 Virtual discussion | Feb. 14, noon
Have you ever erred on the side of putting something in the recycling bin rather than throwing it away, simply in hopes that it can be recycled? What happens to it when you do? And what’s the story with toothbrushes and coffee pods?
We’re here to help solve a few recycling mysteries! Join Recycling Coordinator Jane Wilch and Climate Action Engagement Specialist Sarah Gardner for a discussion of those perceived recycling gray areas.
As with previous “Speaking of” discussions, this will be a casual conversation without slides or charts. It’s a chance to have your recycling questions answered and learn how the process relates to a barrel of monkeys.
Register at the Zoom webinar link to take part in the virtual discussion at noon on Feb. 14.
 Clean Energy Webinar | Feb. 24, 5pm
Green Iowa AmeriCorps will be presenting information about energy and how it correlates to Iowa. Some of the information will consist of ways to generate different types of energy, how we use it, and how to save energy.
To register, go to this Google survey.
To ensure your curbside materials are collected safely and successfully throughout the winter season, follow these tips:
- Place carts or containers on a solid surface for pickup, such as the end of your driveway or the edge of the right-of-way. Do not place carts on a snowbank or in the street.
- Have carts at the curb by 7am on your regular collection day for pickup.
- Do not overfill carts. City ordinance states the lids must be closed.
- Keep at least a 3-foot clear zone around each cart.
- Keep recycling materials loose—no plastic bags! Also, no glass or Styrofoam.
For questions about curbside collection, contact Patricia Fossum at Patricia-Fossum@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5466. For questions about composting and recycling, contact Jane Wilch at Jane-Wilch@iowa-city.org or 319-887-6110.
 Michal Eynon-Lynch
Iowa City Climate Action Commission Member
 How do you take climate action?
I think of climate action as a cultural shift. Ultimately, we humans are collectively living beyond our means and our beautiful planet cannot support a culture of never-ending growth (nor does it lead to happiness).
Climate Action is an opportunity and an invitation to examine my lifestyle and my assumptions on a daily basis. Among the specific actions my family and I take: we don’t buy from Amazon (or other companies whose model extracts wealth from communities and concentrates it in a small few), and we are working on ways to invest our money locally rather than in retirement funds that don’t benefit our community.
What can others do to take climate action?
Recently, there has been increasing pushback against the very notion of individual action and that the only thing that matters is what corporations are doing. Now, I agree that we need to hold corporations accountable. So one thing we can all do is support organizations that are taking on the journalistic and legal work of challenging these behemoths on their climate abuses. But I also think that our individual choices matter and what better way of holding corporations accountable than not buying (or investing in) their stuff.
These past two years have shown us how quickly the earth starts to heal when humans live differently. When we weren't taking arctic cruises, whales were more successful at hunting and more pups made it to adulthood. When we stopped flying, the skies cleared.
Individual lifestyle choices can add up to something big, really, really big.
And corporations will have to change their tune if we the buyers stop showing up.
Why does climate action matter to you?
Wow, there are so many reasons. It's a way of acknowledging we are part of an ecosystem. We like to believe we are different or special or can innovate our way out of the problem of finite resources. In the end, we are part of a much larger and complex system. Climate action, to me, is about shifting from treating symptoms to thinking in systems.
Iowa City’s Climate Action Commission meets monthly
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Access upcoming and past meeting packets here.
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