 The City's Office of Equity and Human Rights and the Climate Action and Outreach Division will host "Accelerating Black Leadership in Sustainability," a virtual discussion with Arthur Burton and Kamel Elgiseer, from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.
The two presenters will discuss Black entrepreneurship as it relates to climate action. Arthur Burton leads AMB Renewable Energy, which he founded to develop charging stations, solar panels, and other clean energy projects in and around Chicago. As part of the company’s commitment to youth job training, he has created opportunities in clean energy and green job training for members of disinvested communities.
Burton will be joined by Iowa City resident Kamel Elgiseer, of GCF Renewable Energy. From Sudan, Elgiseer was also the vice president of the Center for Workers Justice board in 2020 and part of CWJ Social Enterprise Café. Elgiseer's career in solar energy spans both the US and Sudan.
Climate action grant applications will be accepted starting in March. Learn more about available funding and types of eligible projects at icgov.org/ClimateActionGrants.
The Inflation Reduction Act will provide each American family an average “electric bank account” of $10,600 in incentives to electrify and move toward greater household efficiency. But where to start? Yale Climate Connections offers nine items to put on your checklist between now and 2032, the year when IRA tax credits are scheduled to expire or start to decline.
- Get a home energy audit, this year. (Contact Iowa City's Green Iowa AmeriCorps team).
- Find out if you need a new electric panel or need to rewire your home to support heat pumps and other electric appliances, soon.
- Improve insulation in your home, soon. (Learn about the City's insulation grant program at icgov.org/insulate).
- Replace your windows, over several years.
- Replace exterior doors, over several years.
- Replace your furnace when it breaks with a heat pump.
- Replace your water heater when it breaks with a heat pump water heater.
- Replace your combustion engine car when it breaks with an EV.
- Longer term, explore getting a renewable energy system to power your home.
Find helpful explanations and details about each list item by visiting this website.
 Daphney Daniel
Climate Ambassador
 What are your favorite ways to take climate action?
I am an avid organic gardener. My favorite climate actions involve the garden. The first is not cleaning my garden in the fall. It is beneficial to pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Not only am I happier to be out and about cleaning in the spring, but it also serves as a good chance to inspect the garden and set up the rain barrels.
Another favorite is vermicomposting. I enjoyed learning about how worms and other insects work in our ecosystems so much that we now have a few pet insects! I enjoy regular composting as well and am very proud that we started a small compost system at my workplace for coffee grounds and other kitchen waste.
Why is it important to take climate action?
I joke If Earth were a restaurant, humans would have been asked to leave by now because we share a planet with millions of other living organisms including vicious viruses and we are the ones causing the existential crisis scene.
Levity aside, it is a part of my spiritual and ethical beliefs. We humans are stewards of this planet and we have an obligation to future generations of life to start turning the tide on climate change.
What can others do to take climate action?
Find small ways to make your hobby or work more sustainable beyond recycling. It could be easier to get into a climate conscious lifestyle if you start with something you love or do often. If you find ways to take small climate action steps regularly they become climate conscious habits. Finally, get the whole family involved, even pets!
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