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❄️5 Ways to Have a Greener Winter
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1. Recycle that Holiday Waste
We’ll take your Christmas trees, non-working holiday lights, cardboard, wrapping paper, and other recyclables and give those materials another life. Better yet – find a creative way to reuse items and keep them out of the waste stream.
2. Stay Warm With a Reusable Mug
Choose to use a reusable mug to warm up with your favorite hot beverage and keep its contents warm in the blustery weather. Some coffee and tea shops in Ames offer discounts for bringing a reusable mug, and it makes a zero-waste impact.
3. Cozy Up To Public Transportation
This applies year-round, but it’s especially helpful in the winter. Make use of our reliable bus system and you’ll not only cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, but you’ll be stepping into a pre-warmed, safe vehicle!
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4. Save Some Energy
There are a few different ways to conserve energy when temperatures become colder:
- Keep drapes open during the day for rays of sunlight to warm the room and close them at night to keep out chilly drafts.
- Make sure chargers, adapters, and small appliances are all unplugged when not in use to avoid phantom energy.
- Turn down the heat at night and when you leave the house for longer periods of time.
- We can help make your home more efficient – Ames residents are eligible for free energy audits and weatherization. Sign up here
5. Compost All Year Long!
You can compost 365 days a year by using a re-sealable bucket or bag of any size. All you need to do is collect your food waste, including any items on our FWD list. You can even keep it in your freezer to keep the smells down. When your container is full, take it to our free drop-off at 420 E 2nd Street.
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🗓️Upcoming Events
Get engaged with sustainability in your community by participating in these upcoming events. We’ll see you there!
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Date: Friday, Jan 16
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, View Map
Families are invited to join us in a short story tie and get hands-on fun activities at the Library!
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Date: Saturday, Jan 17
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Ames Public Library Auditorium, 515 Douglas Ave, View Map
Drop in to a free Repair Café at the Library! Volunteers will help repair broken items to give them a longer life cycle. There is no charge for repairs at the Repair Café. If volunteers are unable to repair your item, or parts are required, they'll help you find a local repair shop that can help.
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Date: Saturday, Jan 24
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, View Map
Join us for a interesting presentation at the Library! Meet the Conservation Corp of Minnesota & Iowa. Nathanial, a crew lead, tells us about being a conservationist.
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Date: Saturday, Jan 31
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, View Map
Join us in celebrating National Seed Swap Day with a seed giveaway at the Library. Hear about sustainability from local organizations and get free seeds!
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Date: Tuesday, Feb 17
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Ames City Hall Lobby, 515 Clark Ave, View Map
Come join us at City Hall and and learn how to read your bill, where your money goes, and how you can save. Looking for tips on how to sustainably lower your bill? We'll be there sharing about rebates to go greener and personal tips to help lower your bill. Also find out about new utility programs like no-cost home weatherization, time-of-use rates, and curbside recycling.
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♻️Curbside Recycling is Coming to Ames!
As part of our transition to more sustainable waste management, we’re working to develop a community-wide curbside recycling program. All single-family and multi-family properties with four or fewer units will automatically receive a cart and every-other-week curbside service.
With a target rollout of July 2026, there is some work left to bring the program to life, and aspects of the program are subject to change. Find out more at CityofAmes.org/Recycling, and look for more updates in your CitySide newsletter, through email notifications, and on our social media.
In the meantime, free 24/7 drop-off recycling is available at the Resource Recovery Plant (420 E 2nd St.).
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🌍City Awards Climate Action Grants
As part of the Climate Action Grant Program, the City of Ames has awarded Community Climate Grants to four organizations in Ames to support projects that advance the community Climate Action Plan. This is the second round of grants awarded in 2025. Learn more about the five organizations awarded in the first round.
Ames High School Cybersecurity & Technology (ACT) Club will purchase and distribute over 100 advanced power strips designed to reduce wasted “vampire” energy from electronics and appliances.
The EcoTheatre Lab will organize an Eco-Theatre Festival: A Storytelling and Neighborhood Resilience Project. The festival will involve readings of original plays written by Iowa playwrights responding to local climate issues.
Labyrinth Coffee/Collegiate Presbyterian Church will install a public electric vehicle charger in its parking lot at 159 Sheldon Ave, supporting the transition to low-emissions transportation.
