“The Orchard School – we work with Nature!” is an educational and practical initiative, dedicated to HEALTHY AND ACCESSIBLE FOOD WHICH DEVELOPS SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, supported by Auchan Foundation and implemented by the Mărțișor Community Orchard in partnership with AMURTEL Romania and Auchan RETAIL Romania.
The project creates a bridge between 2 communities: urban Bucharest (especially the Mărțișor Community Orchard in sector 4) and rural Buzau (especially the community on the Buzau River valley, Poieni – Pănătău). Throughout the project, we will support the regeneration of the orchard behind the Mărțișor Memorial House Museum and the social vegetable farm Gradina Bio AMURTEL Poieni Buzau.
The project carried out from May 2022 to the end of 2023 combines practical, educational and transformational activities at the personal level, for harmonious individual living in sustainable and resilient communities.
This new holistic approach is necessary in the context of the challenges we are facing at all levels: personal, ecological, educational, social, economic.
Together we create a pleasant learning environment, through experiences close to nature, found in the philosophy of permaculture.
We believe that adults, responsible for raising the little ones (parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers), represent a critical mass to start this transformational journey, in which they will rediscover the value of interpersonal relationships in the local community, the cause-effect relationship to solve a certain situation, the beauty of applied natural sciences, with the ultimate goal of planting the seed of societal healing through resilience and inclusion.
The project addresses a recurring community of 100 citizens from both Bucharest and Buzau, who participated in the practical educational activities. Since the beginning of the project, more than 1000 students and adults (parents, teachers, students at the Faculty of Horticulture Bucharest, volunteer citizens) have been directly exposed, at least 1 hour, to nature education events, gardening, plant-based healthy eating, with local vegetables and fruits, without waste, with the generation of only biodegradable and locally compostable trash.
Educational and practical sessions supported by passionate facilitators:
1. healthy body
2. balanced spirit and sound mind
3. quality time through art and culture
4. healthy, plant-based, locally sourced, plant-based food with no waste or trash
5. we protect natural resources
6. we grow food in a permaculture and regenerative agriculture system
7. we get involved in the community: volunteering and eco-entrepreneurship
8. regenerative eco-camp.
We thank all partners who support the project:
🌱 National Museum of Romanian Literature & Tudor Arghezi Memorial House – Mărțișor
🌱 Auchan Retail Romania & Auchan Foundation
🌱 AMURTEL Romania & Bio Garden AMURTEL Poieni
🌱 Faculty of Horticulture Bucharest!
🌱 to all the citizens involved 🙏🍎🍏💚
Over… …200 students and teachers …250 fruit bushes planted …5 facilitators, over 50 hours of training and delivery of educational…