On Friday, we had the privilege of hosting an Art Garden Party with our partners at Artology. Artology is “an art and science summer learning program with an emphasis on ecology and environmental justice [that] sparks students’ curiosity by utilizing Philadelphia’s park system as a vibrant interactive classroom.”
TTF has been partnering with Artology this summer, helping students merge science and art as they explore water through the use of different artistic media. On Friday, Artology students showcased their work at the vacant lot on the corner of Clearview Street and Washington Lane in our Awbury/Cliveden Model Neighborhood. The students created an artistic rain garden by “planting” their own abstract sculptures modeled on plants they had encountered near local waterways. During the party, students gave community members very informative and entertaining tours of their work. TTF is working on turning this space into a real rain garden, but for now, neighbors can enjoy Artology students’ amazing creative expression!
A few days ago we asked for your help in encouraging the City of Philadelphia to continue funding the PHS vacant land program. You responded with hundreds of e-mails and phone calls to Mayor Nutter, and we are very grateful for your passion and loyalty.
We learned on Wednesday that the $2.4 million funding at stake was not eliminated; however $849,000, or 35 percent, was cut from the vacant land program.
In coming days and weeks, we will decide on the best use of the $1.56 million that we will receive. We do know that the reduction means no new lots will be stabilized in Philadelphia. There will also be a reduction in maintenance of existing lots, as well as a reduction in the full- and part-time green jobs that maintain the land. The impact on the neighborhoods that have been transformed through the vacant land program will be considerable.
That said, please know that your support and outreach made a huge difference in the outcome of this program, which contributes so much to the quality of life, environment, and economy of the city.
This effort is not over, and we will continue to urge the city to restore this funding. You can send a letter to the Mayor by using this link to the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance website: click here.
If you haven’t already, please click on the link above and show your support for vacant land transformation projects in Philadelphia!
Here at TTF, we are extremely committed to turning vacant lots into community spaces — especially gardens that can help manage stormwater! So we really, really do not want to see the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s vacant land program disappear. Read on for the bad news, courtesy of the Next Great City newsletter, and what you can do to help!
SAVE VITAL FUNDING AND PROGRAMS FOR PHILLY NEIGHBORHOODS
Philadelphians instinctively know, and research shows, that a well cared for lot is better for communities than a neglected one. That’s why Next Great City identified cleaning and greening vacant lots as one of our ten action recommendations for the city. And Philadelphia residents and business owners agree.
PHS’s vacant land program has cleaned and greened thousands of vacant parcels in Philadelphia, creating well-managed open space for communities to enjoy and attracting private investment. But now, because of a significantly reduced city budget, $2.4 million in funding for PHS’s vacant land program, which supports community revitalization and employs more than 300 people in full- and part-time green jobs, is on the chopping block.
While these are difficult times, cutting funding to this program will hurt neighborhoods and remove a vital tool for economic development.
Please contact Mayor Nutter today to urge him to continue his support for the valuable work PHS is doing to revitalize our city one vacant lot at a time. Don’t delay, email the Mayor at Michael.Nutter@phila.gov or call the Mayor’s Office at 215-686-2181.
TTF has been working with BuildaBridge’s Artology program over the past few weeks, teaching students about watersheds and stormwater issues. By the looks of this video, it seems like they really get the message!
Earth Force, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to engaging youth as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities – now and in the future. For more information, please see our website at: http://www.earthforce.org.
Job Purpose Summary
This staff member works with the program team to train and support partners, support program implementation through community-based, governmental, corporate, and school-based organizations, and implement programming for the Youth Leadership Team.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities for the Position
• Recruit partners, adult leaders and sites to facilitate Earth Force programs.
• Provide comprehensive, quality training and support of Earth Force partners.
• Maintain ongoing contact with program partners, including: site visits, calls, meetings, and emails. Build rapport with school and community-based organization administrators.
• Cultivate and maintain partner support-networks that both adult facilitators and youth participants can access as part of their Earth Force experience.
• Implement programming for the approximately 25 Youth Leadership Team (YLT) members and build partner organizations to strengthen YLT Projects.
• Support program implementation through a variety of partners including community-based, governmental, corporate, and school-based organizations.
• Find recognition and appreciation opportunities for partners, educators, and young people for their projects in local media.
• Administer evaluations and ensure their collection.
• Supervision of volunteers working to support educators or the program
• Program development and innovation
• Must have the ability to travel within and potentially outside the region
Ideal Skills for Position
• Innovative thinking
• Demonstrated writing, communication and presentation skills
• Organized and able to juggle multiple tasks
• Self-motivated and able to provide follow-through
• Passionate commitment to youth, the environment and community change
• Work effectively both individually and in a team setting
• Collaborative, flexible approach to challenges
• Competency in Microsoft, Access, e-mail, Internet
Ideal Experience for Position
• Experience as a teacher, trainer and/or facilitator .
• Proven track record in working with youth as change agents.
• Understanding of and experience in local community/environmental issues, service learning, environmental education and/or community-based work.
• Knowledge of community organizations and agencies.
• Work with inner city/urban youth; familiarity with the Kensington-Fishtown-Port Richmond neighborhoods of Philadelphia a plus.
Every year in April the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) releases the previous years’ drinking water quality report to let consumers know what is happening with local and national drinking water standards and quality. Here are some fun facts from the 2009 Drinking Water Consumer Quality Report:
Philadelphia has consistently performed better than all drinking water standards developed by the EPA to protect public health.
