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
Green Playces Curriculum Posted on April 22, 2016 by Grounded Strategies The Green Playces team has been working with our fantastic partners at Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time (APOST) to design a series of lesson plans that can be used at any of our Green Playces sites throughout Allegheny County. Covering topics from Native Plants to Repurposed Spaces to Stormwater, these lesson plans are custom-designed by a local teacher for our sites. Each lesson is designed to take place over an hour, and is ideal for middle-school aged kids.…Read More
Celebrating Homewood and the Pittsburgh Marathon Posted on April 19, 2016 by wpengine Last Thursday marked the kick off to the series of events in Homewood that celebrate the community and the Pittsburgh Marathon! Over 100 community members attended the Fuel Up community dinner. They enjoyed delicious food, fun games, and live music, making the event a great success! Residents and volunteers enjoying the Fuel Up Photo Booth! The room was filled with residents for the Fuel Up Dinner! We are now looking forward to the Redd Up community clean up event taking…Read More
Explore 23 maps that showcase Northside treasures Posted on September 24, 2015 by wpengine Treasure mapping in a quest to build community resources This summer, we had the pleasure of working with 11 student researchers from Chatham, CMU and Penn State to map assets throughout the 18 Northside neighborhoods as part of the One Northside Asset Inventory and Mapping (Northside AIM) project. We aimed to: Engage the community to find as many resident-identified assets as possible Map gems in every one of the 18 Northside neighborhoods Encourage and support student talent and creativity Package…Read More
412Build cohort unveils Homewood-based projects, shares life lessons Posted on August 31, 2015 by Grounded Strategies A mere five weeks ago, local high school students began the 412 Build program – a unique internship that fuses elements of STEAM education, entrepreneurialism, play and community development. On Friday, these proud students unveiled their built additions and shared their personal takeaways. In partnership with the Homewood Bible Center the youth engaged the community, designed kid-centric elements to enhance the Homewood-based playground. Features designed, built and installed by the 412Build cohort The evening kicked off with a passionate Homewood resident taking the…Read More
What’s in that bag? Caulk! Posted on February 25, 2015 by Grounded Strategies What’s in that bag? With the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge swinging into full gear, here’s an insider’s look at what participants are working with. Every household that signs up to be a part of the competition receives a ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency kit! Our Ambassadors have been hard at work getting these out into their neighborhoods, and encouraging their neighbors to utilize them. So…what makes these kits so great? They are chock full of energy saving goodies! …Read More
What’s in that bag? Weather Stripping! Posted on February 24, 2015 by Grounded Strategies What’s in that bag? With the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge swinging into full gear, here’s an insider’s look at what participants are working with. Every household that signs up to be a part of the competition receives a ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency kit! Our Ambassadors have been hard at work getting these useful tools into the hands of their neighbors. This week, we’ll be taking a look inside the Energy Efficiency kits and discovering what is inside, why, and how you…Read More
What’s in that bag? Posted on February 23, 2015 by Grounded Strategies A closer look at what's in the energy efficiency toolkits. With the ReEnergize Pittsburgh Energy Efficiency Challenge swinging into full gear, here’s an insider’s look at what participants are working with. Every household that signs up to be a part of the competition receives a ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency kit! Our Ambassadors have been hard at work getting these useful tools into the hands of their neighbors. This week, we'll be taking a look inside the Energy Efficiency kits and discovering what…Read More
Community Leaders in McKeesport talk the future of youth Posted on February 20, 2015 by Grounded Strategies On Tuesday night at the Twin Rivers Intermediate School in McKeesport, GTECH hosted a panel discussion about engaging youth in McKeesport. The panel of local leaders who discussed youth engagement as part of the event included the following: Nikita Zook, Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time partnership coordinator Brie Adams, McKeesport Area School District coordinator of educational opportunities Austin Davis, executive assistant to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald Keino Fitzpatrick, Youth CAST — Community and Schools Together — developer Laura Bosnak-Thompson,…Read More
5 Ways to Give Back your Energy This Holiday Posted on December 3, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Here are a few of my favorite ways to give back your energy this Holiday Season: Seal any air leaks If it feels like Jack Frost is blowing at your window, it is time to seal up your windows. Plastic and a little caulk can go a long way for not a lot of money. Anywhere you feel a little air coming into your home means that you’re losing energy! Don’t pay to heat the outside, find these spaces and seal them up.…Read More
Preserving a Piece of Pittsburgh’s Incline History Posted on October 31, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Pittsburgh is the only city in the United States that still has two operational inclines — you know them as the Duquesne and the Monongahela. Back in the heyday of steel milling and coal mining along the three rivers' shores, dozens of inclines connected downtown with the housing on the hills. Not only did they serve as people carriers, they also hauled freight, horses and buggies and, later, cars. One such incline that is no longer in use is the Knoxville…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