Volunteer Opportunity: Two Wheels Lots of Green Posted on July 17, 2015 by wpengine Bikers needed to help lead a ride through Northside neighborhoods Our 4th annual project showcase and fundraiser Two Wheels Lots of Green is happening August 22nd, and we need a few good volunteers to help make it the best that it can be! If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form below. Once your responses have been submitted we will contact you with more information about your role and logistics for the day. Thank you for…Read More
CEOs for Cities workshop in Pittsburgh Posted on July 5, 2015 by wpengine Little Bets + Positive Deviants = Social Capital An equation for innovation Most problems don’t have an easy answer. Most greatness isn’t achieved without considerable adversity. Even our most basic needs requires significant care and attention – just ask my 10-day-old son. In this spirit, most cities aren’t organic bastions of fairness, health, access and opportunity. This reality was presented front and center at the recent CEOs For Cities workshop in Pittsburgh with a stark confrontation that the more innovative –…Read More
11 Pittsburgh-based grad students are mapping what the Northside has to offer Posted on July 1, 2015 by wpengine Have you heard of these spots in the Northside? This summer I am one of a group of local graduate students that will be working on an asset identification project in the Northside. We are currently in our fifth week of exploration and research, and I would like to share a few of my favorite places while trekking the Northside's 18 neighborhoods. Neukirche is an art center in East Deutschtown that is community focused and works to make art accessible to everyone. Their Fallow…Read More
GTECH Featured on WPXI Posted on June 29, 2015 by Grounded Strategies This past Friday, GTECH was featured on the Proud to be from Pittsburgh segment on local Pittsburgh news station WPXI-TV. Watch the full video below. ReClaim Northside Ambassador Nicole speaking with WPXI's Peggy Finnegan Today is the last day to donate to Nicole's ioby campaign. Give now! Read More
Meet Hank – The ReClaim McKeesport Superhero Posted on June 24, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Meet Hank. He is McKeesport's resident superhero. His superpower - helping fight blight alongside his neighbors. Here he is, taking a well deserved rest after a long evening of work on Shari's site. I met Hank for the first time last September at the McKeesport Dunkin Donuts. He came in for a quick interview and talked about his vision for a vacant lot near his home – a little park, in memory of his wife, with a volleyball court for his…Read More
Community-driven design isn’t just for adults Posted on June 22, 2015 by wpengine The first Green Playces design is complete and will be installed near the Propel Northside school in the Pittsburgh's Perry South neighborhood. How do you take a vacant lot and turn it into a creative outdoor classroom? Step 1: Ask the Kids For starters, we asked a group of third graders, "what would you do with this?": These kids dream big, and we ended up with some pretty amazing ideas, like a giant pool party or even a ninja garden. Step 2: Make it real…Read More
ReEnergize Pgh Finds a New Home Posted on June 19, 2015 by Grounded Strategies ReEnergize Pgh finds a new home with Conservation Consultants, Inc. In the fall of 2012, GTECH along with partnerships from local foundations (such as The Heinz Endowments and The Pittsburgh Foundation), the Allegheny County Executive's Office, national nonprofit Green For All, as well as dozens of other local agencies representing the spectrum of energy efficiency, launched ReEnergize Pgh. The goal of the cohort is to reduce home energy waste, increase demand for services and establish new standards for linking and aligning existing services. Since the launch, GTECH has convened…Read More
ReEnergize Pgh Ambassadors Graduate Posted on June 17, 2015 by Grounded Strategies The 2014 - 2015 ReEnergize Pittsburgh Ambassadors, the implementors of the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge, celebrated their accomplishments on Tuesday, June 15 at the Millvale Community Library. Congratulations Ambassadors!Read More
6 Vacant Land Projects that Need Your Help NOW! Posted on June 12, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Check out these 6 grassroots crowdfunding projects that are making the Pittsburgh area even better place to live. 1. Ayanna Lee-Davis– The Perry Hilltop Beautification Garden Ayanna wants people enter her neighborhood and not see an ugly vacant lot, but a beautiful community gathering space in her Perry Hilltop neighborhood. “It’s an eyesore of open space that says, ‘Where am I?' I thought it would be a good place for something beautiful.” Help Ayanna ReClaim Pittsburgh >> 2. Dana Jackson– The…Read More
Homewood Community Uses LocalData to Map Vacancy Posted on June 11, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Operation Better Block, Inc. (OBB) has been a Pittsburgh LocalData Collaborative member since May 2014. Demi Kolke, the Community Development Coordinator at OBB, tells the story of how her organization used LocalData to help with their community planning efforts. Operation Better Block, Inc.’s resident-driven vacant property remediation has at its core the following goals: gather accurate and current parcel information, build relationships with residents by linking them to services, and address neighborhood-wide issues. Through this, we were able to advance…Read More
Health Impact Assessment of the Healthy Homes Incentive Program Posted on June 5, 2015 by Grounded Strategies What is a Health Impact Assessment? A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides recommendations to communities about how they can remain healthy, much like a doctor advises patients. According the the Center for Disease Control (CDC) a full workup for a community includes the following: Screening (identifying plans, projects or policies for which an HIA would be useful), Scoping (identifying which health effects to consider), Assessing risks and benefits (identifying which people may be affected and how they may be affected),…Read More
Neighborhood vs Neighborhood Energy Efficiency Challenge Winners! Posted on June 3, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Drumroll please..... After a lot of math, and verification by multiple team members, it's with great pleasure that we announce Millvale as the community winner of the ReEnergize Pgh Energy Efficiency Challenge! Together, the participants of the competition in Millvale saved over 8% in gas-use as compared to last year! WOW! Participants helped prevent 8 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere - that is the CO2 equivalency of 6 acres of forest. Stay tuned for information about what Millvale residents…Read More