Recent Ideas

This page shows ideas that have recently been submitted to the site. The number to the left and the up/down voting arrows allow you to indicate your excitement about these ideas. When an idea gets a high enough rating, it will be shown on the rest of the site more prominently. Learn more about idea voting.

Create and Support an Arts and Culture Council

Submitted by Len Clark in Arts, Culture and Fun

The Citizens' Advisory Committee for Comprehensive Planning has asked us to study the feasibility of a central organization that could support the arts and culture of our county. It could provide a powerful web site to identify artistic and cultural places and events, identify artists and others engaged in creative activity, and host a common events calendar. It could look for grant opportunities, seek grant support and help individuals and organizations to seek grants when they could use help doing the necessary research and proposal writing.

Set up a Local Exchange Trading System

Submitted by Ben Hastil in Business

Growing up in my hometown, Madison, WI, I participated in a local currency system, called Madison Hours. To sign-up, you submitted your "offers" (what services, skills, or items you had) and your "requests" (what services, skills, or items you needed) to Madison HOURS, and in return they started you off with three "Hours" (the name of the currency), which was worth roughly one hour of work.

Free or Discounted Housing for Cops in Central Neighborhoods

Submitted by Michele Walker in Neighborhoods and Families

I'm disappointed every time I see one of our local law enforcement officers living outside the city, or on the fringes of the city. I understand they want to raise their families in "good" neighborhoods, but some of us living in Starr, Vaile, or other central neighborhoods would like to see more officers as neighbors. Knowing the neighborhood from the inside out might help them know more about what is going on and give neighbors a better sense of security.

Create public graffiti mural spaces

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Arts, Culture and Fun

There's clearly an untapped wealth of skills and interests in the community when it comes to creating public art.

Community Greenhouses

Submitted by jonathan in Food and Agriculture

When I go by the greenhouses located on the northwest side of Richmond, I always notice that many are sitting there unused. What if some of them could become community greenhouses? Another approach would be to reuse some of the glass that is there to build smaller greenhouses that could be located in people's yards or adjacent to a local community garden.

Create a Campus - Community Partnership for Sustainability

Submitted by iowa_connection in Education

Foster and nurture a relationship between the students/staff of Earlham College and the City of Richmond that will harness the collective energies and wisdom toward making a collective surge for community sustainability ala Berea College and the community of Berea, Kentucky. More info at: http://www.berea.edu/sens/ccp/

Host a 48-hour film project event

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Media and Broadcasting

The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and a team make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours. On Friday night, you get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then, participating teams get together to view each others` films, sometimes at a local theater.

Create a guide to edible plant life in the area

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Food and Agriculture

For some, foraging for edible plants is an exercise in wilderness survival. For others, its an interesting way to get to know the makeup of our wonderful outdoor resources, get kids excited about being outside, and have a great excuse to tour local parks, woods, and waterways. A guide to edible plant life in the area could be a great tool for education, tourism, and food buffs.

Create a Interfaith Forum for Dialogue Re: Science and Spirituality

Submitted by iowa_connection in Religion and Spirituality

The Marriage of Science and Religion can Transform Our World

Municipal Adoption of the Oil Depletion Protocol

Submitted by iowa_connection in Government

The Oil Depletion Protocol is a policy tool that can be used by municipal leaders to gradually reduce dependence on oil before it is forced upon us. It is absolutely essential that we begin now to gradually wean ourselves off of oil, and the protocol allows us to do just this. The protocol calls for communities to reduce their consumption of oil by about 2.5% per year. If this were to be adopted, global consumption of oil would decline gradually and predictably, thus stabilizing prices, preserving the resource base, and reducing competition for r

Richmond Brainstorm