Center City Philadelphia

Contact Information:
RJ White, Manager of Media Relations & Interactive Marketing
rwhite@centercityphila.org
215.440.5550

Center City District Launches Plant!Philadelphia Fundraising Program

(April 29, 2010) A green Center City is a more competitive, healthier and attractive Center City. For this reason, the Center City District (CCD) has created Plant!Philadelphia, a new fundraising initiative that will give both individuals and businesses the opportunity to participate directly in the effort to expand Center City’s canopy of healthy street trees, contribute to the citywide goal of planting 300,000 trees by 2015, and keep William Penn’s vision of a “greene countrie town” thriving in the 21st century The tax-deductible donations can easily be made on the Web, at PlantPhiladelphia.org.

Though any amount will be accepted, there are five suggested donation levels-
• Heartwood $50 - Provides general maintenance of street tree program.
• Ladybug $100 - Provides pruning and pest management for street trees.
• Tender $150 - Waters one tree for one year.
• Sapling $2,000 - Covers installation for replacement tree in empty tree pit.
• Crown $4,000 - Plants one new tree in new location.

PNC Bank is kicking off the program by making the first contribution, $4,000, toward the planting of a new street tree at their Market Street building. Urban Engineers, CB Richard Ellis and REIT Management & Research LLC are also early contributors to the program.

“From our nationally recognized commitment to green business practices to our local support of green organizations such as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, PNC understands the importance of sustainability and enhancing the communities where we live and work,” said Bill Mills, president of PNC for Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

The 2,600 street trees currently within the CCD’s boundaries beautify the urban landscape, control storm water runoff, improve the environment and provide shade and relief from summer heat. For more than a decade, the CCD has maintained 800 trees it planted in the last decade from Vine Street to South Street, river to river, replacing about 8% annually. Funds from the Plant!Philadelphia program will help the CCD add even more new trees and replace damaged ones, while sustaining a routine schedule of pruning, watering, pest management and fertilization.

“For over three hundred years, Philadelphians have been able to enjoy their tree-lined streets and we are proud to continue to be the stewards of that tradition,” said CCD President and CEO Paul R. Levy. “This program allows residents and business leaders- all over the city- to have a stake in leaving a green legacy for future generations.”

The names of donors at all levels will be listed at PlantPhiladelphia.org, unless they indicate their wish to remain anonymous. Those contributing toward the installation of new or replacement trees will be able to suggest a preferred quadrant of the CCD and the CCD will try to honor those requests, to the extent that locations are available. The locations of new or replacement trees funded through Plant!Philadelphia will appear on the Web site.

The Center City District, a private-sector organization dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City’s competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions.

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