Creating better mental and physical health outcomes by preserving, improving and expanding green spaces

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When you think of community gardens or green spaces, an energy company may not immediately come to mind, but PECO has been at the helm of many open space projects in Southeastern Pennsylvania for two decades. Their Green Region Open Space Program has provided over $3 million in grants to more than 400 municipalities to preserve, improve and expand access to parks and other green spaces.

The projects funded by PECO vary and include ADA-compliant playgrounds, park cleanups and trailways and tree restorations.

Carolina DiGiorgio, PECO’s vice president of government and external affairs, says the Green Region program is key to PECO's “Path to Clean” initiative — “which includes a commitment to our communities to promoting a cleaner and greener energy future while protecting the environment through mechanisms such as pollination, migration, sustainability efforts and managing open space.”

She says open space has been linked to positive mental and physical health outcomes, and this initiative helps mitigate the harmful impact of air pollutants and climate-related health risks.

And it’s PECO’s job as a company and as a community advocate to continue to push for open-space programs. PECO partners with various nonprofits that share the same goal.

“This year, it's exciting to see, because we have an alignment, you know, with the mayor and the governor's focus on environmental concerns and advocacy, that we feel really proud to be a part of this initiative going forward.”

Neighborhood Gardens Trust is Philadelphia's so-called ‘neighborhood garden protector.’  The nonprofit is dedicated to supporting community gardens and other shared open spaces across the city.

Executive Director Jenny Greenberg says, oftentimes community gardens are created by residents who use what they have to make it work — but they have no assurances for the future.

“Once Neighborhood Gardens Trust is able to work with these groups and figure out how to secure and protect the land, then we can make a long term commitment to helping them secure the resources that they need,” Greenberg said.

Natural Lands , a member-supported nonprofit land conservation organization, is another partner PECO works with to conserve open space.

“We have a 23,000-acre network of nature preserves and one public garden, and we add acreage to those places whenever we can,” said Estelle Dolan, Natural Lands’ protection specialist and administrator of the PECO Green Region Open Space Program.

“All of our nature preserves are open to the public, free of charge, and they're a great way for people to get outdoors and restore themselves.”

Hear Racquel Williams’ entire conversation with PECO on the KYW Newsradio original podcast Bridging Philly.