Last summer, Mayor Tom Barrett solicited ideas from the community to answer New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s challenge. The winner was Gretchen Mead, the founding director of the Victory Garden Initiative. Mead wants to repurpose the estimated 3,000 vacant lots and 1,000 city-owned buildings as urban agriculture hubs. The idea is to take the existing local agriculture initiative in the city “mainstream,” says Barrett in a promotional video.
That idea was submitted to the challenge on behalf of the city of Milwaukee. And it resonated. Late last year, the city was named as one of 20 finalists.
The five winners will be announced later this year, but a partnership between The Huffington Post and Bloomberg Philanthropies allows the public to vote for their “fan favorite.” Voting is open through March 6.
