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New to South Philly, Robert and Ashley Tobin were curious to find ways they could make an already-green spot even greener. Since they are avid visitors to Dickinson Square Park, Fourth and Tasker streets, they wanted to give back.
The park, though well-kept, could use the occasional touchup, Robert said. So the couple and their 10-month-old son, Harry, decided not to ignore broken glass and trash on their way to the swings.
"Over the winter, branches fall on the ground and, from being in a densely populated area, trash does accumulate – not outrageous amounts, but certainly enough to clean up," Robert, of the 300 block of Tasker Street, said.
Enlisting support through Philadelphia Green, the outreach arm of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Tobins will be among those at 40 citywide locations participating in Earth Day’s Spring Into Your Park event.
Beginning at 11 a.m. at Dickinson Square, volunteers will remove refuse, place mulch around trees and plant flowers. Every park and playground involved in the event – 10 in South Philly – has a tailored cleanup to meet its needs.
Since their move to the area in December, the Tobin family goes to the park several times a week. The condition of their "oasis of green in the middle of the city" is indicative of those that surround it, said Robert, who lives across the street from the park.
Clean green means "people really care about where they live," he said. "It really reflects on the pride people take in their neighborhood."
MANY OF THE parks involved in the seventh annual "Spring" event are taking part in the horticultural society’s Park Revitalization Project to "revitalize these spaces and make sure they’re well used and well cared for," Kimberly Massare, the society’s park network coordinator, said.
Initiated in 1993, the project is sponsored by Philadelphia Green, the city’s Recreation Department, Fairmount Park and friends’ groups of community parks.
Last year, more than 40 parks and about 1,000 volunteers participated in the cleanup. While the city does maintain these areas, residents also should have a sincere interest in their local green space, Massare said.
"The city is not there as much as the community is. These parks and spaces are part of the community and I think it’s important for the community to be invested in these spaces," she said. "Our parks and playgrounds are the closest way to get in touch with nature in the city. [A cleanup] is the best way to get involved on Earth Day."
Adding foliage to South Philly, the area with the lowest amount of tree-cover in the city, is also an Earth Day feat residents hope to accomplish. Independent of the "Spring" event, Carla Puppin, who heads the Bel Arbor and Queen Village Tree Tenders, has organized the planting of 16 trees Saturday around the Palumbo Recreation Center, 10th and Fitzwater streets, and William M. Meredith Elementary, 725 S. Fifth St.
TreeVitalize, which aims to restore tree-cover in Southeast Pennsylvania, supplied, free of charge, yellowwood, crab apple and amelanchier trees.
"People subconsciously realize when they walk along a sidewalk and there’s no trees and it’s how you feel this oppressive heat in the summertime," said Puppin, who noted the hot months cool down when trees are in place to offer shade.
Plantings similar to these typically link community groups across the city.
"There’s a real spirit of mutual cooperation and help amongst all the Tree Tender groups throughout the city," Puppin said.
One place looking to sweep away the stigma of violence this year is the Wharton Square Playground, 23rd and Wharton streets. Teen Tariq Blue, of the 2600 block of Gerritt Street, was killed last month after being shot near the facility.
In addition to the cleanup, playground organizers will prepare a memorial garden "dedicated to children that died from violence throughout Philadelphia," Trudy Gay, the playground’s director, said. This plot of land will include fenced-in azaleas and a tree.
Her intent during this weekend’s event seems simple, yet holds a complex meaning: beautify the playground, as well as bridge gaps and end hatred in the community.
"I don’t know if we’ll ever forget," she said of Blue’s slaying. "If we work together, we can bring an end to some of the violence by getting [the neighborhood] to know each other."
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For more information on the Spring Into Your Park event, call 215-988-1611. Most cleanups begin at 10 a.m.
The following are other parks and playgrounds participating in Saturday’s Spring Into Your Park cleanup:
Beck Park,
Second and Beck streets
Cianfrani Park,
Eighth and Fitzwater streets
Di Silvestro Playground,
1701 S. 15th St.
Gold Star Park,
Sixth and Wharton streets
Guerin Recreation Center, 2201 S. 16th St.
Jefferson Square Park,
Fourth Street
and Washington Avenue
Smith Playground,
2100 S. 24th St.
Stinger Square Park,
33rd and Reed streets
