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phillypeel · 6 months

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03.19.24, Filbert Street, 4:52 pm

the first banana peel of spring

#philadelphia banana peel project #banana peel #street photography #philadelphia street photography #yellow banana peel #Jefferson station #first day of spring #spring has sprung

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dreamgreenteam1-blog · 7 years

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Philly Urban Creators

On April 8th, me and another stewardship group member sought to volunteer at Life Do Grow, which was held by the Philly Urban Creators. The farm was easy to walk to, located at 2315 N. 11th St., just outside of Temple’s campus.

We got there a little early and were one of the first people there. We immediately noticed the various murals and art pieces that the farm was covered in. This had been an initiative to bring more beauty to the industrial area, as well as allow artists to display their works. As more people finally arrived, we all got into a large group and were greeted by a woman named Sonia. She began by thanking us for volunteering at Life Do Grow, then explained the benefits of this community garden. She emphasized the benefits it has made on the surrounding area, including how the crime rate was subsequently reduced by 30%. Although they did not claim the whole 30% for reducing crime in the area, a lot could be accredited to them, as it had emphasized a sense of community. It had also been a job/volunteer opportunity for many of the younger community members who wanted to give back.

Sonia then laid out what they had to that day, and how there was a job to do in every aspect of the farm. They needed people to clean up up the lot, fix the sheds, plant flowers, pull weeds, and turn compost. They needed a group of around 5 for each of the tasks, and claimed that everyone should feel free to switch between tasks and explore the various jobs on site.

A man named Stanley then took over and went more into description on what each job would entail. Although they were all self explanatory, this weekend was the one that had welcomed Spring so there was a lot of damage done from winter and things that had not been tended to in a while that required specific instructions.

Before we all split up to do our specific jobs, a man named Alex introduced himself and detailed how there was to be a DJ there to keep us entertained. He explained how all of the performers were alumni from Temple that had formed a club to provide music and how they often collaborated with one another.

My group and I began by aerating compost. We were told that there was bacteria inside that had built up heat from eating the compost. We sought to let the heat dissipate by using pitch forks and shovels to turn the compost over and introduce new biodegradable items, such as squash, banana peels, and various foul-smelling foods. After an hour of turning this large pile of compost, we brought over a barrel of hay that we then laid on top of the compost to add more nutrients to the pile.

After this task had been accomplished, we were brought to another area and were instructed to put on gloves and pick the weeds from the garden. This was more simple than the first job, but required a lot of strenuous activity. We were picking weeds so that they would not steal the various plants in the areas nutrients. That task took an hour, as there were a lot of stubborn weeds to pick which held us up.

Once completed, we were brought to a garden and were provided instructions on how to tend the various plants. It was mainly green plants, rather than flowers, that needed watering. They had been fertilizing the plants side by side of us tending them.

After 30 minutes of that, we then used our remaining 30 minutes to help the clean up crew move trash from the lot into garbage bags. There was a lot of litter that needed to be taken care of.

QUESTIONS:

Speculate: What do you think the impact will be?

The impact that Life Do Grow farms has made on Philadelphia was more significant than what could meet the eye. The area the farm had been placed was one filled with poverty and high crime rates. Abandoned lots were known for holding most of the crime, drugs, and overall danger in neighborhoods like this one. The creators claimed that that had been an important factor in deciding to make the farm be placed there. The known impact already was that crime rate has been reduced by 30% since the creation of the farm, and I believe that the number will only be higher in years to come. As it grows, it will supply more jobs and volunteer opportunities for the community and overall add a safer and better atmosphere. It also will have a huge environmental impact, as a lot of biodiversity was add to what was once merely an industrial area.

How does this project or agency address community needs?

The community that Life Do Grow farms is held in is one that has hardly any uniting forces, and there is an overall lack of a community sense. Philly Urban Creators sought out to address this need by replacing the abandoned lot, that is accredited to holding most of the danger, with something useful for the community/environment. This addressed their needs by unifying the community and allowing them to work together to make their neighborhood safer, cleaner, and healthier.

How can you continue your involvement with this urban greening issue?

There are many ways to stay involved with the maintenance of Life Do Grow, as well as the organization Philly Urban Creators. One of the group organizers at the farm explained to me how one can start out volunteering and move up to higher jobs within the organization. They also hold open volunteer days every second Saturday of the month. This entails that anyone, who signs up, can come and help which is what me and my group had done. If it is not with this specific farm or organization, there are many others within Philadelphia that ultimately provide the city with the same benefits and various ways to volunteer with them.

--Gabriella Kashi

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phillypeel · 4 months

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