GTECHer in Germany: Day 3 Posted on October 15, 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 3: Hamburg's Youth The journey continues! Today we talked with some of the most passionate people I have every met. We spent the morning with the Director of the Land Youth Office from the Ministry of Labor, Family and Integration as well as a consultant who is working with them. They reviewed the policies and directives which guide the…Read More
5 Reasons We Are Working in McKeesport Posted on September 5, 2014 by wpengine ReClaiming Vacant Lots in McKeesport: 5 Reasons Why We are There. This fall, 10 McKeesport residents have the opportunity to clean and green vacant lots in their neighborhood. This is GTECH Strategies’ first vacant land Ambassador program outside of the City of Pittsburgh. In honor of that, James Snow, the project manager for ReClaim McKeesport, gives you his top five reasons why we chose to work with the City of Mckeesport to create new community green spaces. 1. The…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
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
GTECHer Spotlight: Albert Pantone Posted on June 27, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Get to know...Albert Pantone [one_half][/one_half] [one_half_last] Hometown: Pittsburgh - Sharpsburg neighborhood Alma Mater: The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Favorite Activity: Watching and reading classic science fiction Favorite Burrito Topping: Verde tomatillo sauce and black beans! Current GTECH Project: Knots on Lots [/one_half_last] Albert has always been up for an adventure. Growing up in Sharpsburg, only a few miles from the Guyasuta boy scout camp, he spent his days hiking in all sorts of weather, discovering new wildlife, and splashing in the river. Eventually this…Read More
In the Hilltop Community – Vacant Lots Come to Life Posted on May 13, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Last Wednesday, the ReClaim South Ambassadors shared their designs for the transformation of 10 vacant lots in the Hilltop neighborhoods with friends, family, local organizations and government officials at the Hardware Store in Allentown. "I came into this program to do good work in my community." Melanie, ReClaim South Ambassador: Mt. Washington There designs included everything from community gardens to a life-sized checkerboard, from little libraries at bus stops to one big garden for the Knoxville Library. "It is…Read More
Smart(er) Days: Climate Change – Taking it to the Streets. Posted on May 9, 2014 by wpengine Day 2: Amsterdam & The German Marshall Fund Fun Fact: Amsterdam has a land mass of 64 square miles and around 800,000 people live here. Pittsburgh is around 55 square miles with around 310,000 people. (20% of Amsterdam’s Municipality is water - 4 % of Pittsburgh). Take away: 3x more people live a place the same size as Pittsburgh! (we like math.) *As a result, density, alternative transportation, intentional green space, smart policy and a thriving urban landscape is prolific. Amsterdam has focused around…Read More
Building Art from Trash in Homewood. Posted on May 7, 2014 by Grounded Strategies It was a cloudy, drizzly, predawn Sunday morning when the ReClaim team arrived on a vacant parcel located on the corner of Frankstown Avenue and North Lang,which adjoins the Marathon route. While nearly 30,000 individuals lined up Downtown to start their 26.2 mile trek to the finish line, we prepared for a marathon of reuse - using found, donated, and recycled materials from Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse and the streets of Homewood to build a collage with the neighborhood of Homewood.…Read More
Smart(er) Days in Amsterdam: Day 1.0 Posted on May 7, 2014 by wpengine ...building community awareness and climate literacy feels like a constant practice that transcends nationalities. - Andrew Butcher Thanks to the German Marshall Fund, I find myself amidst the city of canals, bustling bikeways, and light rail in the land of windmills and wooden clogs. The goal is to evaluate Amsterdam's and the Netherlands' sustainable energy, climate policy and smart city goals* with a delegation from Charlotte, North Carolina; Torino, Italy; and, of course, Pittsburgh. My partner from The Burgh is none…Read More
Knotweed: The Invasive Species Posted on April 28, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Just like human communities, ecosystems are stronger when they are more diverse. Invasive plants are those that threaten the diversity of an ecosystem by upping competition for habitat and making life more difficult for other species. So, you may be wondering, "What's your point, and how does it relate to GTECH?". Enter Pittsburgh's vacant lots - all 27,000 of them. Vacant lots are an ideal habitat for invasive plants. When a house is demolished, the soil where that house sat lays…Read More
GTECHer Spotlight: Bethany Bloise Posted on April 18, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Get to know...Bethany Bloise [one_half] [/one_half] [one_half_last] Role at GTECH: Marketing and Communications Intern (for a few more hours) New Job: Community Outreach Specialist at the Mon Valley Initiative Hometown: Pittsburgh Alma Mater: West Virginia University Favorite Animal: Groundhog (see picture for proof) Favorite Burrito Topping: Refried Beans [/one_half_last] What I love about GTECH's approach to finding solutions to issues in the community is that they do it by empowering the community members to step up and take action themselves.…Read More
Marathon Junk Collage Posted on April 10, 2014 by Grounded Strategies We Want Your Junk! For the second year in a row, GTECH is partnering with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon and Operation Better Block to green-up a vacant lot around the route. On the day of the Marathon, GTECH, Operation Better Block’s Junior Green Corps and the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse will set up a space adjacent to Homewood’s water station at North Lang Avenue and Frankstown Road. With your help, we will be collecting “junk” to be incorporated…Read More