Blog

Blog

State of the Land Report: March

Welcome to the State of the Land Report! March 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!  Lots of Wildflowers - Meadow St, Larimer Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by…

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State of the Land Report: February

Welcome to the State of the Land Report! February 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!  Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the…

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State of the Land Report: January

Welcome to the State of the Land Report! January 2022 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an…

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State of the Land Report: December/End of Year Wrap Up

Welcome to the End of The Year State of the Land Report! December 2021 The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!  Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably,…

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State of the Land Report: November

Welcome to the November State of the Land Report! The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!  Advocacy Network Thank you for subscribing to our advocacy network, if you have not already done so please subscribe here.We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an anti-racist framework.…

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State of the Land Report: October

Welcome to the October State of the Land Report! The State of the Land Report is our new monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh! In this report we will share with you everything you need to know about policy updates, new legislation in the works, land access strategies, facts about vacant land, need to knows about maintenance of City-owned vacant lots…

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Hike through Homewood Recap

Recap as told by: Philip Lawson         On the second week of March this year, Grounded Strategies partnered with Venture Outdoors for an event entitled “Snow Trek: A Winter Hike through Homewood.” With the help of several Homewood stewards and community partners, we had the chance to iterate an oral history of the Homewood-Brushton neighborhood, highlight a few standout institutions, and “get up close and personal” with a handful of well-stewarded community spaces. The event was a…

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Garden Lead Safe in 2021

While we're currently at the tail-end of winter, many folks I know are eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring. Perhaps none more-so than gardeners. These faithful Earth-tenders gain motivation from various places, but the majority of folks engaging in this 'hobby' (or way of life if you prefer) do so for the satisfaction of literally being able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, as with most things, context is critical. Our soils bear the burden of historically high…

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Working Radically – It’s More Feasible Than You Think!

Every year, Grounded has the honor of hosting a graduate student from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work in the Community, Organization, and Social Action Specialization. While this year has looked much different than in previous years, we have had the pleasure of adding Philip Lawson to our team. Check out his reflection from his first semester at Grounded! Thank you, Philip, for the love, care, and attention that you bring to our work! Reflection On My First Semester…

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Lisa Freeman: Healing Community through Urban Gardening

Who is Lisa Freeman? A “badass social worker” of 35+ years.  Founder and CEO of the Manchester Growing Together Farm. Founder and Proprietor of the Freeman Family Farm. “Unbought and unbossed,” just like her hero, Shirley Chisolm.  Lisa is a soldier for the people at heart. “Everything I say is what I mean. If I said it, I’mma stand up to it.” “I’m not a friend of politicians because I call them out, I look for ways to be on…

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Reducing Toxics in the Home Environment: Lead

The last week in October (25th-31st, 2020) is National Lead Poisoning Prevention week! During this time, there's a great deal of focus on reducing the threat of lead hazards in our environment. As you may know, lead is a naturally occurring chemical element that exists at low levels in a variety of earth materials. It is also a potent neurotoxin with negative impacts on a variety of systems within the body: in fact, there is no level of lead that…

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Black Neighborhoods Matter

 Black Neighborhoods Matter Connecting Community Health, Vacant Land, and Racial Justice  We are experiencing a watershed moment in our country’s history. In the wake of a global pandemic, expanding financial insecurities, and continued police brutality and homicides, Black, Brown, and allied communities are rallying to demand constructive change within government and our institutions. Across the country, communities are crying #DefundPolice -- a critique of the abnormal sums of money cities and states invest in policing and surveillance, while other systems,…

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