Two tropical trees with the power to feed communities, create jobs, and heal the planet have found a new home at Northwestern University. This week, Trees That Feed Foundation (TTFF) co-founders Mary and Mike McLaughlin presented young breadfruit plants to Dr. Patricia Beddows, Director of the Environmental Sciences Program, Professor of Instruction, and Assistant Chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS). The trees now stand in the Earth Atrium of the Technological Institute at 2145 Sheridan Road in Evanston, Illinois.
Welcoming Breadfruit to Campus
Dr. Patricia Beddows expressed her excitement:
“On behalf of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, I am very pleased to be receiving this heartwarming and tummy-filling gift. In our changing world, having plants that can survive, thrive, and contribute positively to the environment—while also bearing fruit that sustains us—is very important. I’m already scheming how we might create a more tropical environment here to help these wonderful new members of our community bear fruit.”
A Tree with Global Impact
“These trees can live for 100 years while sequestering carbon, creating habitat, and cleaning water. They really help the planet in so many ways. We’re grateful to Northwestern’s engineers and botanists for their partnership—and now we have them here on display!” added Mary McLaughlin.
That partnership runs deep. Dr. Nyree Zerega, a world expert on breadfruit and TTFF board member, leads Northwestern research on the crop. TTFF has also worked with Northwestern engineers like Dr. Stacy Benjamin and her students to design solar dehydrators that preserve breadfruit. Today, that technology is being used by the United Nations in Haiti, turning surplus harvests into breadfruit flour for school meals.
From Campus to Communities Worldwide
TTFF’s breadfruit projects help farmers become entrepreneurs, feed children, and build resilience against climate change.In places like Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guatemala, Belize, and Uganda, breadfruit is transforming lives. And now, in Evanston, students, researchers, and visitors will see firsthand the remarkable tree that feeds, employs, and heals the earth.
Thank you to all of the TTFF supporters who are making change around the world by planting breadfruit trees! And thank you to DEEPS for welcoming these precious plants into the community.
