PHS to Plant 500,000th Tree in Plant One Million Campaign At St

 PHS to Plant 500,000th Tree in Plant One Million Campaign
At St. Charles Seminary in Honor of Visit by Pope Francis
PHILADELPHIA (August 2015) – The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
will reach a major milestone in the Plant One Million campaign on Tuesday,
September 1, when it plants the 500,000th tree at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
in Wynnewood.
The white oak tree will be planted at the Seminary, located at 100 East
Wynnewood Rd., Wynnewood, PA 19096, in honor of the visit later this month of
Pope Francis, whose recent encyclical urges everyone to take responsibility for
care of the environment. The Pope will be staying at the Seminary during his visit
to Philadelphia on September 26 and 27.
The September 1 tree planting will coincide with the World Day of Prayer
for the Care of Creation established by Pope Francis to remind us of our role as
custodians of creation.
The tree will be planted at the Seminary at 11 a.m. The media is invited
to the Tree Blessing ceremony that will be held at 5:30 p.m. by the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia with members of PHS.
Plant One Million, the largest multi-state tree-planting effort in the nation, is
a regional partnership to plant one million trees throughout 13 counties in
southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and the state of Delaware. The
goal is to restore the tree canopy cover – the area of land shaded by trees – in the
Greater Philadelphia region to 30 percent. Plant One Million is led by PHS,
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the TreeVitalize program of the Pennsylvania
Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, the New Jersey Tree
Foundation, and the Delaware Center for Horticulture.
Residents throughout the region are being asked to add at least one tree to
their home landscape, and to “count” their tree on the Plant One Million website to
strengthen research and the impact of the tree canopy. For more information
about Plant One Million and to count your tree, visit www.plantonemillion.org.
ABOUT PHS
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization, founded in
1827, dedicated to creating beauty and community through gardening, greening
and learning. PHS offer programs and events for gardeners of all levels, and
works with volunteers, organizations, agencies and businesses to create and
maintain vibrant green spaces. For information, visit PHSonline.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alan Jaffe, PHS Director of Communications, 215.988.8833, (m) 267.968.0859, ajaffe@pennhort.org
Marion McParland, PHS Communications Specialist, 21.988.8815, (m) 609.238.9599,
mmcparland@pennhort.org