This week in Iowa organizing…
This morning, CCI members attended the Worth County Board of Supervisors meetings to deliver 462 petition signatures (463 if you count a paw print) from residents in Worth County urging them to take action against the proposed CO2 pipeline.
If that's not a display of grassroots people-power, I'm not sure what is!
Thanks to all the folks who went canvassing with us over the past week to collect signatures! We had great conversations with folks, nearly all in support of wanting their Supervisors to take action by passing an ordinance to add needed protections for our communities should a pipeline be built.
Let's keep taking action for the people and places we love,
Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director
Member spotlight
Lori Young
Polk County
What got you involved with CCI? What keeps you engaged/motivated? Who are you fighting for?
"Justice and fairness are my top personal values. I have always considered myself a "rebel without a cause". I always wished I had been a young adult in the 1960s or 1970s. I would have been a marching, big afro-wearing, fist-in-the-air, activist! How amazing it would have been to be part of those sweeping racial and social justice movements for civil and human rights, racial equity, women's liberation, etc. But I was only a kid at the time.
I was introduced to Iowa CCI by a friend back around 2006 or so. One of our first campaigns I really got involved in was the fight to keep a grocery store open on the north side of Des Moines. That grocery store is still here today. I’ve been involved in many of our campaigns over the years since then, most recently with our work to combat racial profiling by the police.
We fight for the underdog, the disenfranchised, the small family farmer, the racially-profiled young Black man, the uninsured, the blue collar worker, the new immigrant filled with dreams, clean water, a fair living wage, well-funded and free public schools. IMPORTANT STUFF! We're about people over profit and politics. We're about improving our communities, improving people's lives, because we understand that we all do better when we ALL do better.
So here I am nearly 20 years later, still standing strong with my CCI peeps, hoping and working for a better Iowa for ALL! What keeps me motivated is that our community still has too many unresolved social and political issues - the work is not done. And we don't give up. I won't give up. The victories we've had came slow and with great personal sacrifice, yet they keep me inspired. What we do at Iowa-CCI makes a difference.”
Take action
August 20: get ready for Summit's informational meetings
Summit Carbon Solutions will be holding pipeline informational meetings between August 26 – September 20 for phase two of their proposed route. Click here for dates and locations. To learn more about what these informational meetings are like and what you can do to prepare, join us on August 20 at 6:30 PM.
What: An online meeting to learn more about Summit’s informational meetings
Where: Join us by calling in on your phone or via computer
When: Tuesday, August 20 from 6:30 PM – 8 PM
Why: If you want to get ahead of the game and learn more about what these informational meetings will look like this meeting is for you. CCI members will share what these meetings have looked like in the past and together we’ll brainstorm what questions to ask, and what comes after the informational meetings
How: RSVP to join us by calling 515 282 0484 or click here.
August 27 & 28: Public School Strong Iowa
We believe that every child – no matter their zip code, background, race, gender, identity, or ability – has an equal right to a quality education. That means fully funding our public schools, urban and rural, and it means we need local school boards free from partisan politics.
And it's why we're part of Public School Strong - a national movement of parents, teachers, students, and community members pushing for honest, equitable, safe, and fully-funded public education. Join us online to learn more and discuss ways to take action to defend and strengthen Iowa’s public schools!
September 5: CCI meet-up at the Des Moines Art Center
We're hosting an Iowa CCI meet up at the Des Moines Art Center on Thursday, September 5 and we'd love for you to be there! Join us to explore their powerful new exhibit “Hurricane Season”:
“Hurricane Season” is about a home under threat, cycles of environmental and political violence, repair even when more is coming and inevitable. It is about a home worth rebuilding, even under these conditions. The work speaks to climate change and the difficult experiences surrounding weather and nature.
We'll meet up at 5 pm for light refreshments and to learn about the exhibit from their Museum Learning and Engagement Manager. Then you're free to explore the exhibit on your own or with a newly made CCI connection. :)
More information and sign up to join us here!
