PHILADELPHIA, May 15 –On the last official day of frost, Philadelphia’s center of government was dressed in its spring best today. The 17th annual “City Hall in Bloom” involved the planting of more than 9,100 colorful annuals and shrubs around the building, in its recently renovated Courtyard, at JFK Plaza, on the Ben Franklin Parkway, and around Logan Square.
More than 300 employees of the accounting firm KPMG LLP volunteered to refresh and replant the City Hall area, assisted by about 40 students from Bache-Martin Elementary School. The yearly event is a joint project coordinated by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Fairmount Park Commission, and emphasizes the cooperation between organizations, businesses, schools and local government and the city’s support for urban greening programs.
City Representative Melanie Johnson attended the opening ceremonies and presented KPMG, which sponsored the event for the third straight year, with a proclamation citing the firm’s dedication to the city, volunteerism, and greening.
Leading up to the event, Mayor Michael Nutter expressed his support for the effort. “During my campaign I described my vision of City Hall as the vibrant centerpiece of Center City, and we’re getting there,” he said. “City Hall in Bloom is an opportunity to set an example for all Philadelphians who want to refresh and beautify our streets, properties and open spaces.
“I’m not surprised to see KPMG taking a lead role in City Hall in Bloom because KPMG volunteers have participated in other initiatives that encourage the city’s business community to give back in meaningful ways,” the mayor added.
Jerry Maginnis, KPMG’s Philadelphia office managing partner, said, “City Hall in Bloom is a real morale boost for our people because in just one day they can make a tangible improvement in our great city. This project is a wonderful complement to the green initiatives recently launched in our local office.”
KPMG’s environmental initiatives include a new recycling and energy-efficiency program, employee education on greening, and outreach to other businesses to share its environmental program.
The Bache-Martin students involved in the replanting are part of Green City Youth, a PHS project in which local school students create their own green-oriented “service-learning” projects. Funded by the National Recreation Foundation, Green City Youth combines community service with traditional classroom instruction.
This year’s plantings included 3,500 annuals around City Hall, including shade-loving begonias, coleus and colocasia; 3,000 plants in JFK Plaza, also known as Love Park; and 2,600 around Logan Square, including lantana, salvia, calibrachoa, euphorbia and pennesetum. About 40 shrubs and one tree were also planted at City Hall.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the producer of the Philadelphia Flower Show, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1827. Its acclaimed urban revitalization program, Philadelphia Green, works in partnership with agencies, corporations and community groups to maintain the city’s treasured public landscapes and to transform vacant land and parks into vibrant open spaces.
KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.us.kpmg.com), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International. KPMG International’s member firms have 123,000 professionals, including more than 7,100 partners, in 145 countries.
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