieFest 2017 and got a free sugar maple tree (or 2 or even 3), please remember to plant it as soon as possible according to the directions we handed out (which are also on this website), then send a photo of it to:
Thank you so much for doing your part to plant a tree, clean the air, and cool the earth.
If you did not get your free tree yet, or you’d like another, check back here soon as we will be posting info on our next two Give-Away events soon. One will be in Sept and the other in Oct, 2017.
Although we ran out of trees to give-away at Veggie Fest, we will have more soon! Here are our next give-away events:
U.S. Bank Branch 1230 S Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60540
US Bank Branch Sat am in September
(exact date tbd)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1230 S Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60540
Look for us along the parkway.
Sandy and her puppy Callie giving away sugar maple trees at US Bank, Naper & 75th St Branch, Naperville, IL
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Danada Fall Festival
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Danada Equestrian Center
3S507 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60189. Free admission.
Come spend a fun-filled, leisurely autumn day outside surrounded by the red, orange, yellow, brown and green hues of autumn. This annual festival attracts thousands of visitors. Events include hayrides, equestrian demonstrations, barn tours, musical entertainment, children’s activities, food and more.
If you got a free maple seedling from one of the new a “Yard Displays” or “Road-Side Self-Service Stands,” you may not have registered online yet. But don’t worry, registering is quick and easy.
Here’s an example of a “Yard Display”. If you have a shady spot in your yard that people will see, please contact me and volunteer your space.
It was another beautiful day–full of sunshine, gentle breezes, shady trees, and about 5,000 families and kids. We found homes for about 200-300 more Sugar Maple seedlings!
We had a picture-perfect spot in the shade between 2 large maples, right beside the trolley stop and across from the Port-a-Potties, so almost everyone came by eventually. 🙂
For this event, we managed to get some delightful photos of the kids and parents who took us up on our offer to plant Sugar Maples.
A big THANK YOU to each and every person or family who planted a Sugar Maple seedling! You guys are the BEST!
This map shows where people said they would plant. Click red text below for zoom-able, interactive version with individual names.
Our volunteer tree planters came in many shapes and sizes, but one thing they all shared was a love of the world around them and a desire to make it better by planting a tree.
Most people planned to plant their Sugar Maple seedlings within a day or two. This is good news since generally speaking, the sooner these trees are put back in the ground the better the survival rate.
So now, let’s get to the photos of the volunteer planters!
Looking at these happy faces, you almost HAVE to smile! Their enthusiasm is so contagious! Thanks again everyone!
An early morning photo of our booth at Green Earth Plant Sale. This event was held at the McDonald’s farm in Naperville which is where they grow delicious and fresh organic vegetables for their CSA members
This was the first “give-away event” this year and the weather was perfect!
We were able to find homes for about 100-150 Sugar Maple seedlings.
We’d like to sincerely thank Green Earth Institute and the Conservation Foundation for letting us attend. We encourage everyone to sign up for the organic veggies from the CSA and go healthy this year!
And special thanks to Rob McMillan of the Freeman Funding Group for helping at the event.
We Got “Computerize”
Instead of a paper sign up form, we used an online Google form that was pre-loaded into tablet at this event so people could just enter a zip code to show us where they planned to plant their seedlings. We learned some interesting things (see below)!
Planting Locations
We asked people where they were going to plant their trees.
Each blue dot on the map at right represents a zip code where at least one person said they would plant a tree.
We asked people when they thought they would plant their trees, since this is an important factor in survival rate. Most people said within 1 and 2 days (the red and blue areas):
What Does This Mean?
These results are encouraging! The data we collected shows that:
People are interested in and willing to plant large trees such as Sugar Maples even though they take a long time to grow and get quite large.
The seedlings we are giving away are getting a wide geographical dispersal. They are not being clustered together in one local community near the event.
The seedlings will most likely be planted quickly (within a day or 2) which enhances the chance of a successful transplant and long-term survival.
Note that this data is only from one event. However, when the data from previous years is entered, we expect it will be similar because we gave away seedlings at the same type of events last year.
So yes, these are encouraging results. After all, each of these trees can grow to nearly 100′ and live 100-150 years. And all that time, they are converting carbon dioxide to oxygen and filtering out many other air pollutants so we can all breathe easier. They are also doing a long list of other beneficial things for us!
Giving away Sugar Maple seedlings the old fashioned way, one tree at a time.
However, despite these encouraging results, there is still much work to do just to keep up with all the trees that are being cut down every day due to Emerald Ash Boar and other diseases, storm damage, natural aging, and the endless growth of civilization.
So, we’re making good progress, but we definitely keep going!
