I, Justin Thakar, will be going down to the Kingsley Association (http://maps.google.co...) on Wednesday night at 5:30pm to connect with residents and leaders at the Urban Green Growth Collaborative meeting and make sure I understand what opportunities already exist in the Larimer/East Liberty/Homewood.

Description of the UGGC: Although much green development is taking place in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, there is little to no participation from residents of urban communities, especially those at risk of long-term unemployment, academic underachievement, and chronic poverty. The Urban Green Growth Collaborative (UGGC) was established to empower inner city residents by engaging them in green, hands-on development activities.

Some activities associated with the UGGC:

Redd Up--neighborhood pick-up efforts: http://www.pittsburgh...

Green Up--combating blight and vacant lots: http://www.pittsburgh...

Larimer Green Team--urban gardens and greening projects (some context but not all relevant info here): http://gtechstrategie...

Larimer Youth Advisory Council--working with kids in the area and addressing the risks and opportunities they face.

Why this is worth it in the broader context of TTPGH: I want these on-the-ground relationship-building activities for me and my friends who are from relatively privileged backgrounds yet who believe local resilience-building is a way to take an active role in determining our communities' collective futures, not giving up on a world that works well for us--using the name-established Transition as a replicable blueprint with associated documentation, explanation, and educational resources, for anyone interested in doing the same for their community.