The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging Philadelphia-area residents and attendees at the upcoming Brownfields 2011 conference in Philadelphia to volunteer for a unique opportunity to help beautify a historic green space in the heart of urban Philadelphia.
The 14th National Brownfields Conference runs April 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 3 at the Awbury Arboretum, One Awbury Road, Philadelphia.
Volunteers are needed for gardening and cleanup activities that include planting vegetables for a community garden, cleaning up and planting at the Awbury children’s recreation center, removing invasive plants, and maintaining trails. Created as a family retreat by the Philadelphia Quakers from the 1850s and now managed as a public space, the Awbury Arboretum continues to connect the community to nature.
A limited number of volunteer spaces are available, so volunteers are encouraged to register as soon as possible by visiting the conference website at www.brownfields2011.org under the “events” tab.
Co-sponsored by EPA and the International City/County Management Association, the Brownfields 2011 conference is the largest, most comprehensive conference in the nation focused on cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned, underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties.