Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

August 2021 | Visit us online at www.icgov.org/sustainability. 

Electric vehicles

Average number of miles driven by the average American per day is 26

Average number of miles a fully electric vehicle can travel on a single charge is 250

Each gallon of fossil fuel a vehicle burns puts 19 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Millions of gallons of gasoline consumed in Iowa annually on average is 1500+

As of last month, Iowa City has saved 1000 trees worth of greenhouse gas emissions through electric charging stations

Iowa City gets EV ready

The City of Iowa City, along with Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Davenport, and Dubuque, has finished an Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Study with partner ICF Consulting Services.

The EV Readiness Plan that came out of the study proposes actionable and equitable solutions for overcoming existing barriers to EV adoption and for increasing EV use.

First, the study assessed local policies, EV registrations, and public charging station locations in eastern Iowa. Second, the study looked at new policies to adopt to ensure readiness for increased EV use and to further accelerate adoption of EVs.

Stakeholder input was used to develop prioritized strategies in the EV Readiness Plan, which includes efforts to increase the number of charging stations at rental properties, engage auto dealers to offer more EVs and, host public outreach events.

The complete plan can be found on the Iowa City Climate Action web page.

Second annual Climate Action At Work awards

The City of Iowa City invites local businesses to apply for a Climate Action at Work Award. Winners from each of the five award categories (Buildings/Efficiency, Transportation, Waste, Adaptation, Sustainable Lifestyle) will receive $500.

This program is open to all Iowa City businesses and nonprofits. Businesses with BIPOC, female or LGBTQ ownership are strongly encouraged to apply. If a business has multiple locations, the primary business headquarters must be located in Iowa City.

The deadline to apply is August 13, 2021. More information can be found on the Climate Action At Work web page.

Rethinking the three Rs

Many of us have heard of the 3 Rs: "reduce, reuse, recycle." But have you ever heard of "refuse, remake, repair"?

Refuse/Reduce: Make the behavioral shift and say "No" to buying items you don't define as a need. On the back end, by donating usable goods, recycling and composting, you can have a positive impact on waste reduction.

Remake: Upcycle your stuff. "Upcycling" means giving an item no longer in use a new function to expand its life. 

Repair: Fix a broken product instead of buying a new version of it. Want some guidance? You can find DIY repair resources on this web page. And you can also explore the Iowa City Repair Directory for local businesses that offer repair services.

Grow Solar hits second discount milestone

The Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties program has met its second goal of 150 collective kilowatts purchased, resulting in a larger discount to all participants on their installation costs.

The limited-time program provides access to solar education and competitive prices for installation on residential and commercial properties through volume purchasing.

Interested in learning more? Visit the Grow Solar web page and sign up for a Solar Power Hour.

Iowa closer to net-zero

MidAmerican Energy’s GreenAdvantage® program allows Iowa customers to claim a verified renewable energy amount to help them reach their sustainability goals.

In 2020, that amounted to 83.6% of the retail electric load MidAmerican delivered to its Iowa customers.

More information can be found on their web page.

Iowa City’s Climate Action Commission meets monthly

Access upcoming and past meeting packets here.

Climate Fest 2021

We’ve got something to celebrate! Our community is taking action to address climate change. 

The second annual Climate Fest features a week of events that celebrate the progress being made as Iowa City works toward a more livable future.

Attend a free film screening, bring your family to a fun concert in a park, learn more about LEED buildings and electric vehicles — there's something for everyone!

Plus, share your personal story at one of our storytelling booths to help inspire others to take Climate Action.

Visit icgov.org/ClimateFest for regular updates on the schedule of events.

AmeriCorps in August

Movie Screening | Aug. 4, 7 pm

Green Iowa AmeriCorps and 100 Grannies partnered to screen The Race to Save the World in the Iowa City Public Library. Find details on the library web page. 

Monarch Days | Aug. 6 - 9

Green Iowa AmeriCorps will host “Monarch Days” to celebrate these beautiful pollinators. August 6 and 7 premieres virtual programming about monarchs and what you can do to help them thrive.

A monarch walk, monarch-themed crafts and other activities will be held August 8 from 9 a.m. to noon at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, and on August 9 from 9 a.m. to noon at Hickory Hill Park (Bloomington Street entrance shelter).

Melissa Serenda, Iowa City resident

How do you take climate action?

With all the problems baked into our economy, it’s daunting to think about living in a climate-friendly way. I try to find a balance between feeling I need to do everything possible to minimize my impact on the world (which would be both expensive and stressful), and living carefully; making good decisions without beating myself up about sometimes taking the easy way.

There are big things, like solar panels on my house and minimizing animal products in my diet. But the smaller things keep me mindful of all the ways my choices matter every day: bringing my own bags for produce and groceries (or skipping bags entirely), or carrying my own reusable utensils. We don’t have to be perfect, but we should always try to be better.

What can others do to take climate action?

One of the best things people can do is to educate themselves about climate issues. Make an effort to learn about the effects of the things you buy on the world, and the negative externalities of the industries you support. Plastic is a great place to start. When you shop, look at all the single-use plastic film and containers, and whether you can even avoid buying it if you wanted to. Can all those plastic items you buy actually be recycled? Some estimates show that less than 10% of plastic is recycled: even if an item has the little recyclable symbol and number, it may never reach a facility that will recycle it but instead end up in a landfill or incinerator.

As we’ve seen here in our city, plastic clamshells are no longer accepted in our recycling bins, so ask your favorite restaurant to switch to compostable or returnable containers. Encourage legislators to support extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws to make sure that industry is responsible for its products throughout their entire life cycle. Advocate to strengthen and expand our Bottle Bill, which has been an incredibly effective method of internalizing the costs of single-use beverage containers to the industry that produces them. What we do as individuals is important, but what we do as a community is critical.

Why does climate action matter to you?

It’s our world. It’s our only world. We have to take care of it and be good stewards both for those who come after us as well as for the billions of other living things that share it with us. It’s just the right thing to do.

You could be the next Sustainability Spotlight! Send your answers + a picture of you to Climate-Action@Iowa-City.org

Sign up for updates!

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #SustainableIC.

Subscribe to this and other news at icgov.org/subscribe.

This newsletter is published by the City of Iowa City Climate Action and Outreach Division. For more information, contact Sarah Gardner at 319-887-6162 or Sarah-Gardner@Iowa-City.org