ReEnergize Program

The goal of ReEnergize Pittsburgh was to increase the demand for energy efficiency services in Allegheny County. Starting in 2011, the ReEnergize Pgh program consisted of both a Coalition of service and utility providers and government agencies addressing policy issues and programming directly in communities. 2014-2015 Energy Efficiency Outreach Ambassador Program  The 2014-2015 ReEnergize Pgh Ambassador Program took place in four communities, Hazelwood, Homewood, Millvale and Uptown. With a team of three ambassadors in each community serving as outreach coordinators, educators, and…

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ReFuel Program

ReFuel PGH was a program of GTECH that focused on a waste-to-energy solution that aimed to reduce air and water pollution and help fuel local economies by recycling waste cooking oil into a cleaner burning fuel. In 2010, ReFuel PGH in partnership with Give Energy and Whole Foods, installed their first oil drop-off bin outside the Whole Foods Market in East Liberty. The second one was installed in partnership with Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) during the fall of…

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ReClaim Northside Ambassadors ’13

GTECH hosts its first set of ReClaim Ambassadors on the Northside. Developing a program that has the following goals: 1. Engage, equip and empower 10-13 Northside residents 2. Reclaim up to 13 places in the Northside utilizing a range of green strategies 3. Maximize investments leveraged by aligning with relevant funding streams Recruitment: GTECH staff applied a multi-level approach to outreach and recruitment for the ReClaim Northside program. Both Councilmen Lavelle and Harris’ offices were contacted and encouraged to suggest…

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Hill District Vacant Property Strategy

Completed in 2011, the Greater Hill District Master Plan featured two main components: Program Initiatives and Urban Design Proposals. The Program Initiatives presented policies and programs designed to fulfill community goals. The Urban Design Proposals presented projects to improve the physical environment and to leverage development. During the planning process, community members discussed numerous topics to address in the Master Plan, including the issue of vacant property in the neighborhood. As a result, the completed plan includes a program initiative…

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T1i Block Cluster Plan

Operation Better Block created a learning lab for parcel-level application of state law enabled tools for vacant property redevelopment. The initial learning lab concept paper, completed by Irene McLaughlin, J.D., projected a 3-year time frame. This learning lab represents a collaboration between McLaughlin and OBB to analyze OBB-derived parcel-level property and resident data to determine the most appropriate legal tools to apply to individual parcels. The target area for the first learning lab is referred to as T1i. Though the…

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Green Toolbox

The Hilltop Alliance Green ToolBox was completed in partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to offer guidance to communities that are interested in developing a comprehensive approach to greening strategies, with guidance on costs, timing, and prioritization to help make sure efforts are doable, sensible and affordable. The ToolBox provides a structure for gathering data, analyzing the information, soliciting and processing input from a variety of stakeholders and developing a plan of action tailored to specific communities. The ToolBox document…

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Millvale Rain Garden

Stormwater management in Pittsburgh is a complicated and widespread problem. In building a city, even one as picturesque as Pittsburgh, people have created a lot of hard surfaces: roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. These surfaces do nothing to absorb water when it rains. During a heavy rain event, the accumulated water from these surfaces heads straight to the closest storm drain. If overwhelmed by a heavy rain or storm, our deteriorating storm water system can lead to sewage overflow in…

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