In 2017, the Institute for Sustainable Communities selected Walnut Way Conservation Corp. and the Lindsay Heights neighborhood as one of two partner communities for its Partnership for Resilient Communities, a prestigious national program to support community-based climate resilience efforts. The partnership provided technical resources, access to ISC’s large national network of sustainability practitioners across the country and an award of $150,000 to Walnut Way to expand and accelerate its work on climate resilience focused around energy and water.

Over the last year, Walnut Way used these resources to support, expand and initiate solar and green infrastructure projects in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood.  With the support of the City of Milwaukee’s Milwaukee Shines program, Walnut Way and project partners contracted with Arch Electric and Mindful Staffing Solutions to install photovoltaic solar systems at four neighborhood sites: Walnut Way, 2240 N. 17th St.; the Innovations and Wellness Commons, 1617 W Fond du Lac Ave.; Fondy Farmers Market, 2200 W. Fond du Lac Ave.; and Alice’s Garden, 2136 N. 21st St.  These systems convert sunlight to electricity; the systems at three sites lowers billed electricity, and at Alice’s Garden, the system provides off-grid stored power.

The Partnership supported Walnut Way’s Blue Skies Landscaping Program to complete green infrastructure projects at Fondy Park, Greater Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, and support a deepened role in the Alice’s Garden rainwater harvesting project.  These green infrastructure installations are designed to capture and divert storm water from the sewer system to be used as a resource rather than redirected as waste.

The Partnership also helped Walnut Way partner with the City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office to become an ECO-certified neighborhood and the first Eco Tour destination in Milwaukee. The tour route includes signage and a guide to help residents and visitors learn more about the significant environmental interventions in the neighborhood.

These projects are a significant lift and required collective action to see to fruition.  Partners include: City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office, Alice’s Garden/The Table, Arch Electric, Fondy Food Center, the Fund for Lake Michigan, Greater Galilee Baptist Church, GZA Engineering, Mindful Staffing Solutions, ReFlo, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Milwaukee JobsWork, MorganDezine, Rivet LLC, Rozga Plumbing and Heating Corp., SDC, Solar for Good, and the Wally Schmidt Redevelopment.