Getting to Green: Spring & Summer Highlights + What’s Ahead For Fall!

This spring and summer, Getting to Green deepened its commitment to connecting Philadelphia communities with green space and public transit through creative tools, hands-on learning, and public engagement. With new maps and mapping tools, educational workshops, and upcoming public art installations, the project continues to expand its reach, increasing access and building transit confidence across the city.

Mapping Tools for Navigation and Access

In early spring, work on developing an interactive digital map began in partnership with Pam-Pam, providing residents with a user-friendly way to find transit routes and nearby green spaces. In tandem, lead artist Shira Walinsky designed pocket-sized “mini-maps,” adapted from a large fold-out map and a new Northeast Philly/Delaware River map highlighting routes to parks in Northeast Philadelphia and along the Delaware River. These are still distributed by SEPTA and at community events. Together, these tools expand access options and serve as practical guides for everyday navigation.

Community Workshops: Transit, Art & Exploration

Workshops held throughout the spring and summer brought together community members to explore public transit through creative learning and real-world practice. Partner organizations included the IHM Center for Literacy, the Tacony LAB, and the Migrant Education Program.

Participants used Getting to Green maps to plan routes, practice riding buses, and identify green spaces throughout the city. Sessions included art activities, group discussions, and video storytelling to foster deeper connections between transit, place, and community.

One highlight of the season was a ride from Tacony LAB to Glen Foerd, which combined transit exploration with a cyanotype art-making activity inspired by the landscape. This hands-on approach helped participants connect creative practice with navigation skills and environmental awareness.

Watch a video produced by Getting to Green lead artist Laura Deutch featuring a Tacony LAB transit experience to Pleasant Hill Park.

Raising Public Awareness

The spring/summer season included several notable events:

• Getting to Green artwork and project materials were unveiled at Jefferson Station during an Earth Day celebration with SEPTA’s Office of Sustainability. The installation remains on view, bringing ongoing visibility in a major transit hub.
• “Mini-maps” and information were shared at the Friends of the Wissahickon “Leave No Trace” community event.
• A feature in the June issue of Grid Magazine highlighted the project’s impact and helped introduce it to new audiences.

Coming Soon: Bus Shelter Art Series & Bus Stop Shelter Video Stories

A new series of bus shelter art installations will launch this fall, bringing transit-themed public artwork to neighborhoods across Philadelphia. From September 15 to October 15, Getting to Green will debut a series of public art installations in bus shelters across Northeast Philadelphia, University City, and Center City—areas that reflect the program’s educational and geographic focus. These installations will reflect themes of mobility, environmental awareness, and local identity—turning everyday transit stops into spaces for reflection and connection.

The Bus Shelter Art series coincides with Mural Arts Month, offering an opportunity to celebrate community identity, green space access, and transit visibility through creative expression. The shelter art installations will also serve as backdrops for short interviews with riders, capturing their experiences and adding new content to the ongoing Bus Stop Shelter Stories series. Learn more on Getting to Green Instagram.

Looking Ahead

As fall approaches, Getting to Green will continue to build partnerships with organizations like the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Center for Literacy, Tacony Lab, and Migrant Education, who have been key in engaging immigrant communities and historically underserved neighborhoods. As the project continues into the fall, Getting to Green will deepen collaborations and broaden creative approaches to transit education and green space access, enhancing public engagement while supporting transit confidence, environmental awareness, and access for all Philadelphians.

Read this story by SEPTA about the project.