Prof urges 'greening' of U. City

Students ready and willing to get their hands a little dirty for the community's benefit listened attentively Tuesday evening as Engineering Professor Jorge Santiago spoke about a project involving a University initiative to "green" West Philadelphia. Santiago -- who is also the King's Court/English House faculty master and specializes in electrical engineering -- urged students meeting at the Civic House to help the community by planting 2,500 donated flowers in University City on Saturday, October 24, as part of Penn's UC Green program. The project calls for an organized group of students to survey and plant flowers in the neighborhood. Santiago explained that he believes that the greenery of West Philadelphia is desperately in need of repair. "It's the effort of the University and other institutions to establish connections with West Philadelphia," Santiago said. Since the areas bordering the University campus are occupied mostly by students, the project hopes to attract off-campus residents who want to beautify their own streets and neighborhoods. The "greening" of West Philadelphia is an attempt to create a village community, Santiago explained. Santiago also spoke about UC Green's predecessor, UC Brite, a project involving the installation of 2,500 street lamps in West Philadelphia. This current horticultural project is aimed at achieving UC Brite's same success -- transforming the area surrounding campus West Philly into a clean, lively and more vibrant place. The "greening" is expected to take place as soon as Saturday, October 24, to avoid the cold weather. Students interested in the project are urged to contact Civic House. This project resembles the KC/EH orientation activity, Santiago said. The "Into the Streets" community project several weeks ago allowed the house to adopt a street so about 60 students could prune trees, pull weeds and groom plants. The positive transformation seen is hoped to extend with this new endeavor. "Penn is really urban and people forget the little things," College senior Rebecca Richards said. "This really makes a difference by bringing a human, communal element to the school." Santiago's speech was part of a series of informal meetings which will take place at Civic House throughout the semester. The house plans to invite other professors and representatives seeking community involvement to speak. Santiago, 53, joked, "If you like to bend your knees and get dirty, this is something you should do." Admitting he has little knowledge of gardening, he said he plans to learn how to garden with fellow students who will volunteer. Students seemed excited about the upcoming event Santiago described. "As fortunate as we are, we have an obligation to give something back and help the area around us," College freshman Marc Siegel said. "It's great to see one of our professors so involved, trying to help the community around him to become a better place."

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