You can save money by drinking tap water instead of bottled water. If you pay $1 for a 20-ounce bottle of water, that works out to $6.40 a gallon. Philadelphia’s water cost’s less than 1 cent per gallon.
If you think you might have lead pipes in your home the PWD will come test your tap water for FREE. Call 215-685-6300
Philadelphia has enough linear sewer miles to go from Phila to Los Angeles and back again.
Voice your thoughts about keeping our water clean by attending Water Quality Education Citizens Advisory Council Meetings
You can help protect Philadelphia’s drinking water by following some simple guidelines:
Use less water.
Keep trash of the street and out of storm drains.
Avoid feeding geese and other wildlife near streams.
TTF recently helped with planting an Audubon-certified native bird habitat at Wyncote Elementary School. You may remember the last time we assisted with a native bird habitat at Cedarbrook Middle School — it was featured in this Greenlife Pennsylvania video.
This time, the project was led by two dynamic leaders from Delaware Valley Earth Force’s Youth Leaders team. Throughout the day, Wyncote students helped in each stage of the planting, with the final result being a beautiful garden of all native plants for local birds — and people! — to enjoy.
Here are some photos from the day, courtesy of Delaware Valley Earth Force. Below, Barb Duffy from the Cheltenham Environmental Advisory Council demonstrates proper planting techniques to some very helpful student participants.
Do you support clean water for Philadelphia? Do you care about our state’s forests and rivers? Do you think that Pennsylvania should focus more on its environment instead of just the state budget? If so then take action and tell the Senate to save our forests from gas drilling.
Check out more details from our Partner Penn Future…
One-third of state forest lands, or about 700,000 acres, are already open to natural gas exploration and extraction. But gas drillers are pushing for more land, and Governor Rendell has proposed leasing additional state lands to help close the budget gap.
Our precious state parks and forests cannot be used as an ATM. Some of our major industries — outdoor tourism, recreation and sustainable timbering — rely on well-managed, protected lands in order to thrive. Gas drilling operations would mean building roads and pipelines through pristine lands, and would pose an immense risk to quality waterways.
Enough is enough. We need a freeze on new leases for drilling in state forests to prevent them from being used as a cash cow to close budget gaps.
Contact your state senator and urge him or her to support the Save Our Forests legislation (HB 2235). This bill would put a three year freeze on new leases for drilling in state forests and make sure our precious state lands are managed responsibly.
Please read the following press release from American Rivers regarding the press event that took place on Wednesday. Sarah was there representing TTF, along with the President of our Board, Gerry Kaufman, who is quoted below. It’s long, but chocked-full of important information about protecting the Delaware River.
American Rivers Names Upper Delaware River Most Endangered in U.S.
Philadelphia Leaders to DRBC: Cease Construction on Exploratory Wells; Deny Water Withdrawal, Drilling Permits
Industry Response: Unconventional Drilling, Conventional Obfuscation Strategies
Iris Marie Bloom
Philadelphia: June 3, 2010
The Upper Delaware River, the drinking water source for 17 million people across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, is at risk from shale fracking for natural gas, a process that poisons groundwater and creates toxic pollution. This threat landed the Upper Delaware in the number one spot in America’s Most Endangered Rivers 2010, a report released yesterday by the national nonprofit group American Rivers.
In Philadelphia yesterday, American Rivers spokesperson Liz Garland opened a press conference at City Hall, “In shining the spotlight on gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River, we chose a time when preventive action is still possible. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is making major decisions right now which will affect the fate of this river, and the people who drink this water have a chance to weigh in on that decision.”
Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, said, “The Delaware River is the longest free flowing river east of the Mississippi, much of it designated Wild and Scenic. Many, many people have worked and billions of dollars have been spent to bring the Delaware back to life after decades of abuse. As we face the advent of gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River Watershed, we face the possibility of losing everything.”
Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, who introduced a successful resolution earlier this spring calling on the DRBC to ban shale gas drilling until an Environmental Impact Statement is assessed for the Delaware River Watershed, drew parallels to the Gulf disaster. “The BP rig which blew up was an exploratory well. It had special exemptions. We have to learn something from this. The DRBC is exempting exploratory wells right here in our watershed, which supplies our drinking water. The have to stop letting companies drill without a DRBC permit, and they should deny the Stone Energy water withdrawal permit, and all drilling-related permits, until we have the Environmental Impact Statement. We don’t need a disaster here.”
Yesterday, while Sarah was helping Wyncote Elementary School students with a planting project at their school, Ashley and I headed over to the Maritime Charter Academy High School to help out with some of their new stormwater management features.
Maritime Charter Academy’s mission is to “provide students in grades 5 through 12 a rigorous academic program with the special theme of maritime studies. MACHS students work with the latest technology to learn maritime content such as nautical science and maritime business, while achieving to high standards in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and the Arts.”
Thanks to our partners at the Philadelphia Water Department, we were able to provide Maritime with a brand new rain barrel. Because Maritime is located on a historic property without much ability to dig in the ground, instead of a rain garden, the kids built a large planter box that will be filled with plants to help absorb rainwater. It was a hot day, but with some assistance, the kids were able to create the planter.
We’ll check back in with Maritime when all the plants are flourishing and post some updated pictures of the completed project!
