GTECHer in Germany: Day 2 Posted on October 14, 2014 by Grounded Strategies This week, our Director of Operations and Programming is in Germany! Follow Evaine on a wonderful learning opportunity and journey this week. DAY 2: 4 Modes of Transportation 9:00A: Hamburg's Director of the Department of Land Use Planning, Susanne Metz, and Head of Housing, Matthias Kock, spent an engaging two hours giving us some context on the population and planning work that is being done in the city. We are learning about the Green Net plan which looks at…Read More
GTECH’er in Germany: Day 1 Posted on October 13, 2014 by Grounded Strategies This week, our Director of Operations and Programming is in Germany! Follow Evaine on a wonderful learning opportunity and journey this week. This week, I have the privilege of joining a Case Study Trip to Hamburg, Germany; a Cities in Transition (CIT) initiative organized by the Urban and Regional Policy Program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and financially supported by the Kresge Foundation. The goal of this trip is to foster exchange and networking among policymakers and…Read More
Welcome Ambassadors Posted on October 10, 2014 by Grounded Strategies This week, GTECH welcomes 37 new ambassadors into our family through the ReClaim McKeesport, ReClaim Northside and ReEnergize Pittsburgh programs. ReClaim McKeesport ReClaim Mckeesport is GTECH's first-ever vacant land Ambassador program held outside of the city. These 11 residents are excited and ready to start reclaiming vacant lots in their neighborhoods. ReClaim Northside This is our third year working in the Northside neighborhoods. The ReClaim Northside Ambassadors are eager to learn how to transform some of the Northside's 5400 vacant lots into…Read More
Thank You for Attending Wet Hoptober Fest! Posted on October 10, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Cheers and thanks to all who came out and supported GTECH at the 2nd annual (sold out!) Wet Hoptober Fest. Together we raised nearly $4500 that will go towards reclaiming some of the 27,000 vacant lots in the City of Pittsburgh. PHOTOS FROM WET HOPTOBER In case you missed the event, here are a few of our favorite pictures and a few words from attendees. All photos are courtesy of East End Studios. If you'd like a full-resolution copy, please email Sara. …Read More
10 Reasons Why Pittsburgh Beer Lovers Should Go To Wet Hoptober Posted on October 2, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Here are 10 good reasons to attend Wet Hoptober Fest as told through memes. This original post appeared on beer-centric blog, Penny, Pints, Pittsburgh and is reposted with permission. 1. The hops were grown on a vacant lot in Garfield that GTECH turned into a hop oasis… Photo Credits- http://drafthouse.com/movies/the_sound_of_music_mothers_day_brunch_feast/austin 2. The wet hops were lovingly picked by real Pittsburghers’ hands… Photo Credits- www.eastendbrewing.com 3. East End Brewing Co. is supplying the beer…enough said there Photo Credits- http://frabz.com/2psi 4. Scott Smith and…Read More
Community Lens: Being an Ambassador Posted on August 28, 2014 by Grounded Strategies What it is like being a ReEnergize Ambassador Community Lens is a blog series that invites past GTECH partners to share their own experience work with us. This week former ReEnergize Ambassador, Ellie Gordon, shares with you what it was like being an Ambassador. I was at the Kingsley Center attending a community meeting about environmental and community initiatives when I heard a presentation about ReEnergize Pittsburgh by Zaheen, the awesome Program Coordinator at GTECH Strategies. As an ardent environmentalist…Read More
Two Wheels Lots of Greens – A Success! Posted on August 26, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Thank You, You Keep Us Rolling Thank you to everyone who rode their bikes or attended our pop-up community party in Larimer for Two Wheels Lots of Green. Help us make the event even better next year and take our survey. The Results With your help we raised over $3600 for our vacant land projects. We couldn't have done it without you! The Photos Check out all of these good looking bike riders and event attendees. Photos by East…Read More
On Air with McKeesport-based Tube City Online Posted on August 25, 2014 by Grounded Strategies James Snow, GTECH project manager, and A.J. Tedesco, Director of Community Development for McKeesport, spoke on-air with Jason Togyer of Tube City Online's new program, "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" about our upcoming launch of the ReClaim McKeesport Ambassador Program. This is the first GTECH program focused on vacant land outside the City of Pittsburgh, illustrating that this is an issue in other parts of Allegheny County. James talked about how GTECH uses vacant lots to bring a community together. The ultimate goal of…Read More
Get to Know…Rhonda Sears Posted on August 22, 2014 by Grounded Strategies An Interview with a ReEnergize Pittsburgh Ambassador, Rhonda Sears [one_third padding="5px 10px 5px 5px"][/one_third] Rhonda Sears is an active member of her community in Homewood. As a member of the first ReEnergize Pittsburgh program group, she defines what it means to be a community Ambassador in the energy efficiency field . During her time as an Ambassador, she organized a 60-person energy saving workshop with Larimer's ReEnergize Ambassador, handed out more than 115 bags of energy-efficiency tools door-to-door, and talked to 340 of her neighbors…Read More
Vote for Vacant Land Project Posted on July 29, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Want to share another idea - post in the comments.Read More
GTECHer Spotlight: Linda Piso Posted on July 29, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Get to know...Linda Piso [one_half padding="15px 15px 0 0"][/one_half] [one_half_last] Hometown: Pittsburgh - Knoxville neighborhood Favorite burrito: If there was a chocolate burrito, that'd be her favorite Favorite Activity: Walking slowly, but fast enough to finish the half-marathon before the yellow bus gets her! [/one_half_last] About two years ago, Linda Piso noticed that the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Knoxville was growing a very small garden in a very small patch of grass by their back exit. She got talking to some…Read More
Bike Tour of Urban Green Space for Bike Fest Pittsburgh 2014 Posted on July 10, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Tickets are on Sale for the Two Wheels Lots of Green for Bike Fest Pittsburgh 2014. This year you'll see some well-established projects that got a facelift and a few projects will be making their 2WLG debut. We will be biking through the East End, climbing up to the Hilltop, rolling down to the Northside and pedaling to Millvale. Check out photos from last year. The price of your ticket includes insurance, light breakfast, the tour, snacks along the way,…Read More