I love my state. I love that Michiganders are, overall, a hard-working bunch who still know how to have a good time every once in a while. Raised in sub-zero winters and 90+ degree summers, we are forced to be tough and resourceful.

Take the foreclosure crisis. It is downright depressing how many homes are in foreclosure, whether in the city of Detroit or the more posh suburbs of Grosse Pointe, Bloomfield Hills, or Birmingham. I watched neighbors pack up their belongings yesterday, yet more victims of foreclosure.

In February of last year, Michigan had the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Now, we rank 7th in the country as our broken economy burdens traditionally well-to-do states such as California and Colorado.

But back to that resourcefulness. Rather than let these abandoned and foreclosed lots sit empty, that state of Michigan has cataloged them and made them available for either individuals or groups to garden on. It’s called the “Garden for Growth” program, and I have more details in my Detroit Gardening Examiner column today.

As I mentioned in the column, the database lists two properties right in my own hometown of Harper Woods. Harper Woods is tiny. You can ride your bike from one end to the other and not even break a sweat. Yet I can look out my door and see the signs popping up daily: for sale signs, rental signs, auction signs. I’m glad that the state is trying to make something useful out of this mess. It shows that not only does someone in state government realize that vacancy leads to blight, but that encouraging sustainable living in these harsh times is necessary.

Does your state or county offer a program like this? If it has, have you taken advantage of it?