You can get an Orange Thumb, if you act quickly.

There's a spot at the end of our street where our road and the road behind us come together, creating a triangular area that nobody seems to own and nobody seems to take care of. I walk by it all the time and think that should be cleaned up and made into something, but who wants to take the time and energy and money to do that?

Maybe I do, though, because maybe I can get a Project Orange Thumb grant to transform that triangular peninsula of overgrowth into a community garden that will improve everyone's lives.

Project Orange Thumb is a grant program sponsored by Fiskars. Any group who wants to promote and produce neighborhood beautification, or horticultural education or even sustainable green agriculture, can apply for a grant of up to $1,000 in good and an additional $1,500 in tools. It's been around for six years now and the grants are open, more or less, to anyone who wants start or maintain a community garden.

Which I could do with that triangle of land. So far, Fiskars Project Orange Thumb has given over $300,000 to over 100 community groups, so there's no reason my neighborhood couldn't do something to improve our area.

If you're interested in trying to get that grant for your group or community -- school projects have been built around this in the past, make sure you apply by February 17, 2009. They're giving away 20 of the grants this year, so there's plenty to go around, but don't delay. Even if you're not going to apply, tell your friends, because you know someone who knows someone who would be perfect for this program, don't you? Then you can spend the spring and summer with your group making your community a greener, more liveable, more beautiful place.