Taking a stand for the Land - 1000 Friends of Iowa Annual Meeting
2019-11-23 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Cherry Glen Learning Farm, 3989 NW 94th Ave., Polk City, IA, United States
Join us for Taking a Stand for the Land – reviving the sponge!
1000 Friends of Iowa Annual Meeting
When: Saturday, November 23, 2019
Where: Cherry Glen Learning Center, 3989 NW 94th Ave, Polk City, IA 50226
What Time: 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Register today!
Join us for a day packed with information, old and new friends, great food and fun. With a focus on soil restoration and watershed management, we’ll start the day with a tour of the Cherry Glen Farm, followed by three great speakers and a delicious lunch!
Our speakers are:

Rich Leopold is well know in the state as a conservationist. Rich is the former Director of the Iowa Department of Natural resources and the former Executive Director of the Iowa Environmental Council . Currently the Director of the Polk County Conservation Board, Rich will talk about work that he has been involved in within Polk County and efforts to not only improve our parks, but also our soil and our watersheds.
Allison Van Pelt of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Allison will talk about the “Rain Campaign”. A project to improve soil and better manage rainwater/storm water throughout the Greater Des Moines metro area.
Linda Shenk of Iowa State University. Linda will tell us about a watershedproject she and students are working on in Story County.

Lunch will be provided. We will have vegan and gluten-free options available. Please RSVP by sending in your registration today!
RSVP By Clicking here:

Best Development Awards Ceremony and Luncheon
2020-01-21 11:45 - 13:30 | Iowa State Capitol Building First Floor Rotunda, 1007 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA, United States
Join us Tuesday, January 21 at the Iowa State Capitol Building for 1000 Friends of Iowa’s Best Development Awards Luncheon and Ceremony. We will be located in the first floor rotunda.
Join us in celebrating amazing projects from across Iowa that embody the principles of responsible land use, smart growth and sustainable development. We will be recognizing 13 projects in nine categories chosen by a panel of expert jurors.
The projects are from across the state and are models of innovative design and innovative solutions – all focused on improving the communities they are located in.
We will start serving the luncheon at 11:45 and will begin the ceremony shortly after. Please RSVP by clicking here.
PS, come early and join groups from across the state for Energy Efficiency day beginning at 9:30 am.

Heal House Solar Project Ribbon Cutting
2021-08-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Heal House, 906 S Jefferson Way, Indianola, IA, 501125, United States
Join us on Wednesday, August 11 at 10 am for the ribbon cutting of the new Heal House Solar Project in Indianola, IA.
The Indianola Sustainability Committee, which focuses on helping the City of Indianola move forward their sustainability goals, including responsible land use and conserving resources, wanted to do something special when a homeless advocate purchased an abandoned motel and renovated it into a homeless shelter.
Along with partners, including 1000 Friends of Iowa, the group, through the Warren County Group Buy program, facilitated efforts to raise money for the installation of a solar energy system for the homeless shelter. Tis project is an exciting one with responsible land use and smart growth efforts, as well taking one step to ensure the homeless community in Indianola is included in clean energy transition.

Des Moines Area Green Stormwater Infrastructure Bike Tour
2021-09-08 16:30 - 18:30 | Gay Lea Wilson Trail at Mally’s Park Trail Access, 5792 NE Berwick Dr, Berwick, Iowa, 50032, United States
Join us Wednesday, September 8th for a great two-hour tour of green stormwater infrastructure along the Gay Lea Wilson Trail. Meet @ Mally’s Park Trail Head 5792 NE Berwick Dr. Berwick, IA. Tour begins at 4:30 pm

For several years, the Des Moines metro has been hit hard by floods. One of the best ways to deal with flooding is to restore our landscape so that it is better equipped to handle the water. Come on the tour to check out what Polk County and the City of Des Moines have been doing to restore the landscape with green stormwater infrastructure, such as wetlands, oxbow restoration, bioswales, rain gardens and much more! The tour will be guided by John Swanson, Polk County Watershed Management Coordinator.

The trail is an easy, flat and shaded trail. The ride will be about 9 miles one way. If you cannot ride, we will have some locations that are accessible by car for you to join us.

Please Register at bit.ly/DSMbiketour.
For more information, contact: kari@1000friendsofiowa.org

1000 Friends of Iowa Annual Membership Meeting
2022-01-12 17:30 - 19:00 | https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-6pqzwrH9ARFssZ1yWeYS4BD-4J-crp
Join us for the 2021 annual membership meeting on January 12, 2022 starting at 5:30 pm. This meeting will be via zoom.
We will review the past year and what we’ve accomplished, get a preview of what’s to come in 2022, and we will hear from two guest Speakers:

Cassandra Sonne with the Center for Energy and the Environment (CEEE) at the University of Northern Iowa. Cassie is the program director of the brand new Resilient Iowa Communities program. Cassie will give us an overview and preview of the new program. This is a program that was developed as a direct result of the work that 1000 Friends of Iowa has done over the last four years. The program’s focus is to ensure that communities put sustainability of their “to do list”. It provides a menu of best practices in 5 categories, including Transportation and Land Use, as well as resources, technical support, and recognition for communities.
Allison Van Pelt, with the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Allison will talk about the innovative toolkit she created and other work she is doing to help communities in Central Iowa start to think about how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their communities and in the region.

