Over the next year, the City of Des Moines will be updating their very old and outdated zoning code. This is a great opportunity for 1000 Friends of Iowa to encourage the city to codify smart growth and sustainability! Today in a special P&Z meeting we will hear an update from consultants the city hired … Continue reading Des Moines Planning and Zoning Special Meeting →

This bike ride is a fun way to get more involved with the Pipeline Resistance Movement, that is not only happening in Standing Rock, but also all throughout Iowa.  This bike ride will raise funds and awareness for the No Bakken Legal Defense Fund. Enjoy music by Steve and Michaela McLain, food, and bikes. Children … Continue reading BRAP- Bike Ride Against Pipelines →

You’re invited to the University of Iowa to join this cross-sector collaboration aimed to elevate intercultural perspectives and build policy presence for deeper consideration of rural creative placemaking. Held October 12-14, 2016 at the University of Iowa, this gathering will share reflections from Regional Network members, connect lessons across geographies, and present a sustained argument … Continue reading Rural Creative Placemaking Summit →

Please join the Iowa Chapter of Sierra Club for a day of food, conversation, interesting ideas, and celebration for the Iowa Chapter’s Annual Dinner.  The dinner will be local and sustainably produced foods prepared by the extraordinary chef, Donna Prizgintas. Donna was the personal chef to many well-known Hollywood stars including Warren Beatty, Annette Bennng … Continue reading The Iowa Chapter of Sierra Club Annual Dinner →

Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time will speak Monday, Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City. The event is free and open to the public. Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates … Continue reading Walkability Lecture: Author Jeff Speck in Iowa City →

Join The Iowa Association for Energy Efficiency (IAEE) from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 for the Emerging Professionals Workshop.  The workshop is open to all industry professionals – whether you’re “breaking in” or an “old hat” this added event will have something for you.  Learn more about the workshop here. Dr. Holmes Hummel will kick … Continue reading Iowa Energy Summit →

Join the Science Center of Iowa as they explore the delicate relationship between nitrogen’s necessity and the societal implications of excess nitrogen on ourselves and our landscapes with Dr. Peter Levi. Dr. Peter Levi is an assistant professor in environmental science and policy at Drake University. His research investigates patterns and processes in freshwater ecosystems, combining … Continue reading Nitrogen: Streams, Society & Statewide Impact →

Iowa State University presents “Fiction, the Future and Environmental Crisis,” a lecture by Margaret Atwood, revered author, poet and environmental activist whose more than forty books include "The Handmaid's Tale," "The Blind Assassin," and the MaddAddam trilogy featuring "Oryx and Crake." The lecture is free and open to the public. Find more information here, http://www.event.iastate.edu/event/38426

The Urban Land Institute Iowa, Greater Des Moines Partnership, and City of Des Moines will host two public meetings on Nov. 2  at noon to 1 pm or 6 to 7:30 pm at the Downtown Public Library. Speakers include walkability consultant/author Jeff Speck and the engineering firm Nelson/Nygaard. Share your ideas and concerns on how the city can improve … Continue reading Connect Downtown Public Meetings →

The Women, Food and Ag Network 2016 annual conference is set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center, Nebraska City, Neb. The conference theme is Women, Culture, and Permaculture: Making a Living in Harmony with the Land, featuring keynote speaker Karryn Olson-Ramanujan. Learn more and register for the conference at … Continue reading Women, Food & Ag Network Annual Conference →