The #BLKSHP Do Pittsburgh. Posted on May 11, 2015 by Grounded Strategies The BLKSHP ("black sheep") visited Pittsburgh on May 4, 2015. The BLKSHP are a group of "misfits" who are currently on a cross-country bus trip around America. They are visiting towns that are home former urban industrial powerhouses (like Pittsburgh!), massive cornfields, revitalized communities and everything in between. The have one goal– to re-discover America's "True North" through conversation and interactions with other positive deviants and mavericks in the fields of education, the economy, and culture and civic society. Check out a…Read More
Rediscovering America’s True North Posted on April 23, 2015 by wpengine The BLK SHP (black sheep) believe that, America’s institutions, be it capitalism itself, political and media institutions, as well as industries, are suffering from an extreme lack of leadership. We feel that American citizens deserve better and can offer more. Founded by Peter Sims, the BLK SHP is a loose guild of America’s leading creative thinkers, writers, policy makers, artists, and social entrepreneurs looking to support and disseminate cutting-edge thought leadership. This spring the BLK SHP are embarking on a bus tour to build relationships with…Read More
3 Must See GTECH Events in May Posted on April 23, 2015 by wpengine It is a busy, busy spring here at GTECH. We have 3 events during the month of May that we think you might like. Check them out on GTECH's event calendar by clicking the links below. ReClaim the Route MAY 3 @ 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Free As a part of an annual partnership with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, GTECH and community partners work to activate one of the hundreds of vacant lots that line the marathon route. This…Read More
There are lots (and lots) of vacant lots to love in Pittsburgh Posted on April 22, 2015 by Grounded Strategies A New Tool Aims to Help Communities Reclaim Vacant lots throughout the Pittsburgh region. In honor of Earth Day, GTECH, along with the Greenspace Alliance and the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning are launching lotstolove.org – a brand-new website that is the starting point for communities and resident to reclaim vacant lots in their neighborhoods. Here are few of the features of the website: an interactive map of vacant land in Allegheny County that is populated from…Read More
Pittsburgh, We Need Your Cans for Marathon Day! Posted on April 17, 2015 by Grounded Strategies For a one-of-a-kind event for Pittsburgh Marathon Day! For the past few years GTECH has partnered with the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon to activate a vacant lot along the marathon route in Homewood. This year the vacant lot is along Frankstown Ave. Clean Up Day - April 24 GTECH, along with 50 other Fed EX Ground employees, will clean up the space and plant a community garden with Operation Better Block in Homewood. Race Day - May 3 On race day, Canstruction…Read More
GTECH Celebrates 8 Years. Posted on April 16, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Happy Birthday to Us. GTECH Strategies turns 8 and we finally got was our first-ever, beautifully designed annual report! We have one thing to say to you for our birthday – Thank you. Thank you to the communities that engaged us in taking action where action was possible. Thank you to the residents of those communities as well as the 36 Ambassadors from 2014 an 2015 for dedicating their time towards making positive change. Thank you to our partners who made projects…Read More
3 Upcoming (FREE) Social Enterprise events in Pittsburgh Posted on April 15, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Get to know Social Enterprise in Pittsburgh at these upcoming events. Spring isn't the only thing in the air. Pittsburgh is playing host to a handful of social enterprise and impact themed events coming up in the next few weeks. Here are a few that are on our radar: (BONUS - they're all FREE!) Tuesday, April 21 // Purpose and Profit: Supporting Social Enterprise in Our Region 3-5PM @ the Thrill Mill Presented by Next Philanthropy, Grantmakers of Western PA, Pittsburgh Social…Read More
Pittsburgh, help us test Lots to Love Posted on April 9, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Lots to Love – a brand-new website that helps citizens and communities track and reclaim vacant land in their neighborhoods – needs users to try out the site during its beta launch. [bctt tweet="Help @GTECHStrategies test out the new #lots2love website. #ReClaimPGH https://groundedpgh.org/?p=6338 " via="no"] GTECH invites residents of Allegheny county to test out this community tool by clicking on the button below and answering the survey questions. Feedback will be gathered up until the public launch on April 22. Read More
4 Ways to Get Your Hands Dirty for Earth Day Posted on April 8, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22, which means there will be plenty of festivities happening around the City of Pittsburgh to celebrate all things green. Although we love a good party, we also think it's important to remember that you can have a big impact with a small gesture, like volunteering for an organization's clean up day . Here are a few suggestions of great, green organizations that need your help cleaning, greening and beautifying Pittsburgh for Earth Day: 1. Clean up…Read More
Inspiration to Action Breakfast Posted on March 16, 2015 by Grounded Strategies What do you talk about over breakfast when you have some of Pittsburgh's most predominate local food advocates, policy makers, grant makers, and health and university officials in the same room with Growing Power's Will Allen? Dirt. Well not dirt exactly, but nutritionally dense soil. This was the topic of conversation this morning at the Hill House's Kaufmann Center, when representatives from Grow Pittsburgh, Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, Just Harvest, Chatham University, the City of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Health Department and other neighborhood-based organization,…Read More
Vacancy in my Community, McKeesport Library Neighborhood Posted on March 11, 2015 by Grounded Strategies Shari Holland, ReClaim McKeesport Ambassador “A garden should make you feel you've entered privileged space -- a place not just set apart but reverberant -- and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.” - Michael Pollan I love many things… poetry, gardens, beauty, community building and diversity, just to name a few. Being a transplant to Pittsburgh, I also love…Read More
Lunch & Learn with ACHD Posted on March 9, 2015 by Grounded Strategies On Friday, March 6th the ACHD Healthy Homes & Lead Program taught GTECH staff and ReEnergize Pgh Ambassadors the ins and outs of their program over a brown bag lunch session. Richard Paul, the Public Health Educator and Jeff O'Brien, the Program Manager walked us through the relationship between home health and and the health of those who live in them. The ACHD Healthy Homes & Lead Program covers a variety of home health and safety issues, provides home assessments as well as education on…Read More