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What The Tree Is

A Physical Interface Built Through Participation The Tree of New America is the physical interface of the Sustainability Ecosystem™ Platform—designed to make coordinated systems visible, experiential, and shared across communities. It is built directly from the same coordinated recovery, distribution, and community activity that powers the system. It is not a static installation. It is a living structure that travels, built over time through participation, partnership, and system activity. Each phase of its development reflects the system behind it—making visible how resources move, how people engage, and how coordinated effort creates measurable impact.
Conceptual Visualization
Exploring the Future Physical InterfaceThis conceptual visualization illustrates one possible future interpretation of the Tree of New America as a large-scale public installation designed to make coordinated systems visible through light, movement, structure, and shared participation.
While the Tree continues to evolve through real-world development and operational growth, this early visualization reflects the broader vision guiding its long-term experiential design.
Composited video elements used in this video are credited to The Tree of Ténéré, as displayed at the 2017 Burning Man festival by Symmetry Labs, and to Tyler Stooshnoff for his 2001 art project, The Canada Tree.
The Physical Interface of the Sustainability Ecosystem™ Platform

Why The Tree Exists

Making the System Visible The Tree exists to make coordinated systems visible—and to allow people to experience how they work in real time. While the Sustainability Ecosystem™ Platform operates through logistics, workflows, partnerships, and data, the Tree transforms that activity into a shared physical experience, that bridges infrastructure and public engagement—turning coordinated activity into something people can see, experience, and participate within.

From System To Physical Interface

System → Tree → Experience The Tree extends the Sustainability Ecosystem™ Platform beyond operational coordination—transforming system activity into a visible public interface.
  • Participation becomes movement.
  • Coordination becomes structure.
  • Impact becomes experiential.
As the system expands, the Tree evolves alongside it—making growth, participation, and connected activity visible across communities.

The Form

A Reflection of Human Presence The structure of the Tree reflects human presence—emerging from its foundation and extending into a shared canopy. It represents how individual participation contributes to larger systems built through alignment, structure, and collective effort. The form itself is intentional: expressing how connected contributions create scalable outcomes.

The Canopy

A Living, Responsive System At the top of the Tree, a responsive canopy transforms the structure into a living system. Composed of interconnected lighting elements, the canopy reacts to rhythm, sound, movement, and environmental activity. It does not track individuals. Instead, it reflects collective presence—creating a shared experience where coordinated activity becomes visible through motion and light. This is where the system moves beyond explanation and becomes experiential.

Built Over Time

An Evolving Public Installation The Tree is constructed in phases, moving between communities as it develops. Each location contributes to its growth—adding participation, structure, and shared meaning over time. Its evolution reflects the system itself: expanding through alignment, contribution, and coordinated activity.

The Tree As Shared Infrastructure

The Tree is more than a symbolic installation—it is shared infrastructure. Each participating partner—whether public, private, or community-based—contributes to the system and is reflected in the Tree as part of a visible, coordinated network. As the system grows, the Tree becomes a living representation of that collective effort—connecting participation, partnership, and measurable impact into a single, shared experience.

A National Platform

Designed for Broad Participation The Tree is designed to represent participation across regions, communities, organizations, and partners. As it grows, it reflects an expanding network of coordinated activity—connecting local engagement into a larger operational ecosystem. It is both community-based and scalable—capable of representing local participation while contributing to a broader national framework.

Toward A Shared Moment

Building Toward Public Unveiling The long-term vision is a fully realized public installation representing the visible culmination of coordinated participation, system growth, and shared contribution. As it evolves, the Tree functions as both an operational interface and a public-facing expression of what coordinated systems can achieve at scale.

Experience The Tree

Step Into the System The Tree is designed to be experienced—not simply observed. It invites people to participate within a larger coordinated system connecting communities, resources, infrastructure, and measurable impact in real time. Standing beneath it becomes an introduction to how coordinated systems operate through participation, visibility, and shared experience. [ Explore The System | Get Involved ]
If you are the manager of a permanent or temporary supportive housing property whose residents are experiencing food insecurity, we can help!
With support from the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, the Tree of New America is one of three nonprofit organizations that form the Community Food Support Coalition, OC.
Three Nonprofits, One Mission
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Tree of New America EIN #33-3848612 is a fully registered California non-profit organization classified as a 501(c)3. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
The Tree of New America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating at the intersection of (1) food recovery and sustainability, (2) community workforce development, and (3) housing support—coordinated through its vertically integrated, multi-partner Sustainability Ecosystem™ Platform.
© 2026 Tree of New America. The Tree of New America platform concept, civic installation design, Learning Center framework, and associated sustainability coordination architecture were created by Harold K. Arscott. Intellectual property related to the platform architecture and installation concept remains the property of its creator and is used in connection with the Tree of New America initiative. All rights reserved. Legal Disclosures Terms of Use Privacy Policy