With pickaxes, gloves and shovels in hand, community members broke new ground on the sidewalks of West Philadelphia Saturday morning.
The task, one of several events planned for Earth Week -- an annual national celebration that aims to promote environmentalism -- was completed by a group of 50 volunteers who planted trees along Market Street.
Given a dozen honey locust trees weighing approximately 600 pounds each, a crowd of Penn students, University Facilities staff members and other West Philadelphia residents set out to make both sides of the commercial block between 40th and 41st streets a little nicer.
"The trees not only improve the look of the area, but it brings the community together," College of General Studies student Robert Smith said. "It also improves the environment, as the trees will absorb runoff water from storms, provide shade [for pedestrians] and pull pollutants out of the air."
Smith is part of an organization called UC Green, an affiliate of Penn that seeks to turn University City into a "garden village." In association with the Partnership Community Development Corporation, UC Green organized the community project in hopes of building stronger neighborhood ties and improving University City's landscape.
In groups of three, volunteers worked to remove dirt and bricks from blocks of sidewalk that were once covered in concrete. After placing the trees into the pits, they used wire cutters and their own strength to remove the metal frames and burlap sacks that covered the trees' roots. Finally, the volunteers filled in the holes with soil and compost, covering the trees in a layer of mulch.
"The hardest part is getting the tree to go in correctly," said city planning graduate student Kyle Gradinger. "Still, this is an excellent project, as trees are a cheap and easy way of making a city look beautiful."
Other volunteers said they enjoyed different aspects of their work.
Thirteen-year-old twins and community residents Kendell and Karnell Davis saw the event as an enjoyable learning experience.
"This is a chance for us to learn teamwork and a fun way to give back to the community," they said.
Business owners were also appreciative of the volunteer effort.
This project is "well and fine," said Martin Flynn, owner of Flynn's Bar on 40th and Market streets. "It should improve the quality of life in the neighborhood."
"My favorite part of this project is seeing people from all over the community working together," Smith said.
"It's great to see Penn students, church groups and children from West Philadelphia all investing in the same goal -- to improve University City," he added.
Other projects are also planned for Earth Week, which culminates on Thursday.
