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It’s summertime in Iowa. Local growers are hard at work, the stalls at the Farmers Market are hopping, and the question on many minds is "what will ripen next?" It’s a near embarrassment of riches: bunches of garlic scapes, baskets of tomatoes, ears of sweet corn by the dozen!
There are many reasons to be excited about local foods, including from a climate action and resource management perspective. Join Recycling Coordinator Jane Wilch and Climate Action Coordinator Sarah Gardner for a lively discussion of local food resources, opportunities, and challenges.
As with previous “Speaking of” discussions, this will be a casual conversation without slides or charts. It’s a chance to talk through some mouthwatering questions and learn some useful information along the way.
Register at this link to take part in the virtual discussion at noon on June 21.
Green Iowa AmeriCorps is hiring for the upcoming eleven-month service term starting in September 2022. Benefits include federal loan deferment, healthcare coverage, childcare coverage, training and certification, individualized professional development opportunities, Segal Education Award upon successful completion, monthly living stipend distributed by UNI, leadership experience, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Qualification, and interest accrual repayment. Find more information and apply on the website greeniowaamericorps.org.
 Learn where, when, and how to prune common Iowa garden plants (same class offered at two times).
- 6 p.m. Monday, June 13
- 11 a.m. Saturday, June 18
Held at Wetherby Park Shelter, 2400 Taylor Drive.
Register online or call 319-339-5399
 Simeon Talley
Owner of Basic Goods
 What can others do to take climate action?
I think most people believe in the need to address climate change and support efforts to do so. So to the extent that we can make it easy, accessible, fun, non-judgmental, that has been my approach…. we're not trying to hit people over the head with "you're a bad person if you don't do this" or you have to fit some type of demographic profile of somebody who's really into sustainability. Historically, that's been a very white space, a very upper-middle-class space, and there are race, class, geography barriers that exist there. So, these are things that are very important to me.
How do you take climate action?
Figure out -- where you can, wherever you're at -- ways to be better. There are the larger projects, like energy efficiency work, that the city is doing with property owners and building owners. That's great and necessary, but as a small, small business with 3 or 4 employees, there's stuff that we can do as well -- in ways we handle our shipping, our waste, how we're sourcing products, just always making sure we're trying to find the most sustainable option.
What inspires you?
I try to practice gratitude a lot. It's been an incredibly challenging two years; it still is a very challenging environment for small businesses, especially small businesses owned and operated by people of color, or people who are first-generation small-business owners. I think if I tried to do this somewhere other than Iowa City, I would not have been able to do this type of work and still be whole after the two years that we've had! So that makes me happy. But also, I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude. Genuinely, deep down to the core, I feel so incredibly grateful.
Iowa City’s Climate Action Commission meets monthly
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Access upcoming and past meeting packets at the Climate Action Commission web page.
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