Blog

Blog

All About the Sun!

This week, many of us got a chance to view (through safe viewing glasses, we hope!) a solar eclipse. This rare absence of daytime light as the Moon passes over the Sun brought renewed attention to the star that always shines at the center of our solar system. On average, light travels from the sun to Earth in about 8 minutes and 19 seconds. That means that the light coming from the Sun right now probably won’t even make it…

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Goodbye Summer Interns!

This summer we were lucky enough to have 2 summer interns. When most people think of internships, they think about runnings errands and other small tasks around the office. While we did have the interns work through some office tasks, the majority of their work had them onsite transforming vacant lots, creating art boards, and helping start new programs. We feel it is instrumental to have youth onboard, especially working with our Green Playces Initiative. Our internal research and experience…

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Meet our new GTECH GSI Neighborhood Liaisons

As we complete our GTECH Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) project in the Woods Run/O-27 sewershed on Pittsburgh's Northside, we are beginning the process in our next sewershed: the Negley Run/A-42 sewershed in the East End. As we did on the Northside, the first order of business for our GTECH GSI process was to hire neighborhood liaisons to represent the communities that make up this high-priority sewershed; Homewood, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, East Hills, and East Liberty. These liaisons will serve as GTECH's front…

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So Long For Now

Over the past five years, I have walked through the door here at GTECH approximately 1,300 times. This Friday will be the last time I do so. I am leaving the organization to become the Manager of Corporate Relations at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, an opportunity with a long-standing partner of GTECH that I couldn't pass up. While I am so excited about this next chapter, I will miss everything and everyone here at GTECH. There wasn't a day that…

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Green Spaces as Nature’s Medicine

Today's blog is by GTECH's Policy & Research Intern, Lilli Kashef Hamadani. Over the past two years, GTECH has been working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to maintain vacant lots in Pittsburgh by contracting small business and nonprofits through the LandCare Program. Programs such as LandCare have been popping up all over the nation, and have been found to be largely beneficial to the residents, participants, and the city itself. Since programs like these impact thousands of residents nationally…

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Trees with Meaning

How a ReClaim Clairton Ambassador is adding a personal touch to the Montour Trail Meet Sue, one of the ReClaim Clairton Ambassadors participating in the 2016-2017 cohort. Sue loves her home in Clairton and was excited to have an opportunity to give back. Our partnership with Sue began last fall when GTECH was recruiting for the Ambassador Cohort. During her interview, we immediately appreciated Sue's passion for Clairton. She has a bubbly and outgoing personality with an infectious excitement for the…

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Meet Tom, GTECH Intern

We are excited to welcome Tom to our team this summer as a GTECH Intern. Tom will be a junior at Winchester Thurston in the fall. He loves hands-on projects and will be assisting during work days this summer. Learn more about Tom below: My name is Sifan Tao, and people usually call me Tom. I am really excited to start my summer internship at GTECH. When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved labor skills classes. In those class,…

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Juneteenth, The Forgotten Holiday

Juneteenth, a holiday overlooked by the masses even though it is recognized in many of the United States and worldwide, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in America. The significance of this holiday is one that hits the very heart of the African American population. Slavery was officially ended January 1, 1863 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, but it took a little more than two years for the word to spread to the entire…

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Volunteer Day with FedEx Ground

On Friday, June 2, we kicked off our second demonstration project for the GTECH Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GTECH GSI) initiative in the high-priority O-27 sewershed. The goal of the demonstration projects for GTECH GSI is to capture stormwater before it reaches our overworked combined sewer system, while also providing a welcoming green space that meets community needs. For this particular project, we are partnering with Riverview Manor, a senior living facility in the Brighton Heights neighborhood of the Northside. The…

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In the Zone

How lovely. Vibrant colors, unique shapes, and the urban landscape all coming together to form a beautifully intricate design. But no, the imaginative image seen here is not an artist's rendition of Pittsburgh from above. Rather, it is a snapshot of Pittsburgh's Zoning Map: a legal document establishing how land inside the City boundaries can be used. In this masterpiece, each color represents not a feeling or emotion, but a distinct element of urban existence. Cities are buzzing hubs of activity…

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Get to Know Lilli

My name is Lilli Kashef Hamadani, and I am excited to begin my summer internship here at GTECH. I am most recently from Southern California but describe myself as being from nowhere due to constant moving. Throughout my life, I always had a strong pull towards the outdoors and all the creatures that came with it (this ranged from horses to dolphins to snails). This interest has driven me throughout my undergraduate degree at San Francisco State, where I majored…

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PGH Mobile Toolbox Summer Update

The PGH Mobile Toolbox is 2 months old! We are so pleased with how well the resource has been rolling. To date, the trailer has accompanied 14 workdays, servicing over 120 volunteers, in 11 different communities. To celebrate this accomplishment, I have gathered a few of my favorite images from some of the workdays to highlight the great work being done in Pittsburgh and it's surrounding communities. Brookline Community Garden                 Forest Hills…

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