I am donating 10% of all sales this April to the Arbor Day Foundation!

It is spring in Philadelphia and as the trees start to leaf out and reveal delicate young leaves that will slowly mature throughout the season, photosynthesizing, providing energy, and filtering the air we breathe - I am grounded with a feeling of hope. 


Arbor Day is a secular, international holiday encouraging individuals and groups to plant and care for trees, symbolizing hope for the future and environmental stewardship focusing on planting trees for shade, conservation, and beauty. The first Arbor Day was in 1872 where over 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska! Across the United States, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Take a look into what your local community is doing for Arbor Day, chances are, there are trees that need your help. Look up in your canopy to see how your trees are doing; maybe they need water, removal of ivy, a pruning of dead wood, or maybe just a snip of a zip tie that is restricting growth. There are many little things you can do to help play a part on Arbor Day (and beyond)!

As I spend more time outside enjoying the benefits of nature, I realize that the wild is hard to find. With its industrial history, Philadelphia (like many cities in our country) was cut and ripped apart to accommodate our needs as humans. Over a hundred years later, that huge carved out section of rock that made way for factories and railroads remains. In the cracks, sediment and water have collected to sprout plants and vegetation that have grown over the scars of our past. At first, these spaces seem lush and green; but a closer look reveals monocultures of invasive plants that occupy the distressed landscape where the mighty oaks, beaches and hemlocks once called home.

It's not all doom and gloom

In fact, it is bright, sunny, and full of birds, crunching leaves, trickling water and it is waiting to be found by you. I myself am challenged at the diverging ideas I live my life by: woodworker by trade, nature lover by heart. This is a complicated time we live in, often difficult, frustrating, and feeling powerless. To quiet my mind and empower my being, I spend time in nature, specifically in one of the many pocket parks of Philadelphia. Philly has many of these forgotten spaces left alone after the city's development, too awkward a space for a lot or too steep to build a home - abandon. Boone Park is a space in my neck of the woods of Manayunk where the park continues to play a huge part in my personal growth. It is the place I go to make a positive impact on this crazy world we live in. Picking up litter, discarded bottles, diapers, shopping carts, strollers, tires, car batteries - you name it, I have probably dug it out of Boone Park.

Despite years of neglect, this place hosts many volunteers such as myself who devote their energy towards revitalizing the space. Combating invasive plants and replacing them with native species, cleaning up litter and hosting community events. This kind of work doesn’t just happen automatically, it is done by dedicated people in my community. Park staff? Not in this neck of the woods - of the 570+ parks and 150+ recreation centers, the city of Philadelphia has about 700 staff managing these spaces. Because of this, the city leans hard on us volunteers!

This brings me to Arbor Day!

I need your help! Last fall, I planted 20 native trees that I nursed from seedlings in the park. What felt like a huge accomplishment is only a scratch on the surface. This is why I am inspired to reach out to my community - all of you who support and admire my work through Untitled_Co. I call on you for support, to help continue my journey as a creative maker in this modern world of mass production. Help little ol’ me combat climate change by support my values to sustain a brighter future. Please consider making a purchase to help my commitment.

With an open heart,
Cody

flowers from a Serviceberry I planted last fall