Rescheduled to Sept. 10: Mitchell County Conservation - say NO to Summit
Bruce Rastetter’s Summit Carbon Solutions’ greed has no bounds. They may stop at nothing to make a buck at the expense of our health and environment. One clear example is unfolding in Mitchell County.
Summit has requested survey access through Nelson Paradise, a public wildlife area that is home to rare and threatened plants and animals, where they want to push through their hazardous CO2 pipeline.
Join us in person at the Milton R. Owen Nature Center in Osage on Tuesday, September 10, at 7:00pm when the Mitchell County Conservation Board will vote to deny or approve Summit’s request. Join CCI and members of the community to make your voice heard!
RSVP here to let us know you’re coming.
Say NO to the EATS Act!
The EATS Act was introduced by Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Kansas Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS). It’s designed to prohibit state and local governments from making agricultural policies within their own borders.
If passed, this bill would be a race to the bottom for animal welfare, food safety, and national food sovereignty. That's because it would strip states’ abilities to make laws that protect public health, animal health and welfare, farmers, and the environment.
To learn more about this bill you can watch a webinar from our allies at Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors here, then learn ways to take action here.
Updates
Thanks for taking action for our water!
This summer Iowa CCI signed onto a legal petition with Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take emergency action to protect our water! Last week we submitted a letter urging the EPA to use its power to protect our drinking water in that area. It was filled with comments and signatures from over 240 CCI members and supporters urging the EPA to take this seriously, like the one below from a member in South West Iowa.
As a nurse, I am very concerned about the high cancer rates in Iowa. I am also concerned about the proliferation of factory farms and how negatively it impacts rivers and streams. I live on a lake in Iowa that has been recently impacted by E. coli. I am concerned about safe drinking water in the state, there seems to be no end to the approval of permits for factory farms, there should be at least one region in Iowa that remains an unpolluted respite. – Pat Fuller, Council Bluffs
Thank you for taking action!! You can read the letter and additional comments here.
People Power is How We Win!
Thanks again to all of you who joined us on Saturday, Aug. 10 for our Summer Membership Meeting! Staff are still coming down from all the feels from the day and calls to take action for the people and places we love.
Many of you asked us for videos from our Fearless Truth Tellers panel and keynote speech from Dr. James E. Ford, you can check them out here!
And a special bonus: Poweshiek County member John Clayton put together this great slideshow of the day. (If you took a picture of the action table, you're in it!) And, here are the photos from our photographer Karl.a Conrad.
Water Talk
Let's talk about water! Below we have a selection of some stories that caught our eye relating to water quality and ways to take action for our water.
Articles of interest:
Congressional candidate pushes water quality in SE Iowa stops [Ottumwa Courier]
State cost-share will fund water quality practices around nine public lakes [Southeast Iowa Union]
We're excited to announce Milt Owen as guest speaker for our August 29 call!
Milt Owen is the retired Mitchell County Conservation Director. He has been a major part of water quality monitoring and testing since 2006 - testing 10 different sites along the Cedar River with the County Conservation, DNR, and Soil and Water District.
His dedication to conservation is honored by Mitchell County with the Milton R. Owen Nature Center. The nature center is a place of learning and fun for all ages.
Milt will share with us:
History on how Iowa's water got here - politics maybe?
Iowa volunteer water testing - what was learned in almost 20 years of monitoring
The importance of building relationships - it takes organizing to make change
We'll also have time to connect and hear how your water testing is going.
We hope you can join us! RSVP here to get the Zoom information.
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
Meet a family that's betting the farm on a wild idea. Literally [New York Times]
Gov. Reynolds rejects millions in aid for food-insecure Iowa families (again) [Little Village]
Why is cancer rising in Iowa and not elsewhere? Look at our agriculture practices [Des Moines Register]
Florida college empties gender diversity library, tosses hundreds of books [USA Today]
Ignoring racism won't fix racism: a response to Robyn Blumner's misguided essay [Friendly Atheist]