OMAHA - 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 - is partnering 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.

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.

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 will go 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.

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, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design.

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.