 Take a look at these tips and reduce your impact this holiday season!
Before you travel:
Eat up: In the last few days you’re home, eat any perishable food you have so that it doesn’t get spoiled and go to waste when you return.
Unplug: Lamps, chargers, appliances, and any other electronics can consume electricity just by being plugged in.
Turn down the heat: Set your thermostat to no lower than 55 degrees. Any lower could risk pipes freezing and bursting, but turning down the heat will save on energy costs.
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Preparing and eating meals:
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 Buy what you need: Write a grocery list and stick to it.
Plate what you can eat: It's better to make an extra trip to the buffet line than to throw away what you couldn't finish!
Compost your food waste: Plate scraps, leftovers gone bad, and even bones and vegetable peels can be composted. Use your curbside organics bin, or bring your waste to the compost facility for no cost to Johnson County residents at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, 3900 Hebl Ave., SW.
Decorating and wrapping:
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 Recycle paper and lights: Gift wrap is recyclable, except for metallic and glitter wrapping paper. String lights can be recycled at Iowa City ReStore, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE, and several other locations.
Compost holiday trees: Natural trees can be placed at the curb from Jan. 7 to Feb. 1 to be composted. Make sure the tree is clear of decorations, and don't put it in a bag.
Save decorations for next year: Box up your ornaments, string lights, and other decor to use next year.
For more tips, visit icgov.org/holidaywaste2018.
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 The City of Iowa City is rolling out new, larger recycling carts to customers in December.
You may have noticed some of your neighbors already have 65-gallon carts. The City will be delivering carts to all remaining households that receive curbside service Dec. 10-22, 2018.
Customers do not need to reserve, order, or pick up a cart. They will be delivered along with important program information that is also available at icgov.org/recycling.
A $106,000 grant from The Recycling Partnership will assist the City with the purchase and delivery of carts to the 16,000 Iowa City households that receive curbside services, in addition to a robust, customized public education campaign. The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit that leverages corporate partner funding to transform recycling for good in cities and towns all across America. The grant is supported in part by the All In On Recycling challenge in conjunction with the PepsiCo Foundation.
Learn more at icgov.org/recycling, and sign up for curbside service notices at icgov.org/subscribe.
 Iowa City is one of 75 STAR-certified cities and counties that has joined the family of LEED for Cities and Communities.
The City received a 4-STAR Community Rating for sustainability excellence in 2016. The STAR Community Rating System is now under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and has merged into the LEED for Cities, which is a global program that advances healthy, green and economically strong cities and communities. As a member, Iowa City will continue to benchmark its current performance, focus on targeted metrics to achieve continuous improvement, and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, human health, and economic prosperity.
“Our STAR certification has provided a great foundation for future work with the U.S. Green Building Council, and we look forward to continuing to openly track and communicate our continued social, economic and environmental performance so the Iowa City community can see our progress,” Mayor Jim Throgmorton said.
LEED for Cities and Communities helps highlight current performance, track metrics, communicate continuous improvement, educate residents, visitors and business owners to demonstrate commitment to sustainability, human health and economic prosperity. As a result, local governments are becoming laboratories of innovation and leadership, and have an enormous opportunity to initiate a dynamic dialogue with the public and earn their trust in the process.
 Earlier this year, the City of Iowa City adopted its first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, outlining ways that individuals, businesses, and government can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, the City aims to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.
You can help! Reduce emissions in your home by taking advantage of free home energy audits.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps offers this service to Iowa City residents. The audit includes a check for gas leaks and carbon monoxide, provides participants with LED light bulbs, low flow aerators for faucets, and pipe insulators for water heaters, and conducts a blower door test to check for air infiltration. Green Iowa AmeriCorps will address any leaks in your home.
By examining where your home is losing energy, you can make changes that reduce your individual greenhouse gas emissions.
To arrange an audit, call 319-339-5399, email greeniowaIC@gmail.com, or visit greeniowaamericorps.org.
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