The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) has chosen Greensgrow as the winner of the 2011 Excellence Award in the category of Sustainable Business of the Year.

This is the most esteemed honor bestowed on small businesses in the Greater Philadelphia region.

“[The] winners’ inspirational stories and successes reflect the promise and energy of our entrepreneurial culture. We are proud to turn the spotlight on the perseverance, diversity and economic impact of our region’s small business community.” said Chamber President & CEO Rob Wonderling.

See the list of winners in  other categories on the Chamber's website.

I'd like to share a story with you, since this month marks the one-year anniversary of the pilot filming of "Growing a Greener World," my new public television show.

Concrete ambitions: Built on a brownfield, Greensgrow Farm wants to feed its immediate neighbors in Kensington

Mary Seton Corboy's newest Community-Supported Agriculture program was, as she put it, "born out of frustration."

She'd built a thriving farm and nursery, with a successful multi-farm CSA, at Greensgrow Farm in Philly's gritty Kensington neighborhood, but she wanted to see more of the low-income and working class residents who live nearby eating the products of her hard-won farming success.

Yet it just wasn't happening.

As Dorothy said to Toto in the Wizard of Oz, “We’re not in Kansas any more.”

Mary Seton Corboy looks like an intellectual and a farmer collided, wearing soiled covered clothing, thick-rimmed glasses, and blessed with the gift of a permanent tan. She keeps her agenda and checks her email with a Blackberry, hands out business cards, and makes sure the farm is up to date with social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter. The 51 year-old is charming with a twist of ironic wit and unsuspected strength for a petite, soft-spoken woman. She is a revolutionary, community activist, and an inventor. Mary Seton Corboy is an urban farmer.