Articles by Joanne Hooper
Jo is our Communications Manager. Her journey towards championing the benefits of community orchards is rooted in a fascination for semantics and word-craft, and a passion for identifying unusual tree species. After graduating in English and Spanish, she eventually found her spiritual home in the charity sector in 2007 and has never looked back. Jo dedicated many years to supporting refugees and asylum seekers, working both in the UK for the British Red Cross, and overseas for a grassroots humanitarian charity on the Thailand-Myanmar border. More recently, she has been working with filmmakers and photographers to communicate sustainable development projects through visual mediums, and writing for the UN Environment website. Outside of work, Jo can be found strumming her ukulele, walking in the Chilterns, and weeding on the allotment, where recent successes include growing Cantaloupe melons in the polytunnel!
Articles by
Joanne Hooper
Establishing urban orchards to benefit people, communities and nature
The Orchard Project are a superb group establishing and maintaining urban community orchards. The are beneficial in so many ways, including biodiversity, community cohesion, local food, carbon storage and human well-being. Here, they explain an approach called ‘nature-based solutions’.
Introducing the Velojuicer – pedal-powered apple scratter
Here is an in-depth look at the Velojuicer, our pedal-powered apple juicer. A lightweight, mobile, all-in-one machine that scrats, presses, and juices apples using only human power and a bit of good humour.