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!

View more photos from this event in this Flickr set.

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!
 

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.

Next Great City coalition partner, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), is a national leader in vacant land stabilization.

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.

Water
Water is crucial for your trees survival, particularly during the first year after planting.

• Water your tree when the soil is dry beneath the mulch. Apply approximately 15-20 gallons of water once a week from March until the end of October, and as often as twice a week during dry  and hot weather.
• Trickle water onto the soil surface using a hose or allow water to seep from a bucket with small holes in the bottom.

Weed and Clean
Weeds and trash can prevent water from reaching your tree’s roots and cause a decline in your tree’s health. Substances like motor oil, de-icing salt, detergent and urine can kill your tree.

• Weed and clean the area around your tree periodically and prevent toxic substances like dog urine, leaking garbage, car oil or de-icing salt from entering the soil.

Protect
Tree roots require water and air for survival. Compacted soil and cemented pits prevent water and air from reaching tree roots.

• Avoid compacting the soil by piling trash, walking or driving around the tree’s roots.
• Never cement over the surface of your tree pit.

Bark is necessary for protecting the trunk and maintaining tree health

• Keep car doors, dogs, and bicycles away from the trunk to avoid potential bark wounds.
• If you lay dry brick or stone around your tree, keep the material at least 6 inches away from the trunk and check each year to maintain this space (pavers placed too close to the trunk can damage the bark and strangle the tree as the trunk gets wider.)

Prune
Newly planted trees (for the first year after planting) should only be pruned to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches.

• For established trees, never remove more than 25% of the tree”s live branches during a season.

Cultivate
Cultivating the soil surface around your tree encourages water and air to enter the soil.

• Spring is a good time to cultivate the soil around your tree.
• If the soil surface around your tree becomes compacted, loosen the first few inches of soil and break up any large clumps. Avoid damaging any large woody roots.
  

Mulch
Mulch helps conserve water, control weeds, keeps roots cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, prevents lawn mower damage and prevents soil compaction

• Maintain a 2″ – 4″ layer of mulch around your tree, taking care not to pack it against the trunk. Always remember to weed and cultivate the soil before mulching. Recommended mulches include: aged wood chips, composted leaves, and pine needles.

Information from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tenders Program.

The film is thought-provoking and at times, quite disturbing. For example, some people who live near natural gas drilling sites are suddenly able to light their water on fire, straight from the tap. Nearby residents and pets are getting sick,  losing their hair and losing weight. The chemicals used in the fracking process don’t have to be disclosed due to an exemption in the law — and this means that hundreds of unknown (and some well-known and proven unsafe!) chemicals end up in our waterways.

After the screening, filmmaker Josh Fox stayed for a Q-and-A session. In it, he noted that “the culture of convenience is leading us down this path.” It was heartbreaking to hear that we are sacrificing our water quality and air quality in large part to manufacture disposable plastic products.

You can find a screening of Gasland here or catch it on HBO and HBO On Demand. Fox told us there will be a theatrical release in the fall and a big screening in Philadelphia in late September. The DVD will be released in December, but you can watch the trailer here:

The Gasland website includes many ways to take action. The Delaware Valley River Basin Commission will be holding a public meeting regarding the Marcellus Shale next Wednesday, July 14, at 1:00 p.m. at the West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company in West Trenton, NJ. Many citizens will be there to call for a complete moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River Watershed. For more information, visit Delaware Riverkeeper.

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.

• Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund
• Growing Greener (the Environmental Stewardship Fund)
• farmland preservation program and more

The PA Land trust explains what this could mean and how YOU can help. Please do your part to preserve Pennsylvania!

If this proposal moves forward — and it will unless conservationists push back hard — there will be NO state money for community parks, open space protection, farmland preservation, community-centered environmental restoration and other conservation efforts. There will be NO Growing Greener grants, NO Keystone grants, NO allocations for counties for farmland preservation.

Tell your state senators and representatives to take a stand against any budget that would cut these critical sources of funding. Instead of raiding environmental funding, the General Assembly should raise additional funds by levying a severance tax on natural gas drilling, with a significant portion dedicated to Growing Greener.

PLEASE ACT IMMEDIATELY:

1ST ACTION – Call your state representative and senator and demand that they stop the raid on environmental funding. Tell them that these funding sources are critical to your community’s well being. Tell them that environmental programs have already undergone far more than their fair share of cuts in recent years.

2ND ACTION – Follow up with an email and old-fashioned letter.

3RD ACTION – Get as many people as you can to do the same. We have to put immediate pressure on legislators and keep the pressure up as the budget enters a critical negotiation stage.

Find Your Legislators

Only strong outcries from many people can stop this. Pennsylvania needs your voice!

• 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.
  • Pick up after your dog.
  • Do NOT flush unused medications.

Drop-Off Your Household Hazardous Waste

Containers marked Toxic, Flammable, Corrosive or Reactive don’t belong in your house or in the regular trash. They’re dangerous! Let the City dispose of them for you during this Saturday’s scheduled drop-off for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW). Bring those old cans of oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides, antifreeze, petroleum products, car batteries–even old computers—to the Transfer Station at Domino Lane and Umbria Street in Northwest Philadelphia between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. We’ll take them off your hands at no charge. Spread the word to your friends and everyone on your Philly Spring Cleanup contact list as well.

For details on what is considered HHW and what isn’t, and for upcoming drop-off dates and locations, go to PhiladelphiaStreets.com/HHW.

This service of the Sanitation Division of the Philadelphia Streets Department is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.