Wissahickon Growing Greener 
Let's Promote and Educate RESIDENTS about a Sustainable Future for OUR Area   

News                        

Good article on how to mulch properly.
  • The right way to mulch.  If you don't read it, remember this " Casey Trees, the nonprofit organization founded to help restore and maintain the District’s urban forest, uses a mantra of “three-three-three,” said its executive director, Mark Buscaino. That is, a mulch circle that is three feet in diameter, three inches thick and three inches away from the trunk. "

Help the Perkionmen Plant-a-thon!
  • Help plant over 5,000 native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in Sept, Oct and November.  Click here to register.

Philly constructs rain gardens to alleviate storm water issues.
  • Philadelphia has a combined storm-water system, so in a large rain event all water going into streets and storm drains ends up at one of three treatment plants that can become overwhelmed. When that happens, dirty water has nowhere to go other than directly into the Schuylkill and Delaware River.  This story talks about Philly's rain gardens and their attempt to remove large stretches of I-95 from the problem.  Read More

100 Raingardens
  • In an effort to curb the pollution entering our waterways, Ambler is seeking interested homeowners to help us meet our goal of 100 Rain Gardens in the Borough! Beautify your property while stemming runoff to our local waterways!


Ambler Borough Park Fall Planting Day
  • The Ambler EAC is planning a project on Saturday, November 11th, 2017. We are seeking donations of non-invasive native perennial plants. Learn More
Battery Recycling

  • Ambler Borough, working with the Environmental Advisory Council, has set up an environmentally efficient battery recycling drop-off site in the Ambler Borough Hall Lobby. View the list of accepted materials.

Learn how to save seeds from your garden to plant next year.

Tree Tenders Training
  • Join thousands of other concerned citizens like yourself. Become a Tree Tender and help increase tree canopy cover in your community. Tree Tenders® is a training program that empowers concerned residents to make dramatic strides towards restoring and caring for the tree canopy in their communities. The course is designed for lay people and experts alike. Become one of the Tree Tenders restoring and tending your part of the forest. Instruction is provided by DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, in partnership with Penn State Extension, PHS, and other local urban forestry experts.
 
Tree Tenders training includes:
  • -Tree Biology
  • -Urban Stresses on Trees
  • -Tree Identification
  • -Tree Pruning and Root Care
  • -Tree Planting Techniques
  • -Community Organizing
  • To participate in the Plymouth Meeting, PA class on September 9, 2017:  Offered by Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 8 AM – 5 PM; Register online at https://phsonline.org/programs/tree-tenders/ For more information, call 215-988-1698
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PECO will pay you to recycle your old refrigerator.
  • If your working refrigerator or freezer is more than 10 years old, it could be using four times the electricity of new energy-efficient models. Let PECO recycle it, and you'll get:
  • •A $50 rebate*
  • •Free removal and recycling
  • •$150 annual energy savings**
  • Plus, a $10 rebate if you recycle an old working room A/C unit at the same time.
  • ►Schedule today, learn more at peco.com/recycling or call us at 1‑888‑5‑PECO‑SAVE (1‑888‑573‑2672) and mention code Recycling4.
  • *Offer good for PECO residential electric customers only. You must own the appliances, and they must be in working condition. Refrigerators/freezers must be between 10 to 30 cubic feet in size, empty and defrosted. Room A/C unit must be picked up at the same time. Appliances must be within one flight of stairs with clear, safe access. Limit two appliances per year, per account holder. Pickup truck not permitted to enter driveways. Offer valid 4/1/17–12/31/17.


Join Plant Ambler, the volunteer group that plants and maintains the nearly 100 sidewalk planters in Ambler through the spring and summer. 
  • In the coming months they will be planting begonias (May 20th) and then canna lilies. In the fall they put greens in all the planters for the winter months. If anyone is interested in joining the group or just volunteering to do some watering from time to time, it would be most welcome and allow them to continue this beautification effort.  You don't have to live in Ambler to join. Call Judy at 215-646-8309 or contact the president, Hilary Heckman, at 215-219-6553.

Grow These Native Plants So Your Backyard Birds Can Feast
  • Birds and native plants are made for each other. By cultivating the right plants you can attract specific species to your yard. Here's a quick guide on selecting the native plants that common backyard birds depend on. Read more

Supercharge Your Soil for Spring!
  • Soil that's in top-notch condition is the secret behind successful harvests, and now's the time to prime your soil for the coming growing season. In this short video, Mother Earth News demonstrates five simple yet highly effective ways to improve your soil to give your crops the best possible start this spring.