North Grand Christian Church will expand its ground-mounted solar array at 919 30th St., saving on its utility bills and raising awareness about sustainability and solar energy.
We hope to offer more community grant opportunities in 2026. Stay tuned to find out more.
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🌱Meet the Green Iowa AmeriCorps Members
Green Iowa AmeriCorps members have joined us at City Hall and have been making some big moves. You may have seen them at local events like elementary school STEM nights or heard them on a City podcast, but who are they, what do they do, why are they so passionate about being stewards of the land?
Energy Audits: At no cost to you, the team can assess the leakiness of your home to see how much energy you may be able to save by sealing leaks and improving insulation. We can then weatherize your house to keep the heat and cold out. Free weatherization can include caulking, LED lightbulbs, faucet aerators, pipe insulation, and much more.
Outreach Events: In addition to energy audits, Green Iowa also wants to get people actively involved with sustainability and conservation in their own backyard. This means working with the public in educational events and engaging volunteers in service-based activities.
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Meet DiMaucia “Di” Phanfil
An Iowa native, Phanfil is deeply passionate about working to make Iowa more sustainable and wants to preserve Iowa’s natural beauty. Graduating with a bachelor's in Geography from UNI, Phanfil has always been interested in the way the environment and humans interact with each other. She wants this interaction to be as positive as possible.
As a Green Iowa Member, Phanfil is focused on getting connected to the Ames community through education, service-based, and outreach events.
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Meet Ava Brunner
An Iowa State University student, Brunner has a deep-rooted love for the Ames community. Being involved with parks and recreation, she developed a relationship with the city and its youth. Majoring in Biosystems Engineering with an ecological focus, she found her love for conservation while being a Naturalist Intern at Carroll County Conservation.
Brunner is also involved with ISU’s Sustainability Committee; She wants the beauty that the earth has to offer to be preserved for everyone to be able to explore. As a Green Iowa Member, her responsibilities include getting the word out about energy services, scheduling and performing home energy audits and weatherizations.
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⚡Save With New Smart Energy Rebates
The City of Ames Electric Services updated the Smart Energy rebate program for 2026. This included creating a new program, increasing incentives, and eliminating others. The purpose of this restructuring was to optimize the program to achieve more energy savings and increase opportunities for beneficial electrification.
The Smart Energy rebate program will now offer an attic insulation rebate, up to $250! Attic insulation can be one of the most cost-effective ways to increase energy efficiency in your home, as it prevents heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. The EPA estimates that you can save an average of 16% on heating and cooling costs annually by properly sealing homes and installing attic insulation. In older homes, these savings can be even more.
Rebates were increased for air source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters. These systems provide significant increases in energy efficiency, as they are generally 3-4 times more efficient than conventional furnaces and air conditioners.
Lastly, there are a few appliances that are no longer available for rebates. While Energy Star-rated appliances are fantastic, they are widely accepted and adopted without rebates. Electric Services encourages customers to continue purchasing Energy Star-rated appliances. However, eliminating these rebates allows more funding to be allocated toward items with much larger energy savings, such as heat pumps.
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🚌ICYMI - CyRide Receives $14.6 million Grant
The grant will be used to expand CyRide’s administrative, maintenance, and bus storage facility and convert 20 buses to 100% biodiesel (B100). The City and CyRide have successfully used B100 for years to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, including snowplows and buses. Heavy-duty vehicles are notoriously hard to decarbonize, and we’re proud to use an alternative fuel that not only reduces our carbon footprint but also supports Midwest farmers.
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📖What We're Reading
Aiming High for a Better World | Ames Community School District
Scientists link climate change to rising insurance costs for Iowans | Iowa Public Radio
Iowa small businesses to benefit from renewed energy efficiency program | KWWL
How corn from Iowa farms is being used in fashion | Iowa Public Radio
Global renewable power output overtakes coal for the first time, report says | Reuters
City of Ames News
Ames moves forward on curbside recycling | Ames Voice
An update on the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus project | Iowa State Daily
$14.6 million grant bringing upgrades, changes to CyRide bus system | weareiowa.com
Ames considers regulations, speed limits for bikes, e-bikes | Ames Tribune
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