ReClaim Halloween Posted on October 28, 2016 by wpengine My earliest memory is of my neighbor popping out of his front door in a full pumpkin costume when I was trick-or-treating with my parents. I don’t know if there’s a causal link here, but Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. And, sort of relatedly, my favorite color is orange (which, if we believe this study, is one of the rarest favorite colors). I’ve always looked forward to having a house with a yard that I could decorate like…Read More
Opening Green Playces: McKeesport Posted on October 27, 2016 by wpengine Last week in partnership with Trinity Church of God in Christ and Youth CAST, we successfully opened our fourth Green Playce! Every Green Playce is unique, and Green Playces: McKeesport in no exception. The City of McKeesport has a rich history and our Green Playces Team wanted to honor the tradition of ingenuity as well as the connection to steel. According to Tube City Online, "In 1872, the National Tube Works Company was founded to make steel and iron pipes…Read More
Welcome Tom! An Interview with GTECH’s Newest PULSE Fellow Posted on October 21, 2016 by wpengine This month, the GTECH family gained another member. We are proud to welcome Tom Mulholland to the GTECH team. Tom is a participant in PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience) an organization that places talented university graduates with partners at Pittsburgh nonprofits in order to develop the next generation of servant leaders in our city. Between conducting outreach for the Blight Bootcamp Conference and revamping the Lots to Love website, Tom has been pretty busy in his first few weeks. Luckily, we were able to…Read More
The Elephant in the Room Posted on October 19, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This post has been authored by Tacumba Turner, GTECH's newest Project Coordinator! Remembering the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference : “The Elephant in the room” By Tacumba Turner During the three day Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference I got the chance to observe an array of innovative strategies that have been implemented in recent years across the country. In reflecting on what was my first time attending the conference, there was one break-out session in particular that resonated with me. The topic was…Read More
“Growth” v. Growth – Remembering the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, 2016 Posted on October 11, 2016 by wpengine GTECH stands for Growth Through Energy and Community Health. It goes without saying that we think growth is important. But we should clarify what we mean by growth, because not all growth is positive. In fact, when growth becomes synonymous with success and excludes other metrics, it can be downright detrimental. At the Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference (Baltimore, September 28-30), Congressman Dan Kildee referred to this phenomenon by insisting that we live in “a culture based entirely on the conflation…Read More
What’s in a name? Posted on October 10, 2016 by Grounded Strategies This blog was authored by GTECH Project Associate Kate Hancock. Email Kate at [email protected]. The basics of SuROI Sustainable Return On Investment social + environmental = SuROI You may be familiar with the term “ROI” or “return on investment” (a measure of the amount of return on an investment relative to the investment’s cost) but have you heard of SuROI? Sustainable return on investment, or SuROI for short, measures -- you got it -- the sustainable return on an investment.…Read More
Build places people will love Posted on October 7, 2016 by Grounded Strategies Kaid Benfield, author of the new book, People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities, and one of the the "most influential people in sustainable planning and development" (Partnership for Sustainable Communities), came to Pittsburgh to tell us about ways that we can make cities healthier. Here are 4 of my favorites: It's not just about 'cities' Kaid stressed the importance of thinking bigger - and smaller - than cities. Regions are the way we live. Neighborhoods are where we encounter our environment…Read More
Blight Bootcamp T-Shirt Raffle Posted on October 3, 2016 by [email protected] Blight is like a bad, stinking and torn t-shirt. It’s a pain to look at. It costs you in money and close social relationships, as well as attracting unwanted trouble. But, while blight takes the right knowledge, resources, attitude and ability to combat, replacing that shirt is easy! All you need to do is register now for our Blight Bootcamp Conference, taking place in Hazelwood on October 7-8th, and you will be entered into a raffle for a free…Read More
Opening Green Playces: Hilltop Posted on September 30, 2016 by wpengine Last week in partnership with The Brashear Association's Allentown Learning and Engagement Center, we successfully opened our third Green Playce! Every Green Playce is unique, and Green Playces: Hilltop is no exception. Nestled between two buildings, the site included a strip of pavement and a overgrown sloped hillside. We started to help design the Playce about six months ago, based on the input from the kids in ALEC's after school program. Their ideas for the space included pizza shops, roller coasters, and…Read More
10 Years & 10 Reasons for 10 Gallons of Apples Posted on September 26, 2016 by wpengine Got Apples? We need 'em! We need help from you - our amazing GTECH community! As we approach our 10 year anniversary, we are busy planning how to expand the reach and impact of our programming, continue to work with communities across Allegheny County to shape how land is used for shared benefit, and of course celebrate this important milestone. But also, for our 10 year celebration, A Few Bad Apples has offered to create a special anniversary edition GTECH cider ----…Read More
What Fun We Had! Posted on September 22, 2016 by Grounded Strategies GTECH's 2016 Fall Fundraiser was a success! Thanks to all who attended Entrepreneurial Spirits 2016 on September 17th. We had a phenomenal time - and hope you did too. We shared highlights from our 2016 programming - including Green Playces, Lots to Love, and ReClaim Ambassadors. We highlighted some awesome work being done by our friends and partners - Barley & Bines, Grassroots Green Homes, and the URA LandCare Program We learned about some innovative, delicious endeavors - A Few…Read More
4 Steps to Get your Garden Ready for Fall! Posted on September 14, 2016 by wpengine As much as we don't want to admit it, summer is coming to a close. But, that does not mean that you gardening needs to come to a screeching halt, there is still plenty to do before winter arrives! Whether you fancy flowers, vegetables, or both, the principles are the same! Below, I have outlined some important fall tasks to ensure that you garden doesn't stop when summer ends. If you haven't already, start a compost pile! There are many benefits…Read More