Sustainable Iowa City Newsletter - August 2018

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August 2018 | Visit us online at icgov.org/sustainability

Take the pledge!

Climate Action Today logo

Thank you to the nearly 100 people who attended the community climate action meeting in July. 

Members of the Climate Action Steering Committee were there to explain the City's emissions goals, and staff helped explain the five action areas that will help the community reach its goals. These areas include buildings, transportation, waste, adaptation and sustainable lifestyle. 

Take action! Take the pledge online to make life changes that will help reduce emissions.  

Summary meeting notes and a video are available for viewing online. 

Learn more at icgov.org/climateaction

Climate meeting photo

Celebrate Monarchs!

Monarch Banner

Come celebrate and learn more about the Monarch Butterfly during the third annual Iowa City Monarch Festival.

Monarch populations, which thrive in prairie environments with plenty of milkweed, have declined 90 percent in the last 20 years, and Iowa City is committed to creating habitats to support and revitalize the native insect.

Enjoy activities for kids, including a photo booth with Monarch and caterpillar costumes, arts and crafts, face painting, a live Monarch display depicting all different stages of its life, and more.

ISU Entomologist Dr. Donald Lewis will be available with information and will answer questions during the festival. 

See you from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26 at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area Lodge, 579 McCollister Blvd. The event is free and fun for the whole family! 

Become informed ahead of the festival with special speaker Nathan Brockman, curator of the ISU Reiman Gardens Butterfly Wing. He will present the lecture titled, "Everything you always wanted to know about Monarchs" at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St. 

Learn more at icgov.org/ICMonarchs

Two girls at the Iowa City Monarch festival pose wearing monarch wings

Learning bike safety

A young girl smiles, wearing a helmet standing next to a bike

The Iowa City Bike Library and the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County teamed up to provide kids in need with bicycles thanks to a City grant. 

The program, which received a $5,000 Community Partnership for Climate Action Grant from the City in April, provided 50 kids with refurbished bikes, 36 with helmets, and educated 48 students on how to ride a bike safely.

The program aims to reduce barriers to guide the next generation of bicycle commuters, contributing and connects community groups to work together on climate action.

A child adjusts a bike helmet on her head

Supporting local food

Food waits to be served at the Farm to Street dinner

Image via Iowa City Downtown District

The countdown is on for the Farm to Street Dinner, which will dazzle North Linn Street for the third year in a row. 

Tickets are sold out for the event, happening from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16. Participants will gather together to enjoy a six-course meal of locally sourced food prepared by Iowa City chefs.

The fundraiser raised $8,000 last year, and this year will benefit Table to Table, a local organization working to reduce food waste by distributing it to those in need.

Last call for group solar purchasing

As July came to a close, 50 households in Johnson County and West Branch had committed to Solarize Johnson County, a group solar energy program aimed at reducing the cost of renewable energy.

Combined, these residential arrays add up to 356 kilowatts of solar power — which means the last of four benchmarks has been reached to achieve maximum savings for program participants.

Solarize Johnson County logo

More than 500 people have shown interest in the program and Moxie Solar, the solar energy provider, has conducted more than 100 home estimates.

Households have until Aug. 31 to sign a contract for a solar array through the program. Estimates will need to be completed a few weeks prior. If you are interested, visit the Solarize Johnson County website.

Subscribe and share

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #SustainableIC. Subscribe to this newsletter and other news at icgov.org/e-subscriptions

A graphic promoting City of Iowa City outreach options.

Upcoming Events

Chip in Graphic

Chip In!

You already chip in with your tax dollars, now chip in with your opinion!

The community is invited to attend Chip In, an open house where you can let City leaders know how you think funding should be spent, all while munching on dips – and you guessed it – chips! 

Join us at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 6, in Emma Harvat Hall at City Hall, 410 E. Washington St. 

RSVP to the Facebook event for details. 

Kids enjoying doughnuts at Kids Day with Public Safety

Kids' Day with Public Safety

Bring the whole family out to meet Iowa City police officers and firefighters, and the Johnson County ambulance crews and bomb squad from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8 at City Park, 200 Park Road. 

Enjoy a free doughnut and get to know the public safety professionals keeping Iowa City safe (including a K9 police dog!).

RSVP to the Facebook event for details.

Deer Forum

Infographic for upcoming deer population public forum

Attend a public input meeting this month about Iowa City's proposed sharpshooting approach to manage its growing deer population. 

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14 at City Hall, 410 E. Washington St.

Council Listening Post

Council Listening Post graphic

Join Iowa City Council members at their next community listening post from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Willow Creek Party in the Park event, 1117 Teg Dr. 

Council listening posts provide opportunities for the community to engage with City leaders on topics that are important to them in an informal setting.

RSVP to the Facebook event for details.

Taste of Market

farmers market

Sample the bounty of the Iowa City Farmers Market at the annual Taste of Market from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 29 in the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp, 405 E. Washington St. 

Sample local fruit, vegetables, and other vendors. Come out to snack and enjoy live music from Joe and Colleen Peterson.

Party in the Park

Graphic of showing Party in the Park dates

Visit select Iowa City parks on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. this month for Party in the Park with live music, games, frozen treats, and weekly performances by the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre at 5:30 p.m.

Parties this month are Aug. 9 at Reno Park, featuring entertainment by Larry Mossman and Kathy Maxey, Aug. 16 at Willow Creek Park, featuring Pennies on the Rail, and Aug. 23 at Happy Hollow Park, featuring Nancita Wernett.

Find the full calendar online.

Friday Night Concert Series

Summer of the Arts Image

Image via Summer of the Arts

Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to the east side of the Pentacrest as the summer Friday Night Concert series finishes up this month. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. every Friday through Aug. 31.

Featured Artists:

Aug 10
Death Valley Welcome Center and Gloom Balloon

Aug. 17
Candymakers and The Maytags

Aug. 24
Shade of Blue

Aug. 31
Younger, Anthony Worden, and Otros Outros

Taste of Iowa City

Several hands hold out different food items at Taste of Iowa City

Image via Iowa City Downtown District

The 11th-annual food sampling event returns, running from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22 in Downtown Iowa City. 

Purchase tickets for $1 each to use at restaurants serving samples of their best dishes. Tickets are available at MidWestOne Bank downtown ahead of the event, or can be purchased at the event.

Photo of David Cwiertny

Sustainability Spotlight

This month’s spotlight features Dave Cwiertny, the director of the University of Iowa's new Sustainable Water Development Graduate program, where he's helping to train the next generation of sustainable engineers and scientists. 

To read Dave's full spotlight, visit www.icgov.org/sustainability.

4-STAR


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. Learn more, www.STARcommunities.org.