Cooperative Community Greening, University City, Philadelphia

About UC Green

The mission of UC Green is to promote, coordinate, and support volunteer community greening in University City, West/Southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods. Through partnerships we build community, endorse sustainable practices, and champion environmental stewardship.

UC Green Accomplishments

2004 THROUGH SUMMER OF 2007

• Established 501(c)3 non-profit status 2004
• Engaged 4,000 volunteers in over 12,000 hours of community greening
• Planted 1,000 trees
• Increased property values by $13.5 million*
• Developed weekly summer Pruning Club in 2004 and hand-pruned 40 city blocks
• Recycled 9,000 sq. ft. concrete for new tree pits and to reduce storm water runoff
• Developed UC Green Corps summer youth employment program in 2006 and increased capacity to care for 300 young trees to 500 per week in 2007
• Created new garden in Cedar Park and at Lea School; re-landscaped two traffic triangles; established demonstration stormwater garden, the USP Lower Mill Creek Garden
• Held 34 garden workdays and coordinated custom corporate volunteer projects
• Supported multiple community groups with revitalized greening efforts and block improvement projects in both Spruce Hill and Cedar Park neighborhoods
• Directed contracted maintenance of public greenspaces and over 200 mature trees
• Grew e-mail newsletter list to over 900 subscribers
• Conducted five-year strategic planning in 2006 and moved to committee process
• For every $1 spent on projects, raised at least $4 via in-kind contributions
• Operated under budget and annually increased organization’s financial reserves

*Using Wharton Professor Susan Wachter’s research on the additional real estate value provided per tree per residential property of 9%; and University City’s median sale price of $150,000 (per Penn’s cartographic modeling lab data from 2004), the 1,000 additional trees planted by UC Green total $13.5 million in added property values.

ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS:

• Alliance for Community Trees – ACT
• American Cities Foundation Project NEAT
• Association of Islamic Charitable Programs
• Baltimore Avenue in Bloom
• Calvary Center for Culture and Community
• Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia
• Campus Apartments
• Cedar Park Neighbors
• City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation
• City of Philadelphia Fairmount Park
• City of Philadelphia Water Department
• Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell
• Drexel University
• Enterprise Center CDC
• Fairmount Park Commission
• Friends of Clark Park
• Garden Court Community Association
• Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
• New Horizon Housing Company
• PECO
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
• People's Emergency Center CDC
• Philadelphia Urban Resources Partnership
• Powelton Village Civic Association
• Southwest CDC
• Southwest Community Enrichment Center
• Spruce Hill Community Association
• Spruce Street Korean Presbyterian Church
• The Home Depot Foundation
• The Partnership CDC
• The Restaurant School
• The West/Southwest Neighborhood Advisory Council
• TreeVitalize Neighborhoods, PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
• University City Associates
• University City District
• University City Historical Society
• University City Housing
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
• Walnut Hill Community Association
• West Philadelphia Partnership
• West Shore Civic Association
• Woodland Building Supply

HISTORY

A brief history of UC Green is available here.