Trees

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TREEPHILLY FALL CAMPAIGN ENDS IN 10 DAYS

Philadelphia, October 10, 2012 – The deadline for requests for the second TreePhilly free yard tree giveaway program is Friday, October 19.  Philadelphia residents can request up to two free yard trees by calling 215-683-0217 or visiting www.TreePhilly.org.

“Thanks to the efforts of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Wells Fargo and the Fairmount Park Conservancy, more than 2,200 Philadelphia residents were able to request free trees to plant on their property and enhance their neighborhoods this past spring,” said Mayor Nutter. “The fall TreePhilly campaign is on track to be just as successful.  With only ten days left, I encourage all Philadelphia homeowners to call or visit the website to request their own free tree.”

TreePhilly, a campaign led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PP&R) in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and with support fromWells Fargo, directly engages Philadelphia property owners, businesses and neighbors to plant and maintain trees. This initiative includes a citywide yard tree giveaway, through which residents can request a free yard tree to plant on their private property. Wells Fargo is sponsoring the yard tree giveaway; both Wells Fargo and the Fairmount Park Conservancy provide marketing and promotional support for the campaign.

This fall, property-owning residents in Philadelphia are eligible to receive up to twofree trees per address. Property-owning residents who apply for  free trees through TreePhilly’s fall program can select from a new list of tree species, including Sweetbay  Magnolia, Serviceberry, River Birch, Sugar Maple, White Oak,  Carolina Silverbell, Eastern Redbud, Black Gum, White Fringetree, American Smoketree, American Yellowwood and Sour Cherry.

Citizens can get involved with TreePhilly by planting and caring for trees on their property, volunteering for a tree planting event in their local park, or sponsoring community service days to plant and maintain trees. For more information and to request a tree, citizens can visitwww.TreePhilly.Org  or call 215-683-0217.

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About Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation promotes the wellbeing of the City, its citizens and visitors, by offering beautiful natural landscapes and parks, historically significant resources, high quality recreation centers and athletic programs, along with enriching cultural and environmental programs.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets.

Fairmount Park Conservancy

The Fairmount Park Conservancy exists to champion the Fairmount Park system. Its mission is to work as a collaborative partner to lead and support efforts which preserve and improve Fairmount Park to enhance the quality of life and stimulate the economic development of the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Fairmount Park Conservancy fulfills its mission by leading signature capital projects and innovative programs throughout Fairmount Park; by developing and leveraging resources for the park; and by promoting the parks’ unique assets and contributions.

For more information, please visit www.myphillypark.org. “Like” the Fairmount Park Conservancy on Facebook atfacebook.com/FairmountParkConservancy and “Follow” via Twitter @myphillypark.

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Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Launch TreePhilly and Citywide Tree Giveaway Program

Philadelphia, February 14, 2012– Mayor Michael A. Nutter launched the TreePhilly Initiative: a campaign led by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PP&R) in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Wells Fargo & Company. The campaign directly engages Philadelphia property owners, businesses and neighbors to plant and maintain trees. This initiative will also include a citywide yard tree giveaway, through which residents can request a free yard tree to plant on their private property. Wells Fargo is sponsoring the yard tree giveaway; both Wells Fargo Bank and the Fairmount Park Conservancy will provide marketing and promotional support for the campaign.

“TreePhilly is an investment in our city’s future,” said Mayor Nutter “Our city will be healthier, safer and more attractive as a result of the trees we plant through this program. The TreePhilly campaign is the result of a Greenworks goal to plant 300,000 trees by 2015 and will provide Philadelphians with the knowledge and support they need to successfully plant and care for a new tree. I would like to thank Wells Fargo & Company and the Fairmount Park Conservancy for their support of this important initiative.”

“Our data tells us that the most effective way to reach our ambitious tree planting goal is to engage with communities and neighborhoods to encourage people to plant trees on their own property. TreePhilly gives us the resources and mechanisms to do just that.” said Michael DiBerardinis, Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources.

TreePhilly will galvanize residents, property owners, neighborhood organizations, civic associations, businesses and other partners to reach its goal by offering a number of different programs to allow Philadelphians to get involved with planting trees on both public and private property. By working in neighborhoods throughout the City, TreePhilly and its community partners will be able to plant trees that will benefit these neighborhoods for years to come. PAGE 2

“Wells Fargo is pleased to provide a $75,000 grant to TreePhilly because this program will make Philadelphia more attractive and environmentally sound for generations of future Philadelphians,” said Vince Liuzzi, Wells Fargo’s regional president for Greater Philadelphia/Delaware. “Tree Philly aligns with our commitment to environmental stewardship and will further the vision of Philadelphia’s founding father, William Penn, of Philadelphia as a ‘greene country towne.’ ”

Citizens can get involved with TreePhilly by planting and caring for trees on their property, volunteering for a tree planting event in their local park, or sponsoring community service days to plant and maintain trees. For more information, citizens can visit www.TreePhilly.Org or call 215-683-0217.

