Here’s a wacky idea: Our concept of a “year” is blocking our effectiveness in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. OK, bear with me. One of the most common expressions I’ve seen and heard — on social media and in real-live conversations […]
Ayla Boylen has been striking every Friday, asking local and state leaders in Iowa to take action on climate change. She began her strike outside Cedar Rapids City Hall last fall, then changed her location to the federal courthouse in […]
The Cedar Rapids City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday recognizing the urgency of taking action to address climate change and outlining steps for creating a community-wide sustainability plan. […]
Chants of “Green New Deal,” “this is what democracy looks like,” and “fossil fuels have got to go” filled the streets of Cedar Rapids on Friday night, as part of climate strikes organized around the country on Dec. 6. It was an emotional night for many, as marchers shared the reasons why they’re striking and the need for accelerated action to combat climate change. Around 120 people attended […]
The Linn County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Wednesday declaring a climate crisis in light of increased drought and heatwaves, decrease in the bird population and flooding throughout Iowa. The action by the supervisors occurred just days before people around the country — including in Cedar Rapids — prepare for the next […]
I saw the fallen larch early on the morning of Sept. 10 as I walked from the bus to my office in Jessup Hall. My eyes widened and my spirits dropped as, from a distance, I saw the tree lying flat on the ground. I audibly said, “Oh no.” Before I went to work, and before the remains of the tree would be gathered and taken away by university personnel […]
Two weeks after their rally with Greta Thunberg brought downtown Iowa City to a standstill, the organizers of the Iowa City Student Climate Strike (ICSCS) want to go mobile with their strike, with people all across Iowa City joining in. “Last week we started our roving climate strikes, where we’re just trying to go from one place to another,” […]
Fifteen months after securing $117 million in federal funding for its flood control system, Cedar Rapids held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first project paid for by that money, the 16th Avenue SE floodgate. City officials were joined by U.S. senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, Rep. Abby Finkenauer and officers from the Army Corps of Engineers for the ceremony at Lion Bridge on Tuesday afternoon. […]
Greta Thunberg, the 16 year-old Swedish activist who has become an international leader in the fight against climate change, will be in Iowa City on Friday. She will join the local activists in the Iowa City Student Climate Strike for an event on Ped Mall. The Iowa City Student Climate Strike is led by City High classmates Massimo Biggers and Alex Howe (who were Southeast Junior High students when they began their demonstrations). The pair have cited Thunberg as an inspiration […]
Change doesn’t happen overnight. For students in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD), change took 11 weeks of protest every Friday during school hours, and appearing before the school board to express their concerns about climate change.
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Today, Canada announced that, starting in January 2019, they will adopt a national price on carbon, with revenue from the fee returned directly to Canadians. This is wonderful news. The fact that Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada has been working with Parliament for the past eight years, urging them to implement such a policy, played no small part in making this happen. […]
The third debate between Gov. Kim Reynolds and Democrat Fred Hubbell was held at a time guaranteed to limit viewership, 8 a.m. on Sunday. That was unfortunate, because it was the most informative of the three debates. During the first two, the questions… […]
