Hidden Greenways

Hidden Greenways is a hands-on conservation and horticultural project conceived in response to the growing public enthusiasm around Pittsburgh’s pedestrian infrastructure. For the Common Ground Collaborative project, a subset of the broader Hidden Greenways initiative, two organizations Allegheny Cleanways and Landforce will focus the environmental education and stewardship program on neighborhood school students over the course of three years. The two organizations will maintain selected staircases and then share the lessons of how this helps the environment. 

Garden Club of Allegheny County volunteers will identify sets of steps that are particularly in need of attention. They will participate as volunteers during step clean-up days to gather accumulated trash around the steps and will offer input as needed to the two collaborating organization teams on selection and installation of native plants.

Allegheny CleanWays’s mission is to "engage and empower people to eliminate illegal dumping and littering in Allegheny County." Over the years, ACW has been instrumental in engaging and partnering with community groups to remove more than 5.4 million pounds of debris. Each year hundreds of volunteers work with them to remove trash from the landscape to improve community health and vitality. 

Landforce (LF) is a social enterprise nonprofit established in 2016, providing opportunities for people who have been excluded from the workforce (individuals returning from incarceration, with substance use disorders, mental health diagnoses, who are homeless,and others) as they move towards economic mobility. They combine workforce development training with environmental stewardship employment and transitional support to new employment. Crew members gain valuable employment experience, work on overcoming barriers to success, identify career interests, and build a pathway to their own futures, finishing the program with a comprehensive array of soft skills and hands-on work experiences.