The 5 types of bikers who should check out Two Wheels Lots of Green Posted on August 19, 2015 by Grounded Strategies 1. The Explorer Maybe we’re biased, but exploring Pittsburgh by bike is the best and most fun way to see the city. If you agree, this ride is for you! You’re sure to notice new Pittsburgh-based gardens, shops, murals, buildings and other beauty on this year’s Two Wheels Lots of Green bike cruise as we weave through historic Northside neighborhoods. Whether you know the Northside well, or have had little interaction with it, we’re confident you’ll stumble on a hidden…Read More
Event – The 4th Annual Two Wheels Lots of Green Bike Tour is August 22. Posted on August 10, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Pittsburgh Nonprofit Hosts Event Combining Biking and Community Development in Conjunction with Bike PGH’s Bike Fest PITTSBURGH–GTECH’s fourth annual fundraising bike tour and post-ride celebration will be held Saturday, August 22, 2015 starting at 2PM at the Wigle Whiskey Barrelhouse at 1055 Spring Garden Ave. The day will kick off with a bike tour highlighting GTECH’s vacant land reclamation sites and other resident-driven community projects throughout the Northside’s 18 neighborhoods. The bike tour is followed by an after event at…Read More
7 (Free) Things You Can Recycle & Reuse to Spruce up a Vacant Lot Posted on July 24, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Landscaping a vacant lot can be expensive. Below you will find a 7 different types of free or almost free materials that our Ambassadors used to beautify there vacant lot project. From Craigslist finds to items bound for the landfill, these pieces now serve a productive community purpose and didn't break the bank. 1. Landscaping rocks Perusing the "free" and "lawn & garden" sections of Craigslist, Alandra & April found some GIANT rocks that someone was getting rid of. They want to use as…Read More
Homewood Residents Young and Old Give Input on the Next Green Playce Posted on July 23, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Homewood Bible Center hosted an input session for community stakeholders. On July 13, GTECH partnered with the staff at the Homewood Bible Center to host a community input session where residents (yes, even those as young as 4!) had the opportunity to share their ideas for their Green Playce project being installed this fall. Overall kids, teens and adults decided they want to see colorful and educational installations. In addition they'd like to see benches and other spaces that encourage gathering.…Read More
GTECH Featured on WPXI Posted on June 29, 2015 by Grounded Strategies This past Friday, GTECH was featured on the Proud to be from Pittsburgh segment on local Pittsburgh news station WPXI-TV. Watch the full video below. ReClaim Northside Ambassador Nicole speaking with WPXI's Peggy Finnegan Today is the last day to donate to Nicole's ioby campaign. Give now! Read More
Meet Hank – The ReClaim McKeesport Superhero Posted on June 24, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Meet Hank. He is McKeesport's resident superhero. His superpower - helping fight blight alongside his neighbors. Here he is, taking a well deserved rest after a long evening of work on Shari's site. I met Hank for the first time last September at the McKeesport Dunkin Donuts. He came in for a quick interview and talked about his vision for a vacant lot near his home – a little park, in memory of his wife, with a volleyball court for his…Read More
ReEnergize Pgh Finds a New Home Posted on June 19, 2015 by Grounded Strategies ReEnergize Pgh finds a new home with Conservation Consultants, Inc. In the fall of 2012, GTECH along with partnerships from local foundations (such as The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation), the Allegheny County Executive's Office, national nonprofit Green For All, as well as dozens of other local agencies representing the spectrum of energy efficiency, launched ReEnergize Pgh. The goal of the cohort is to reduce home energy waste, increase demand for services and establish new standards for linking and aligning existing services. Since the launch, GTECH has convened…Read More
ReEnergize Pgh Ambassadors Graduate Posted on June 17, 2015 by Grounded Strategies The 2014 - 2015 ReEnergize Pittsburgh Ambassadors, the implementors of the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge, celebrated their accomplishments on Tuesday, June 15 at the Millvale Community Library. Congratulations Ambassadors!Read More
6 Vacant Land Projects that Need Your Help NOW! Posted on June 12, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Check out these 6 grassroots crowdfunding projects that are making the Pittsburgh area even better place to live. 1. Ayanna Lee-Davis– The Perry Hilltop Beautification Garden Ayanna wants people enter her neighborhood and not see an ugly vacant lot, but a beautiful community gathering space in her Perry Hilltop neighborhood. “It’s an eyesore of open space that says, ‘Where am I?' I thought it would be a good place for something beautiful.” Help Ayanna ReClaim Pittsburgh >> 2. Dana Jackson– The…Read More
Homewood Community Uses LocalData to Map Vacancy Posted on June 11, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Operation Better Block, Inc. (OBB) has been a Pittsburgh LocalData Collaborative member since May 2014. Demi Kolke, the Community Development Coordinator at OBB, tells the story of how her organization used LocalData to help with their community planning efforts. Operation Better Block, Inc.’s resident-driven vacant property remediation has at its core the following goals: gather accurate and current parcel information, build relationships with residents by linking them to services, and address neighborhood-wide issues. Through this, we were able to advance…Read More
Health Impact Assessment of the Healthy Homes Incentive Program Posted on June 5, 2015 by Grounded Strategies What is a Health Impact Assessment? A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides recommendations to communities about how they can remain healthy, much like a doctor advises patients. According the the Center for Disease Control (CDC) a full workup for a community includes the following: Screening (identifying plans, projects or policies for which an HIA would be useful), Scoping (identifying which health effects to consider), Assessing risks and benefits (identifying which people may be affected and how they may be affected),…Read More
Neighborhood vs Neighborhood Energy Efficiency Challenge Winners! Posted on June 3, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Drumroll please..... After a lot of math, and verification by multiple team members, it's with great pleasure that we announce Millvale as the community winner of the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge! Together, the participants of the competition in Millvale saved over 8% in gas-use as compared to last year! WOW! Participants helped prevent 8 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere - that is the CO2 equivalency of 6 acres of forest. Stay tuned for information about what Millvale residents…Read More