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About Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Philadelphia Parks & Recreation promotes the wellbeing of the City, its citizens and visitors, by offering beautiful natural landscapes and parks, historically significant resources, high quality recreation centers and athletic programs, along with enriching cultural and environmental programs.

About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune’s 2011 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

About The Fairmount Park Conservancy The Fairmount Park Conservancy enhances the quality of life of the Greater Philadelphia region through the financial and programmatic support of projects throughout the Fairmount Park System. In partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Philadelphia community, the Fairmount Park Conservancy has raised more than $20 million for capital improvements and innovative programming. For more information, please visit www.myphillypark.org.

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MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO TRANSFORM 500 ACRES INTO PUBLIC GREEN SPACE

Philadelphia, December 7, 2010- Building on Philadelphia’s commitment to become the greenest city in America, Mayor Michael A. Nutter today announced a bold action plan to transform 500 acres of empty or underused land into publicly accessible green space in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia over the next five years. The new plan, called Green 2015, pledges that the City will partner with communities, local institutions, foundations and the private sector to assemble acreage that “connects people to parks” in underserved neighborhoods throughout the City.  At the same time, the plan provides an innovative way to boost the City’s compliance with new federal stormwater regulations that require the City to reduce stormwater runoff into local rivers and streams.

The plan was announced at a press conference this morning at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center in North Philadelphia, where future greening initiatives will include a community garden, new street trees, and stormwater improvements and the partial greening of a paved recreation area.  City officials will use existing public funds to pay for the greening initiative at Gathers.  Later today, the Green 2015 plan will be presented to community leaders, horticulturalists, and other opinion leaders at a formal presentation held at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Center City.

“Green 2015 is a strategy for using green space to improve the lives of our fellow citizens, more than 200,000 of whom have no access to parks today,” Mayor Nutter said.  “At the same time, it works as an effective tool for economic development by improving quality of life in neighborhoods all across Philadelphia. “This plan also improves the City’s compliance with the federal stormwater regulations,” the Mayor said.  “But Green 2015 is more than just a way for us to meet this federal mandate.  The genius of Green 2015 is that it offers us a way to turn an obligation into an opportunity – a chance to make our City a more attractive place to live, work and play for those who live here now as well as those we seek to attract in years to come.”

While the City will look to reallocate existing public funds to acquire land parcels that “maximize opportunity,” the Green 2015 plan does not contemplate the City’s acquisition of the entire 500-acre commitment.  Instead, much of the land targeted for this initiative already is publicly owned and therefore requires no public funds to acquire.  The City also will rely on private partners like the University of Pennsylvania, which has pledged to make the new, 24-acre Penn Park accessible for public use, to help reach the 500-acre goal over the next five years.

Green 2015 was commissioned by the Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the City Planning Commission, under a grant from the William Penn and Lenfest Foundations.  Other project partners include PennPraxis, a unit within the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, and the Philadelphia Water Department.  City officials also are in early conversations with the School District of Philadelphia about the possibility of greening some public schoolyards.  If successful, these concepts could be expanded across the system as part of the District’s facilities master plan, which could provide new green space for citizens while also reducing stormwater runoff.

“Our goal is to focus on parks and green space as a long-term investment in Philadelphia’s future,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis.  “Green 2015 charts a course for action that will make our city more equitable, livable, and competitive. “We can improve the air we breathe, protect the water we drink, provide children and families with places for recreation, and increase the attractiveness of our neighborhoods – all by taking affordable steps to transform existing land into publicly accessible green space,” DiBerardinis said.  “By any standard, Green 2015 makes sense for Philadelphia, and we look forward to engaging with many partners to advance this work.”

Green2015 offers a set of criteria to guide decision making about adding new parks, while at the same time maintaining and improving our existing parks.  These criteria include ensuring that new parks serve residents without current access to parks; meeting the requirements of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters program and the Planning Commission’s comprehensive plan, Philadelphia2035; and addressing environmental, public health and economic objectives.  In collaboration with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Green2015 offers a long-range vision for a city-wide trail and greenway network to connect all Philadelphia neighborhoods with our great waterfront parks and regional trails along on- and off-road dedicated bike and pedestrian paths.

Green 2015 provides a variety of short-term “greening” goals that can be achieved without major new sources of public funds: paved recreation centers that already are budgeted for green improvements, for example; or the large stock of publicly- owned vacant lands; or paved public schoolyards. These sites are located in every Philadelphia neighborhood, and they present attractive opportunities for low-cost, high-impact greening that can create viable parks in areas that currently lack them.

