Major waste minimization initiatives approved by Council
Exciting news in Iowa City: Four major waste minimization initiatives were passed by the City Council at its Nov. 1 meeting, marking a giant leap forward in waste reduction. The four initiatives include: mandated apartment
recycling in Iowa City, curbside collection of food waste in Iowa City, a
landfill ban on computer monitors and televisions, as well as a secured load
policy for waste disposal vehicles. Click here for a more detailed description of each of the four initiatives.
Staff continues
to work on additional code improvements, to be returned to City Council later in the year. These include a plastic bag ban, cardboard ban at the
Landfill, and a single stream recycling program.
"Play" bike parklet brightens Downtown Iowa City
The City of Iowa City has installed a new 40-space artistic bike parklet in Downtown Iowa City, located near the corner of Washington and Dubuque Streets in the loading zone space next to US Bank.
OPN Architects designed the parklet and titled it “Play," which is also spelled out in the design. It was chosen for its unique and imaginative look that showcases Iowa City’s bikeability, as well as its functionality to create additional safe and convenient bike parking in downtown Iowa City.
Funds for the parklet came from the City of Iowa City as part of its commitment to improving bicycle friendliness and infrastructure. The City is currently working to update its Bike Master Plan with additional improvements, including the installation of more bike lanes, placement of new repair stations and racks, and expansions to the City's trail system.
The 2016 Iowa City Farmers Market season has come to a close but there's no need to worry because the 2016 Holiday Markets are right around the corner!
The annual Iowa City Holiday
Markets give patrons an opportunity to buy homegrown, homemade, and
handcrafted holiday gifts and foods. The markets will be held on
Saturday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 10 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the
Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert Street.
Vendors will be located in the gym on the first floor and the Social Hall
on the second floor of the Recreation Center. For more information, contact Tammy Neumann with the Parks and Recreation Department at 319-356-5210.
Jeff Speck speaks on the importance of city walkability
International expert and advocate on the importance city
walkability, Jeff Speck, visited Iowa City in October to connect with City of Iowa
City staff, local government officials from the
City, county, school district, and surrounding communities, the general public, and with urban planning students at the University of
Iowa. Speck delivered a public talk in Iowa City on Oct. 24 in which he
emphasized to a crowd of about 200 people
the importance of designing our cities so that
walking is useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. In his best-selling book, "Walkable City – How Downtown
Can Save America, One Step at a Time," Speck writes,
“…we must understand that the walkable city is not just a nice, idealistic
notion. Rather, it is a simple, practical-minded solution to a host of complex
problems that we face as a society, problems that daily undermine our nation’s
economic competitiveness, public welfare, and environmental
sustainability.” If you missed it, the City
has posted the lecture online at http://citychannel4.com/cgi-bin/vdb/ytp.pl?id=F17201.
It is also scheduled for playback on City Channel 4 on Mediacom. The City Channel 4 program schedule can be found at:
citychannel4.com/tv. To learn more about Speck and his work, visit http://jeffspeck.com/.
Sustainability Spotlight: Kent Ralston
Kent Ralston serves as the City of Iowa City's Transportation Planner and Executive Director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County. He is the featured staff member for this month's Sustainability Spotlight.
Ralston works
on long-range transportation plans which help guide the
conversation as to when, where and what blend of transportation infrastructure
is necessary. He promotes sustainability in his position by analyzing the environmental impact of various modes of travel and by taking system preservation into consideration, ensuring that transportation infrastructure is resilient and maintained once it's constructed.
Connect with us on social media! Sustainability facts and updates are posted to the City of Iowa City Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #SustainableIC. Be sure to like and follow!
To subscribe to this e-newsletter, visit 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 Sustainability Office. For more information, contact Brenda Nations, Coordinator, at 319-887-6161 or brenda-nations@iowa-city.org.