Northside neighborhood trail maps now available! Posted on December 16, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Whether you live in Pittsburgh's Northside or not, it's unlikely that you've been able to explore each and every one of its 18 neighborhoods. Now you can do just that! We have trail maps, fresh off the press, for each of the Northside's neighborhoods. Over the past 2 years we've worked alongside One Northside and Northside residents to map out important community treasures and identify the best routes to explore them. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of assets! Our…Read More
The stress of living with vacant land Posted on November 14, 2016 by Grounded Strategies There are over 45,000 vacant lots in Allegheny County. If you live here, it's likely you see vacant lots near your home or on your route to the grocery store, work, or school. Have you ever thought about how those vacant lots affect you and your neighbors? Does one lot really make a difference? Well, the research says "yes". One lot really does make a difference. The places that we live in are ingrained in us. When a vacant lot disrupts the…Read More
Check out our new site! Posted on November 3, 2016 by Grounded Strategies As you may have noticed, we have a super awesome, newly updated website that was re-designed for us by Pittsburgh-based Imagebox (they're awesome, by the way). We're loving our revamped site. We asked GTECH staff one rainy Thursday what their favorite thing about the new website was. Here's what they said: Sarah - "The Instagram feed!" We've also got a twitter and Facebook feed, and you can see our upcoming events and recent blogs - keep track of all of…Read More
The Elephant in the Room Posted on October 19, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This post has been authored by Tacumba Turner, GTECH's newest Project Coordinator! Remembering the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference : “The Elephant in the room” By Tacumba Turner During the three day Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference I got the chance to observe an array of innovative strategies that have been implemented in recent years across the country. In reflecting on what was my first time attending the conference, there was one break-out session in particular that resonated with me. The topic was…Read More
What’s in a name? Posted on October 10, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This blog was authored by GTECH Project Associate Kate Hancock. Email Kate at [email protected]. The basics of SuROI Sustainable Return On Investment social + environmental = SuROI You may be familiar with the term “ROI” or “return on investment” (a measure of the amount of return on an investment relative to the investment’s cost) but have you heard of SuROI? Sustainable return on investment, or SuROI for short, measures -- you got it -- the sustainable return on an investment.…Read More
Build places people will love Posted on October 7, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Kaid Benfield, author of the new book, People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities, and one of the the "most influential people in sustainable planning and development" (Partnership for Sustainable Communities), came to Pittsburgh to tell us about ways that we can make cities healthier. Here are 4 of my favorites: It's not just about 'cities' Kaid stressed the importance of thinking bigger - and smaller - than cities. Regions are the way we live. Neighborhoods are where we encounter our environment…Read More
What Fun We Had! Posted on September 22, 2016 by Grounded Strategies GTECH's 2016 Fall Fundraiser was a success! Thanks to all who attended Entrepreneurial Spirits 2016 on September 17th. We had a phenomenal time - and hope you did too. We shared highlights from our 2016 programming - including Green Playces, Lots to Love, and ReClaim Ambassadors. We highlighted some awesome work being done by our friends and partners - Barley & Bines, Grassroots Green Homes, and the URA LandCare Program We learned about some innovative, delicious endeavors - A Few…Read More
9 vacant lot projects around the world that inspire us Posted on September 6, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Pittsburgh isn't the only city trying to figure out what to do with its vacant lots and vacant spaces. People around the world have been thinking about this issue in their neighborhoods for decades. We decided to take a virtual trip around the world to check out how other cities are turning forgotten spaces into well-loved places! And... just a heads up... there are a few Pittsburgh examples in here too because, well, we're a little biased! 1. Magic Gardens: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…Read More
GTECH Office Environment Posted on July 8, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This post was written by Marquise, one of our summer interns! Stay tuned for more information about his experience and the projects he is working on. To contact Marquise, email him at [email protected] with Marquise in the subject line. It can be kind of intimidating trying to build relationships with those people you barely know. That intimidation can come from a few things like not being comfortable or not being able to adapt to your new surroundings. When I started…Read More
World Environment Day Posted on June 3, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This year's World Environment Day is on Sunday, June 5th. This year, it's hosted by Angola, with the theme "fight against the illegal trade in wildlife" Sure, that sounds great, you might be thinking, but we don't have lions or elephants here to protect. How is this stuff related to me? But World Environment Day is more than celebrities imploring you to stop buying ivory. At its core, World Environment Day is about realizing nature's beautiful bounty and making sure that…Read More
Circle Economy Follow Up Posted on May 23, 2016 by Grounded Strategies If you need a quick primer on the Circle Economy - check out this video that Andre shared Rethinking progress: the Circular Economy. The circular economy can be applied to help communities minimize waste, maximize value creation, and generate new opportunity for prosperity. -Andre Struker The circular economy is all about closing resource loops, mimicking natural ecosystems in the way we organize our society and businesses. Andre Struker, Strategic Advisor to Amsterdam's water utility Waternet, came to Pittsburgh to share his expertise on how the facility's…Read More
Volunteer 10 minutes to refine routes for the Northside trail Posted on May 20, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Over the past four months, GTECH and One Northside have been working on a plan for a neighborhood trail system that would connect all 18 neighborhoods in Pittsburgh's Northside and show off the amazing destinations in each. Opinion polls done by One Northside showed that Northsiders want safe connections between neighborhoods, and want their side of the city to be known as a hub for arts and culture. Once you get visitors walking around the Northside, it's easy to show…Read More