pass the potatoes, please
Do you have an idea for a project, large or small, that could help make Omaha a greener community? Environment Omaha wants to hear from you. If the public supports your idea and it’s deemed feasible by a panel of local experts, it could be put into practice.
Environment Omaha – a partnership of the City of Omaha, the community and Omaha by Design – has partnered with Community ReDesigned to launch www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event that invites anyone interested in Omaha to submit practical, creative and resourceful ideas for improving the sustainability of the city.
“A lot of issues get discussed at the family dinner table while people are passing the potatoes,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “Environment Omaha is all about creating an environmental vision for the future of our city, and we want to take this discussion to dinner tables across Omaha – in homes, at restaurants and wherever people gather for a meal and conversation.”
The virtual town hall event is powered by mindmixer, an innovative web platform developed by Community ReDesigned and designed by What Cheer that allows the public to generate ideas, help others evolve their ideas and ultimately vote and prioritize the best ideas. “It’s a great way to involve greater numbers of citizens in any community planning process at their convenience, from their own home,” said Nick Bowden, partner with Community ReDesigned. “The outcome is no longer tied to the number of people who physically show up at a public meeting.”
www.passthepotatoes.com is seeking project ideas in five areas:
- Preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment
- Improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take
- Improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings
- Conserving natural resources
- Improving Omaha’s overall health
The site went live Thursday, July 15. Users can submit as many ideas as they like and encourage others to support or build on their ideas. The five topic areas will be presented one at a time. Ultimately, the community will identify the best ideas through an online vote. You must be age 14 or older to submit a project idea. The topic schedule for idea submission and voting is as follows:
Preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment
- Submit ideas from July 15 to July 29
- Vote on ideas from July 30 to Aug. 6
Improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take
- Submit ideas from July 30 to Aug. 12
- Vote on ideas from Aug. 13 to Aug. 20
Improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings
- Submit ideas from Aug. 13 to Aug. 26
- Vote on ideas from Aug. 27 to Sept. 3
Conserving natural resources
- Submit ideas from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9
- Vote on ideas from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17
Improving Omaha’s overall health
- Submit ideas from Sept. 10 to Sept. 23
- Vote on ideas from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1
All those who submit ideas to www.passthepotatoes.com will be recognized with community points. The top 50 point recipients will be publicly recognized this fall. A panel of local experts convened by Omaha by Design and the city will review the top ideas generated in each of the five 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,” Spellman said.
For more information about www.passthepotatoes.com, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or Community ReDesigned at 402.553.5485. For more information about mindmixer, visit www.mindmixer.com.