September 26 was the Greening Greenfield Community Tree Planting Day.  25 trees were planted in the newly constructed Raingarden in the southwest portion of the schoolyard.  The Raingarden is the area between the edge of the rubber play surface and the brick site wall.  The trees planted by volunteers, and the shrubs and perennials planted by the contractor will all work to absorb the rainwater that now falls on the asphalt playground instead of letting it run into the city sewer.

This community volunteer event was co-sponsored by TreeVitalize, CSX, ACT (Alliance for Community Trees), and the Greenfield Home and School Association TreeTenders.   TreeVitalize is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  CSX used Greenfield as a kick-off to their monumental initiative – the planting of one tree for every mile of the 21,000 miles of its commercial rail.  CSX in concert with ACT generously stepped forward to donate the 25 trees and sent a group of 35 volunteers to assist the 40 Greenfield Community volunteers in the planting effort.  City Year provided logistical expertise in organizing the volunteers; CSX and ACT donated food and drink, while a Greenfield student video team recorded the event.  Tree planting was kicked off by a tree planting demonstration by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Greenfield Home and School Association TreeTenders.