“The plan’s recommendations offer a way for us to make a dramatic start in improving the look and feel of the City,” said Penn Praxis Executive Director Harris Steinberg.  “By contrast, it’s time to look at the cost of doing nothing.  There are more than 40,000 public and private vacant parcels in Philadelphia that cost taxpayers more than $21 million a year. “We are effectively subsidizing blight in Philadelphia when we could be using those funds in ways that improve the lives of our citizens, make our city more attractive for economic development, and preserve and protect our water supply,” Steinberg said.  “Green 2015 recommends a new course of action, one that provides a sensible new way to address these issues and build a world-class city in the process.”

 

 

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MAYOR NUTTER LAUNCHES SERVE PHILADELPHIA, THE CITY’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR SERVICE

SERVE Philadelphia will make it easier for Philadelphians of every age to volunteer and support both public and private sector efforts to engage volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact.

Philadelphia, September 27– Today, Mayor Michael A. Nutter released SERVE Philadelphia, a comprehensive plan to dramatically increase service and volunteerism targeted at some of Philadelphia’s most pressing local challenges. Philadelphia is a member of the Cities of Service coalition and is one of 10 cities across the country launching citywide service plans this month. SERVE Philadelphia is the product of an eight-month assessment and consultation process coordinated by Deputy Chief of Staff Jordan Schwartz and Chief Service Officer Catie C. Wolfgang. The process engaged a diverse group of service experts, non-profit organizations, schools, colleges, private sector partners, public agencies and every day citizens.

SERVE Philadelphia has three main goals:
• Create or elevate volunteer opportunities that impact educational outcomes and contribute to community vitality;
• Make it easier for citizens of every age to volunteer; and
• Support both public and private sector efforts to engage more volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact.

“As Philadelphians, we have always been committed to helping our fellow citizens. I am deeply proud of the ethic of service that permeates our city,” said Mayor Nutter. “Whether it’s our network of 6,000 block captains dedicated to supporting their communities, the outpouring of volunteers for Philly’s Annual Spring Clean-Up, the generosity of City government employees who tutor children on their lunch hour or the thousands of citizens who volunteer regularly in support of issues they care about, Philadelphians have always found meaningful ways to help one another. SERVE Philadelphia will build on this great tradition by strategically engaging volunteers to make Philadelphia a safer, greener, healthier and more educated city.”

David Eisner, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center and former director of the Corporation for National and Community Service, welcomed more than 200 individuals to the Constitution Center for the official launch of SERVE Philadelphia.

Fellow Pennsylvania Mayors and Cities of Service coalition members from Easton, Pottsville, Reading and Scranton joined Mayor Nutter at the launch of SERVE Philadelphia. Together they welcomed the state’s newest mayor to sign the coalition’s Declaration of Service, Thomas M. Leighton of Wilkes Barre. A total of nine Pennsylvania cities are members of Cities of Service.

“We are very proud to launch SERVE Philadelphia, which we believe will bring about an increased commitment to service and volunteering across the city,” said Chief Service Officer Catie C. Wolfgang. “It is clear that Philadelphians are ready to jump in and support the initiatives outlined in the City’s plan and I very much look forward to working alongside them in making Philadelphia one of the best cities in the country to serve.”

The launch event featured a panel discussion on the role that citizens play in supporting City government efforts to improve educational outcomes and support community vitality. Panelists included the following City officials: Israel Colon, Director of Multicultural Affairs; Dr. Lori Shorr, Chief Education Officer; and Carlton Williams, Deputy Commissioner of the Streets Department.

SERVE Philadelphia includes five impact initiatives designed to promote community vitality and engage citizens in supporting the Mayor’s top education goals, specifically increasing the city’s high school graduation rate to 80% by 2015 and doubling the percentage of college graduates from 18% to 36% by 2018. The plan also includes five cross cutting initiatives designed to increase the City’s overall capacity to engage more volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact.

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City Unveils Green Philly, Grow Philly Tree Campaign

On April 24, Mayor Nutter, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society President-elect Drew Becher kicked-off the first phase of Philadelphia’s comprehensive tree-planting campaign in the city’s Francisville neighborhood.

“This kick-off event with Francisville exemplifies the new tree planting model which leverages community partnerships to increase the number of trees planted,” said Mayor Nutter. “With the help of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, corporate partners, local non-profit organizations, and other institutions, I have no doubt that Philadelphia will become the greenest big city in America.”

Greenworks sets a goal of planting 300,000 new trees in the city by 2015. The increased tree canopy will bring a multitude of benefits: decreased air pollution, reduced stormwater runoff, energy savings, increased property values, and an overall improvement of quality of life in the City.

The newly-merged Department of Parks and Recreation, led by Commissioner DiBerardinis, will organize and implement a tree-planting campaign to advance this tree work and promote a premiere Parks and Recreation system, which is safe, clean, ready to use, and green. As part of the new tree planting model, the University of Pennsylvania has signed on as one of the first institutional partners.  The Parks and Recreation Department will announce details of other exciting institutional and corporate partnerships prior to the fall launch.