Concerned about the lack of PA Electronics Recycling Programs????
  • Although PA state law requires electronics manufacturers to offer recycling opportunities for TVs and computers, those manufacturers are no longer sponsoring county recycling collections in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Concern about the lack of disposal options for TV's and computers should be directed to the appropriate State Representative and Senator. An amendment to the state electronics recycling law, called the Covered Device Recycling Act, is needed to ensure the availability of recycling outlets. For an overview of the Covered Device Recycling Act please click here.   See Electronics links for drop-offs of computers, televisions and commercial vendors.
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Donate unwanted househld items with GiveBackBox.com
  • Donating items to Goodwill couldn't get any easier!  Via the Give Back Box program, you reuse empty shipping boxes by filling them with clothes, accessories and other items you want to donate.  Then you go to GiveBackBox.com to print a free shipping label. The box can be dropped off at the post office or UPS or picked up.  Donations go to the closest Goodwill participating in the Give Back Box program.


Philadelphia keeps stormwater out of sewers to protect rivers
Montco Starts Its Bike-Rental Program at Two Park Locations
Systemic Pesticides and Food Health
  • Instead of being sprayed on a growing crop, "systemic pesticides are absorbed into the plant’s tissue, usually via the roots. They are highly water soluble, which means that a plant simply drinks up the pesticide-laden water, and the chemical is transported through the plant’s vascular system. If a bug attempts to nibble any part of this plant, it will soon die.Some pesticides are now being applied to seeds, here by growing in the food we eat."  Read about this in Eartheasy's article.  

Tip from the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Authority:  Manage your Stormwater at Home
  • Consider installing a rain barrel or rain garden at your home to be part of the stormwater solution! Rain gardens and barrels help to filter, evaporate or re-use stormwater to prevent flash flooding in urban and suburban areas with high impervious cover. Keep your stormwater out of the storm drain and use it on your land instead.

EWG'S SEAFOOD CALCULATOR
  • Eat healthy fish and shellfish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. EWG's Best Bets are also from sustainable sources.  Use EWG’s Seafood Calculator to get your custom seafood list – based on your age weight, gender, age and more.


Tip from the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Authority: Protect & Restore Natural Stream Buffers
  • Stream buffers are the trees, shrubs and vegetation that line a stream, and they are the Wissahickon Creek’s last defense in slowing down and filtering stormwater that flows to the creek. Make sure stream buffers are intact and healthy by letting them grow naturally.

Tip from the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Authority: Grow a More Natural Lawn and Garden
  • Native plants are adapted to local conditions and often don’t require extra watering, fertilizers, or pesticides to thrive. Take advantage of local flora by consulting the WVWA and reduce or eliminate your pesticides and fertilizer use. Think about replacing part, or all, of your lawn with a natural meadow or rain garden for a native landscape that the local birds and butterflies will thank you for. 

Tip from the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Authority: Be Aware of the Storm Drains
  • Anything that washes into storm drains during a rain event flows directly to the Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries without being filtered! This water, known as stormwater, brings everything that is happening on the land into the creek during rain events including litter, pet waste, detergent from washing your car, household chemicals, and yard clippings or leaves. These are easily swept into the Wissahickon, increasing bacteria, debris, and algae blooms from increased nutrients in the Creek. Help the Wissahickon by composting yard clippings, washing your car at a car wash, always picking up after your pets, carrying out everything you bring into parks, and disposing of used car oil and household cleaners properly.  Read the entire Currents magazine here.

Resource: iRecycle
  • FIND LOCAL RECYCLING FAST.  iRecycle can tell you how, where and when to recycle just about anything. Using your current location, ZIP code, address or city, get access to vital details for collection points, such as website, phone number, directions, hours of operation and other materials collected.  iPhone/apple device- click here.  Android device- click here. 

Med-Return Box Available at Whitpain Township Building.  Keep prescription medications out of landfills and water supplies.

  • This Med-Return Unit is a secure box that has been installed in the Police Department lobby. This box will allow anyone to dispose of unwanted drugs at their convenience. There are certain restrictions as to what can be placed in the return box. Use the Med-Return box but please observe these guidelines.
  • Accepted Items: * Prescription Medication, * Prescription Patches, * Prescription Ointment, * Over-The-Counter Medications, * Samples, * Medications for Pets
  • Not Accepted: * Needles, * Hydrogen Peroxide, * Inhalers , * Aerosol Cans, * Medications from businesses or clinics, * Ointments, lotions, liquids, * Thermometers