Summer of the Arts summer fun was in full effect over the Fourth of July weekend, when the Jazz Festival drew thousands of people to Iowa City for live music, food, and fireworks. Since the first Jazz Festival in 1991, over a quarter of a million jazz enthusiasts have come to Iowa City with an estimated economic impact of over $7 million. Summer of the Arts has helped propel Iowa City into a cultural hub, contributing to a 14.4/15 rating in the Arts and Culture section of the STAR Community Rating System. See the full STAR Community Rating for Iowa City here.
Hydroponic garden created on Downtown Iowa City rooftop
Mark Ginsberg, owner of M.C. Ginsberg - Objects of Art, seeks to fill the rooftops of Downtown Iowa City with a network of rooftop gardens. Ginsberg filled the empty rooftop above his jewelry and design company at 110 E. Washington Street in Iowa City with a fully operational hydroponic rooftop garden, and sees this as just the beginning.
His vision seeks to utilize an estimated 1 million square feet of wasted space with a network of garden rooftops throughout Downtown Iowa City. "I don't want business and building owners to be so vertically thinking they don't think about what's next to them," he stated. "I want to create a fluid stream of thought and creativity."
Parks and Forestry Division works to reduce pesticide use
Zachary Hall, Superintendent of the Iowa City Parks and Forestry Division, has led the initiative to drastically reduce the amount of pesticides used within City parks. In fact, Parks and Forestry has not used pesticides in nearly two years. Hall said, “We’ve even cut out a chemical line item from our budget.”
He is currently developing a policy with City officials to ensure that Parks and Forestry remain committed to pesticide reduction.
Volunteers and City staff build pollinator gardens
Volunteers came together in collaboration with the City of Iowa City to plant 1,200 native plants as pollinator gardens in the Napoleon parking islands. This project was part of an initiative to increase monarch and pollinator habitat within the City. Carol Sweeting, Iowa City's Information and Volunteer Coordinator, collaborated with the Parks Department to work with volunteers to create the gardens, which contain four species of milkweeds and other plants which benefit butterflies and other insects. Learn more about the City's efforts to support the monarch butterfly here.
Sustainability Spotlight: Kumi Morris, Facilities Manager
This month’s Sustainability Spotlight is on Kumi Morris, the City of Iowa City Facilities Manager. Morris works to ensure that new facilities are constructed efficiently and are easy to maintain, and that they promote a healthy work environment. She takes a holistic and long-term approach to sustainably constructing facilities. Read more about her here.
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Connect with us on social media! We’ll be posting sustainability facts and updates every week from City of Iowa City accounts, with our hashtag #SustainableIC. We’re active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, so be sure to like and follow! To subscribe to this e-newsletter, visit www.icgov.org/e-subscriptions and check the "Sustainability" box in the Newsletters section.
4-STAR: In March 2016, Iowa City was awarded a 4-STAR Community Rating for sustainability excellence, by being formally certified in the STAR Community Rating System. STAR offers the nation's leading certification program in evaluating local sustainability, encompassing social, economic and environmental performance measures. More info: www.STARcommunities.org.
This newsletter is published by the City of Iowa City Office of Sustainability Services. For more information, contact Brenda Nations, Coordinator, at 319-887-6161 or brenda-nations@iowa-city.org.