Founded in 2000 by residents of Milwaukee’s Walnut Way neighborhood, the Walnut Way Conservation Corp is a nonprofit organization working to sustain an economically diverse community through civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and economic enterprise. Recognizing the importance of place, the nonprofit’s office is located in a former drug house slated for demolition that residents restored. Other completed projects include the instillation of 40 rain gardens to manage storm water and beautify the neighborhood, the redevelopment of vacant lots into productive gardens and fruit orchards, and the creation of summer jobs and educational opportunities for area teens. The group is now working to develop an Urban Agriculture Annex to enhance learning and improve garden product processing, and to create cooperative business investment opportunities for neighborhood residents.