pass the potatoes: it’s time to vote
July 29, 2010
OMAHA – Transforming foreclosed or vacant commercial properties into urban farmscapes. Instituting a citywide campaign to reduce the use of chemicals in lawn maintenance. Introducing the prairie aesthetic into public parks and properties.
These ideas and many more like them have been posted to www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event sponsored by Environment Omaha. The site is seeking ideas from the public on how to create a greener city in five topic areas. Since the site launched July 15, thoughtful ideas on the first topic – preserving and enhancing the city’s natural environment – have been submitted. Now it’s time to vote on those ideas.
To review all the ideas submitted, go to www.passthepotatoes.com and click on the “Natural Environment” topic. You must have an account to participate in the voting process. If you’re new to the site and haven’t yet created an account, which is free, go to “sign up” and fill out the form.
Votes can be cast in one of four categories:
- Love it! (+3 points)
- Like it. (+2 points)
- Okay. (+1 points)
- Don’t like it. (-1 point)
All those who submit ideas to www.passthepotatoes.com are awarded community points based on the votes their idea gets. The top 50 point recipients will be publicly recognized this fall.
Then, a panel of local experts convened by Omaha by Design and the city will review the top ideas generated in each of the five topic areas for potential implementation. Pending available funding, the goal is to be able to implement one citizen-inspired project in Omaha within the next calendar year, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design.
The voting period for the Natural Environment topic runs from July 30 to Aug. 6.
Also on July 30, the idea submission period for the next topic – urban form and transportation – opens and runs through Aug. 13. “This topic is all about generating ideas on improving how we move around the city and what shape its future growth should take,” Spellman said. The voting period for this topic will begin Aug. 13.
For more information about www.passthepotatoes.com, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.
Environment Omaha – a partnership of the City of Omaha, the community and Omaha by Design – is a policy development initiative under way that’s creating a new environmental vision for the city. Omaha by Design serves as the project manager. For more information, visit www.environmentomaha.com.