Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Charlie Goodwin Chair of the Board of Directors Grounded Strategies Email: [email protected]   Grounded Strategies Appoints Kelly Henderson as New Executive Director Pittsburgh, PA – March 26, 2024 – Grounded Strategies, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the social, economic, and environmental health of distressed and transitional communities by building capacity to reclaim vacant and underutilized land, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Henderson as its new Executive Director. Henderson brings a wealth…

An amendment to the Municipal Claims and Tax Lien Law now allows Pittsburgh and other organizations to take control of privately-owned, blighted properties. Becca Simon, director of programming at Grounded Strategies, tells us how she hopes the amendment expedites the process for residents to take over vacant, abandoned property, and ultimately build generational wealth. (14:28 - 22:30)

Join New Voices for Reproductive Justice for our inaugural Black Women Green Future™ Awards on Thursday, November 11, 7:00-8:00PM EST sponsored by The Heinz Endowments. This celebration will honor 25 incredible Black women from across the country who are fighting for Environmental, Reproductive, Racial, and Gender Justice in their communities. During the Virtual Awards Ceremony, we will honor each leader individually and their collective work to advance Environmental Justice and to end environmental racism. Registration through Eventbrite will give you…

Environmental Justice: Building Just and Sustainable Communities Presenters: Alyssa Lyon, Ariam Ford Sustainability is the balance of equity, environment, and economics so current and future generations can thrive. To build just and sustainable communities in our region current systemic, cross-generational, and sector-specific environmental issues to be addressed. Across the U.S. and in Pittsburgh, systemic and institutional racism is evident in the environmental injustices faced daily by BIPOC communities. This session will start with a land acknowledgment recognizing and respecting Native Nations…

Dismantling Oppressive Systems: Building Just Communities July 26-29, 2021 The aim of the 2021 Diversity Forum, “Dismantling Oppressive Systems: Building Just Communities,” is to engage and equip participants with the knowledge, skills and resources to identify sources of systemic oppression, consider strategies for dismantling that oppression, and actions critical in fostering more equitable and just communities in which we live, work and learn. Watch Here: Ariam's Segment begins at minute 20! Featured Speakers Anthony Ray Hinton, who was wrongfully convicted of…

Courtesy of Ariam Ford FIRST PERSON: ARIAM FORD OF GROUNDED STRATEGIES FIGHTS APATHY AROUND RESTORING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE KARA HOLSOPPLEAPRIL 9, 2021 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE This is the third installment of our series, First Person, featuring Black leaders in environmental organizations and advocacy in our region.##Ariam Ford admits she’s a history nerd. It was her major as an undergrad at the University of Virginia, and its lessons give her hope that things can change. “Change is the only constant,” Ford said. And there’s…

ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES, THE SLAW PODCAST, VOLUNTEERING EP. 46 – MEET ARIAM FORD-GRAVER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GROUNDED STRATEGIES Learn more about the local nonprofit that works with communities to revitalize vacant or neglected land throughout Pittsburgh. Published on Tuesday, Sep 22nd, 2020 by STEPHANIE BREA iTunes | Spotify | Direct Download (right-click to download) Meet Ariam Ford-Graver, executive director of Grounded Strategies A city planner with a passion for environmental justice, Ariam Ford-Graver is the executive director of Grounded Strategies, a local nonprofit that uses land as a medium…

PITTSBURGH — As our communities change, many urban areas in the city and county are seeing more vacant lots. But a local nonprofit is giving the neighborhood the tools to make a positive change. From areas overgrown with weeds to trash and grass-covered lots, you can find spaces like these across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The latter has 60,000 vacant lots, with 30,000 in the city. Thousand more lots sit with rundown empty homes or condemned houses. “Just an eyesore, a…

Cars once again lined up for food bank distributions last week and will again Monday, as an economic and food crisis emanates from the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, Pittsburgh City Council members continued discussing visions for growing crops within every city district. One member brought forth a proposal to build an urban farm on “the perfect piece of property” with a community partner that has “passion.” “If we’re serious about growing food, this is where to do it,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill, who represents…