Oak Creek Greenhouses Part of Growing Power's Expansion

Urban agriculture pioneer Growing Power has made its way into Oak Creek.

The Milwaukee-based organization has opened several rows of greenhouses on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Addison Lane, across from Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District's water reclamation plant.

Initially, six crops were grown there, including multiple grains, spinach, chard, and arugula, Growing Power's chief executive officer and founder Will Allen said. It has since added cilantro, tomatoes and okra.

But the new greenhouses are not limited in growing potential. 

"You name it and we can grow it there," Allen said.

Growing Power began in 1993, when Allen purchased an in-foreclosure plant nursery on Milwaukee's north side. It strives to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities.

Allen has become a national leader in sustainable agriculture. A former professional basketball player, he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 2008. In 2010, he was named to Time Magazine's "Top 100" list, which honors the world's most influential people. 

His efforts even netted him an invitation to the White House, where he helped First Lady Michelle Obama kick off a national initiative to fight childhood obesity.

Allen owns personal property in Oak Creek - a 100-acre farm which previously belonged to his in-laws - but what brought Growing Power itself to Oak Creek? 

The answer is clear when talking with Allen about the group's future goals: expansion.

"We're basically buying up land wherever we can get it," he said. "We now have over 20 farms throughout the state."

Growing Power hopes to increase its overall food distribution ten-fold over the next five years.

The new greenhouses' effect on Oak Creek and the environment should be a positive one. Allen says they don't require any fossil fuels, so the ecological footprint is quite low. Growing Power's method relies on natural composting, so it has begun a mutually-beneficial relationship with the local water treatment facility. Having more local farms also helps keep emissions from food transportation low.

Growing Power's new operation required multiple permits through Oak Creek. Allen said he found the city to be "helpful and very supportive of all we're trying to do with the new greenhouses."

Construction began last September, and the greenhouses became operational during the winter.

The food will be distributed "pretty much anywhere that people eat food," Allen said, including supermarkets, restaurants, and schools.

Oak Creek crops are also included in Growing Power's Market Basket Program, which functions as a mobile grocery store, delivering fresh and healthy produce to neighborhoods in the Milwaukee area.