'Tis the Season for Tree Planting

Environment Committee Grant Funds Germantown Event

Thanks to a grant from the Weavers Way Environment Committee, the newly formed Tree Tenders group of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light will be planting six trees in Germantown, including in front of neighborhood eateries The Nile Café, at 6008 Germantown Ave., and All the Way Live, at 6108 Germantown.

Join the PaIPL Tree Tenders at noon on Saturday, Nov. 19, for a brief blessing of the newly planted trees led by local clergy. We’ll begin at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave. All are welcome!

PaIPL is a community of congregations and individuals of faith responding to climate disruption as an urgent moral issue. The Philadelphia chapter is committed to working with urban communities who will be most affected by climate change, including our own Germantown neighborhood. 

Why trees? They mitigate climate change directly by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They exhale oxygen and improve water quality. Their shade helps reduce energy use. Trees have also been shown to reduce crime and increase community pride. The Tree Tenders program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society provides training, material and trees for local Tree Tender groups.

Contact Mark Smith, mfsmith4@gmail.com, for more information.

Plant One in Mt. Airy, Too 

West Mt. Airy Neighbors Streetscapes Committee is looking for volunteers to help plant approximately 25 new street trees on Saturday, Nov. 19. No experience is necessary! Tools are provided and refreshments are served.

Volunteers should meet at 9 a.m. at the Allen Lane Art Center, 601 W. Allens Lane, for coffee and assignments. They will be paired with trained Tree Tenders and landscape professionals before heading out to plant bare-root street trees provided by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Plant a Million initiative. This will be the Committee’s 20th planting, bringing the total number of trees to more than 550!

To sign up or for more info, email WMAN Streetscapes Committee member Vivian Rowe at vivierowe@gmail.com or call Doris Kessler at 215-242-0651.