Intern Goodbye!

This post was written by our Alcoa Foundation summer interns on their last day. We're so lucky to have had them this summer! Yes, there were casualties -- we regret to report that paint got on kids’ shoes, shirts, and shorts. Other than those few incidents (which the kids probably view not as incidents, but as moments of sheer joy), "Learn, Climb, and Grow in Wilkinsburg" at the Green Playce at the Hosanna House went very well. In some ways…

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The 5 types of bikers who should check out Two Wheels Lots of Green

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!  This year’s guided bike tour features unique greenspaces, including gardens, games, colorful trailheads, outdoor classrooms designed by youth, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and an historic incline site turned into a greenway, and more. Whether you know South Pittsburgh well, or have had little interaction with the neighborhood, we’re confident you’ll…

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Drake Can’t Do This…But You Can

This post was written by Max, one of our summer interns! Stay tuned for more updates about his experience. To contact Max, email him at interns@gtechstrategies.org with “Max” in the subject line.   When the deeply emotional rapping (and singing) sensation Drake was intensely contemplating whether to include Pittsburgh in his Summer Sixteen tour, he asked ONE question. “Would I be able to view the reclamation efforts in Pittsburgh that turn vacant lots into community assets such as gardens, parklets,…

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Sign up for the 2016 Two Wheels Lots of Green Bike Tour!

We are so excited to be hosting the Two Wheels Lots of Green (2WLOG) bike tour coming August 20th, 2016! We have been working hard with our partners in the Hilltop and will be offering a wide variety of projects to feature on the tour. In case you are not familiar with 2WLOG, it is a guided bike tour designed to connect residents to (and, let's be honest, show off!) GTECH’s vacant lot reclamation projects. This year, we are showcasing projects ranging…

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Building Connections in Wilkinsburg

This post was written by Max, one of our summer interns! Stay tuned for more updates about his experience. To contact Max, email him at interns@gtechstrategies.org with "Max" in the subject line.  My time at GTECH has been terrific. I’ve learned a lot and have been exposed to new and exciting experiences, like getting poison sumac on my third day on the job. However, what I am most thrilled by is the fresh and creative thinking I am surrounded by and I get…

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19 Reasons You Should Help Us Plan A Northside Trail System This Week

Imagine an urban trail system that connected Northside residents and visitors to all that the Northside has to offer....   We're honored and delighted to be working with One Northside on initial planning efforts for an urban trail system in the Northside. Since January, we've been conducting some foundational planning work such as benchmarking of other successful urban trail systems, presenting the concept at community meetings, identifying potential funding sources, and developing draft routes which maximize neighborhood and asset connectivity. Now…

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Educational Opportunities and Events Around Green Playces

Along with the flowers, trees, and shrubs, GTECH's projects start to bloom in the spring. Our staff members are stir-crazy from the long winter and our projects are starting to heat up! This year our Green Playces initiative has four sites to design and build out at the Hilltop, Wilkinsburg, McKeesport, and the Hill District. Along with building out the sites with the help of volunteers, GTECH is exploring how our partnerships can expand into additional events and educational opportunities. This past week we…

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Community Benefit in Vacant Lot Maintenance

RSVP here! GTECH is partnering with UrbanKind Institute (Dr. Jamil Bey), Fourth Economy Consulting, Pitt’s University Center on Social Urban Research (UCSUR), A. Phillip Randolph Institute, City Source Associaties, KRJ Contracting, Landforce, the Hilltop Men’s Group, and YouthPlaces to help redesign the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) vacant land maintenance process. While the URA only owns less than 10% of the publicly owned vacant land in Pittsburgh, we want your input to help ensure more awareness, transparency, and ultimately community benefit. To begin…

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“Leap” Into Volunteering With GTECH In 2016!

2016 is a leap year, which means there will be 366 days this year instead of the ordinary 365. The Egyptians were the first to come up with the idea of adding a leap day once every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the solar year. Later, the Romans adopted this solution for their calendar, and they became the first to designate February 29 as the leap day. Fast forward a few thousand years and this means you…

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Recap of TedxPittsburgh: GTECH Takeover

TEDxPittsburgh is a platform for showcasing the ideas, individuals and innovations that are redefining the Steel City. Pittsburgh is best known for the steel forged on the banks of its three rivers, bridges and a blue-collar work ethic that has come to define our region. However our industrial past has left a unique legacy problem of nearly 27,000 vacant lots that perpetuate social, economic and environmental liabilities, such as increased crime, dropping property values, and toxic soil conditions that negatively…

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GTECH wins the Green Workplace Challenge!

We didn't just participate in the Green Workplace Challenge, we WON the Green Workplace Challenge. (And we have the trophies to prove it!) Green Workplace Challenge 2015 Results: Small Nonprofit Category Winner: GTECH –722 points Top Commuter Footprint Reducer: GTECH Strategies - 9.4% Reduction In case you missed the announcement - GTECH was the winner of the Small Nonprofit Category AND the Top Commuter Footprint Reducer of the 2015 Green Workplace Challenge (GWC)! You may remember the GWC from our September post,…

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Little Bets on #GivingTuesday

The power of Giving Tuesday really hit me during a conversation with Peter Sims during the CEO’s for Cities Cluster Workshop in Pittsburgh about the Innovative and Inclusive City. Peter Sims – keynote speaker at CEO for Cities and author of Little Bets – reminded me that breakthrough innovation that catalyzes positive change isn’t derived from singular, top-down, game-changing institutions; they come about through small, tangible, incremental iterations of ideas. Even more so, Sims pointed out that true cultural shifts…

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