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Brownfields Conference seeks volunteers to spruce up historic Philly park

Release Date: 02/25/2011
Contact Information: Roy Seneca [email protected] (215)814-5567

PHILADELPHIA (February 25, 2011) – 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 14^th 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.