In addition, we’ll get a sneak peek of the 2021 Best Development Awards Winners.
Don’t miss out! Register today! https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-6pqzwrH9ARFssZ1yWeYS4BD-4J-crp

Best Development Awards Ceremony
2022-01-27 11:00 - 13:30 | Iowa State Capitol Building First Floor Rotunda, 1007 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA, United States
Join us Thursday, January 27 at 11:00 am for our annual Best Development Awards Ceremony!
Our Best Development Awards is a highly respected awards program. The awards ceremony is an anticipated event at the Statehouse each January, attended by recipients, community members, and legislators. The awards showcase projects that employ the principals of smart growth, utilize the most resilient, efficient, and thoughtful development practices in different categories including:

Renovated Commercial
Transportation/Complete Streets
Innovative Leadership (Small and Large Community categories)
Renewable Energy
And much more!

The Best Development Awards not only recognize communities and businesses throughout the state doing impeccable work, but they also cause a ripple effect – educating and mobilizing individuals to dream big about responsible land use and serve as a shining example of what’s possible through smart, practical land use policy in Iowa.
* Currently, the BDA Ceremony is scheduled to take place on the First Floor Rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol Building. If covid cases should increase over the holidays, we may move the ceremony to a virtual platform.

Leveraging Federal Infrastructure Dollars for Clean Transportation
2022-06-02 11:00 - 12:15 | IA
Join 1000 Friends of Iowa and the Des Moines Area MPO on Thursday, June 2 at 11:00 am central for a great webinar on how cities can leverage federal infrastructure funds to advance clean transportation. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fr3wCdZbRvC2nSoSIMVslg
We will be joined by Beth Osborne from Transportation for America, who will walk us through the opportunities presented to local governments for investments in transit, walking, biking, rolling, electrification, and other climate-informed transportation allocations. Don’t miss out! Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fr3wCdZbRvC2nSoSIMVslg
A recent report from the Georgetown Climate Center highlighted how important these local decisions are, because the funds coming from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could actually increase greenhouse gas pollution if not used well.
Meanwhile, Headwaters Economics just released their findings that 75% of communities in the Midwest have little capacity to apply for the new funds or to think creatively about how to apply in ways that improve the quality of life for residents while decreasing pollution. If you work with local governments or state DOTs, don’t miss the opportunity to learn from Beth! Hope to see you there!
About Beth Osborne: Beth Osborne is the Director of Transportation for America, a national nonprofit committed to a transportation system that connects people to jobs and essential services by all modes of travel no matter their financial means or physical ability. Beth served as Acting Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she managed the TIGER Discretionary Grant program and the Secretary’s livability initiative as well as supporting stronger vehicle fuel economy standards, the national freight commission and several safety initiatives. She also worked for Sen. Tom Carper (DE) as an advisor for transportation, trade and labor policy, legislative director for environmental policy at the Southern Governors’ Association and legislative advisor to Reps. Ron Klink (PA-04) and Brian Baird (WA-03).
Please register in advance for the webinar by following this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fr3wCdZbRvC2nSoSIMVslg

Walk, Pedal, Ride -- Saving our landscapes by changing our streetscapes
2022-12-10 10:00 - 14:00 | Griffieon Family Farm, 11655 NE 6th, Ankeny, IA, 50023, United States
Join us for our 24th annual meeting – a day packed with information, old and new friends, great food and fun. With a focus on transportation, we’ll get a sneak peek at a new report by 1000 Friends of Iowa, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, MoveMN, and Transit Riders United which looks at how transportation and land use shows up in climate plans and if those goals are reflected in comprehensive land use plans and local transportation plans. We will follow this with great speakers who will discuss what it is going to take to get people out of their cars and on the bus or using other modes of transportation. They’ll take about the challenges and ways that we can get involved. We will follow up with a delicious lunch and plans for the coming year!

We have two great speakers — Josh Mandelbaum who is a city council member for the city of Des Moines and a Commissioner for the Des Moines Regional Transit Authority; and Alec Davis, a well know entrepreenuer in central Iowa and the president of the Des Moines Street Collective. The location is the Griffieon Farm 11655 NE 6th Street, Ankeny, IA

When
December 10th, 2022 10:00 AM through 2:00 PM

Location

11655 NE 6th Street
Griffieon Farm
Ankeny, IA 50023
