State of the Land Report: March Posted on March 30, 2022 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
State of the Land Report: February Posted on February 25, 2022 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
State of the Land Report: January Posted on January 28, 2022 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
State of the Land Report: December/End of Year Wrap Up Posted on January 4, 2022 by Grounded Strategies 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,…Read More
State of the Land Report: November Posted on November 16, 2021 by Grounded Strategies 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.…Read More
State of the Land Report: October Posted on October 22, 2021 by Rebecca Simon 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…Read More
Hike through Homewood Recap Posted on April 15, 2021 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
Garden Lead Safe in 2021 Posted on February 8, 2021 by Masoud Sayles 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…Read More
Working Radically – It’s More Feasible Than You Think! Posted on December 18, 2020 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
Lisa Freeman: Healing Community through Urban Gardening Posted on November 5, 2020 by Grounded Strategies 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…Read More
Reducing Toxics in the Home Environment: Lead Posted on October 27, 2020 by Masoud Sayles 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…Read More
Black Neighborhoods Matter Posted on June 26, 2020 by Grounded Strategies 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,…Read More