For one group of Washington residents, Earth Day held a special recognition this year. The PLANT Washington Community Orchard and Gardens group held their official ribbon cutting and golden shovel ceremony on April 22nd in conjunction with Earth Day. PLANT’s mission is to build community through food, conversation, and learning. So some of their top priorities include building and maintaining a community garden, and allowing a space for people to grow nutritious foods.

After the ceremony, guests stayed on-site for an Alive After 5 event where they were able to speak with local orchardists Deb and William Seale and PLANT Board member and University of Iowa Arborist Andy Dahl about the trees that had previously been planted at the site. Also during the event, guests were able to enjoy finger foods provided by the Washington High School foods classes. 

The PLANT Washington Community Orchard and Garden is located at 803 South Avenue D. More information on PLANT Washington can be found on their Facebook page.