A group of Iowa City residents will kick off regular public forums on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. at Beadology in the hopes of creating a self-reliant, sustainable community.
The public forum will feature keynote speaker Grant Schultz, founder of Versaland in rural Iowa City. There will also be a multimedia show on local food and a showcase of efforts from other regenerative cities around the world.
Ecopolis is a vision for a regenerative Iowa City. Leaders say regenerative means that the community would be bikable, walkable and powered by renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal. It also means that the city would produce most of its food by way of urban agriculture initiatives. Becoming a regenerative city would also mean reducing reliance on imported energy, food and fossil fuels.
The goal of the group is to not just provide information, but also to facilitate community action. The group hopes to identify sustainability initiatives in Iowa City and take active steps toward becoming a sustainable community.
Organizers of the event include Erica Damman, Miriam Alarcón Avila, Rockne Cole, Grant Schultz, Mara Kardas-Nelson, Carla Paciotto and Jeff Biggers.
