Students to get live lesson on planting trees and cultivating knowledge in historic district

On Thursday, December 2, at 11 a.m., the Center City District and The Dow Chemical Company will join more than a dozen students from Philadelphia Academies, Inc.’s Environmental Academy, in celebrating the planting of new street trees in Center City.

The first tree will be planted on Seventh Street near Market at the historic Graff House, where Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence in 1776.  “Thomas Jefferson” will be the special guest at Thursday’s event and will talk about the importance of trees. Students will help shovel dirt to cover the trees’ roots and learn about the care trees need in a challenging urban environment. A second tree will put roots down on Sixth Street at Chestnut Street.

Participating in Center City District’s new Plant!Philadelphia program, The Dow Chemical Company has made a generous gift that enables  CCD to buy, plant and maintain two young hackberry trees to enhance the Center City streetscape. CCD maintains about 750 trees throughout Center City and plants about 60 trees each year.

After the tree-planting and lessons on taking care of one of the city’s most valuable assets, students will go to the Center City District’s office, where lunch will be served. For mementos and to put their new knowledge into practice, students will receive a small live tree to plant in a special place of their own choosing.

The Center City District, a private-sector sponsored business improvement district 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.

Linda K. Harris

Director of Communications and Publications

Center City District

Public Ledger Building

660 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA  19106

Phone:  215.440.5546

lharris@centercityphila.org