By the Iowa City Student Climate Strikers Dear School Board Members, Researchers announced today that the last year — July 2019 to June 2020 — has been the hottest year on record, as heat waves and flooding rage across the globe. As Yale University wrote recently, “COVID-19 is the quiz, climate change is the final […]
Iowa City Student Climate Strike
As they mark their first anniversary, Iowa City Student Climate Strikers turn down award, join ‘digital strike’

Every week since they began demonstrating outside of the Iowa City Community School District offices on March 15, 2019, the Iowa City Student Climate Strike has reiterated their message of climate action through social media, letters to the editor and, of course, in-person protests. Massimo Biggers, Alex Howe, Ian Martinez, Maddie Peterson and the other […]
Letter to the editor: Help the climate strikers — send in a comment about Iowa City’s top polluter, the UI coal plant
Letter to the editor: Gov. Reynolds, what’s your climate plan?

We are writing as concerned high school students in Iowa. We are writing to ask you three questions: What is your climate emergency plan? Governors in 24 other states, including neighboring Wisconsin and Illinois, have committed to the U.S. Climate Alliance, and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025. Do you plan […]
Watch: Meet the Iowa Student Climate Strikers

The Iowa City Climate Strikers were voted the 2019 Best Environmental Advocates in the CRANDIC by Little Village voters. Get to know the strikers and how their weekly walk-outs helped push the climate justice conversation forward locally this year. Thanks to the The City of Iowa City Government for sponsoring the Best Environmental Advocate award! […]
Iowa City Student Climate Strike wants the community to join its ‘roving climate strikes’

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,” […]
Waterloo teacher who posted ‘sniper rifle’ Facebook comment about Greta Thunberg’s Iowa City visit resigns
‘Change is coming,’ Greta Thunberg tells crowd of thousands at the Iowa City Student Climate Strike rally

First came squeals from people near the stage, then a roar of cheers. The crowd of more than 3,000 gathered at the intersection of Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue Friday afternoon for the Iowa City Student Climate Strike rally, quickly switched to a chant of “Greta! Greta! Greta!” as the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg took the stage. She was joined by students who, inspired by her work, have led […]
Waterloo teacher placed on leave after Facebook comment about not having ‘my sniper rifle’ for Greta Thunberg’s Iowa City visit
Location for Iowa City Student Climate Strike rally featuring Greta Thunberg has been changed

On Wednesday afternoon, the Iowa City Student Climate Strike announced that Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who inspired the movement, would be joining the Iowa City students for a rally on the Ped Mall at noon. The response to that news was so overwhelming the event had to be moved to a larger venue to accommodate the anticipated crowd. […]
Climate activist Greta Thunberg will be in Iowa City on Friday (Updated)

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 […]
Open letter to UI President Bruce Harreld: End coal burning at the UI power plant immediately

We are writing to you as concerned high school climate strikers, University of Iowa students, alumni, staff and Iowa City and area residents. Last week, the University of California joined 7,000 other colleges and universities in committing to climate emergency plans. These institutions plan to reach carbon-neutral status by 2025. University of California President Janet Napolitano recognized “the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change.” […]