Build Community Raised Beds for Gardening

Idea:

Community raised beds for flower and herb gardening, placed around the city in neighborhoods for the beautification of the city.

Benefit:

Show people how to build and garden, get everyone around the neighborhood involved.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Mobile Community Raised Beds for Gardening

Idea:

Community raised beds or container gardens for flower and herb gardening, placed around the city in neighborhoods for the beautification of the city. They could also be built beds to plant vegetables in the backyard. These container gardens would be mobile, so they could be put in any plaza or empty space in the City [Read more…]

Benefit:

Show people how to build and garden, get everyone around the neighborhood involved. They would produce fresh food for local farmers market and schools!

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Bus Stop Libraries.

Idea:

Provide a medium that is waterproof and sustainable to hold reading materials for people waiting for public transit. Put books, newspapers, coloring books, etc. inside it and make using public transit that more interesting for the community.

Benefit:

Even if it's not just used by public transit users, but by regular members of that community it helps utilize an ugly pole, be it a telephone pole, light pole, or just a pole to hold the bus sign to. It also brings art and sharing to a community with [Read more…]

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Busking Festival/Showcase

Idea:

A street festival featuring performers being showcased on sidewalks, alleys, and corners.

Benefit:

Gets people enjoying the outdoors culture of our city, showcases local DIY street performers.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Butterfly Garden

Idea:

Find a dedicated space with many flowers and plants that support and encourage butterflies or work to enhance a space with these types of plants — release butterflies at an event to help support the population of local species of butterfly.

Benefit:

More butterflies to look at while adding more plants to the urban environment

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Cambodian Cultural Class Series

Idea:

A series of classes on Cambodian cultural traditions. These would be focused on Cambodian youth, but open to all, taught by community elders.

Benefit:

The Cambodian community needs to pass its traditions to the next generation or they may be lost. Youth can benefit from feeling connected to their heritage, and elders will feel vital and respected. Building bridges between generations strengthens the community overall.

Location:

Lower Highlands, OldIdea.

Cambodian Cultural Exhibit

Idea:

I propose establishing a Cambodian Cultural Exhibit in Lowell to display Khmer cultural artifacts; conduct lectures about different aspects of Khmer culture, history, traditions, and current events; organize Khmer cultural performances of music, dance, smot, opera, cinema, poetry reading, fashion shows, textile weaving, etc.

Benefit:

Considering that Cambodians constitute a significant portion of Lowell's population, a museum showcasing Khmer culture would have many benefits for the city, including presenting Lowell as a city which recognizes the value of immigrant culture; bringing a sense of pride to the Cambodian community, especially the youth, most of whom [Read more…]

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Cambodian Food and Craft Festival

Idea:

A festival for vendors to sell street food and folks to sell their crafts focused on the Cambodian community.

Benefit:

Local crafters and cooks get to make a little money selling their wares, the community gets to see all the talent in the community.

Location:

Lower Highlands, OldIdea.

Campaign for Vegan Options

Idea:

Encourage local restaurants to have more vegan options on their menu, e.g., vegan/nondairy cheese on pizza. If several restaurants get on board with a signature vegan item or a vegan variation on one of their regular items, we create special promotional materials about the participating restaurants and maybe even dedicate special weekends to go to [Read more…]

Benefit:

It will be a more progressive city, more humane to animals, better for the environment and planet. It will offer more healthy options for people to choose.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.