UPDATE (Dec. 7, 2015) The agenda item on asbestos has been postponed until January or February. Kelli Book, attorney for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said school district officials are meeting with the DNR and Abatement Specialties is being allowed the same opportunity. The Cedar Rapids School District issued a response to the report. […]
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Category: Environment
DNR to hear comments on pipeline through...
The Iowa Utilities Board heard comments about the proposed Bakken pipeline that would run diagonally through Iowa; now it’s the Department of Natural Resources’ turn. Public comments can be made during the upcoming DNR meeting from 5-7 p.m. Dec. 16, 2015, in Des Moines. The pipeline would cut through 18 counties in Iowa and Gov. […]
More reasons to eat organic and info on ...
This quote from “Fast Food Nation” author, Eric Schlosser, makes a great point about organic food that some of us may rarely consider: “One of the main reasons to eat organic is not because there may be some minor pesticide residue on the food that may harm you, but because farmworkers are being poisoned on […]
Majority of pipeline supporters speaking...
The Iowa Utilities Board will hear from both supporters and opponents of the Bakken oil pipeline during a hearing this week to decide if the pipeline is for the good of Iowa.
Cedar Rapids opponents plan to attend Ba...
President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline has been making headlines, but Iowans still face having a crude oil pipeline run through the state. The Iowa Utilities Board will begin the Bakken pipeline hearing next week to determine if the pipeline serves the “convenience and necessity” of Iowans. Public comments will run 9 a.m. […]
How to make “seed bombs” event at Cornel
Our pollinators, particularly bees and monarch butterflies, need all the help they can get. An upcoming event at Cornell College in Mount Vernon will draw attention to their plight. Mike Bianco, a visiting artist at Cornell, is holding a workshop on how to make “seed bombs” to help encourage pollination. The event, in room 313 […]
Removing the “green” from Greene Square
CEDAR RAPIDS — Greene Square Park, residents of Cedar Rapids (hopefully) know, is named for one of the city’s founders, Judge George Greene, and isn’t a misspelling of the word “green.” Still, it was nice to have that pocket of green in the middle of the city, where warm days would bring out downtown workers […]
Emerald Ash Borer discovered in Cedar Ra...
Given the other infestations in Iowa, it was only a matter of time before the emerald ash borer was detected in Cedar Rapids. A member of Iowa’s emerald ash borer team discovered live larvae on an ash tree at an Interstate 380 rest area in southern Cedar Rapids, state officials announced this morning.
Finding retired Sen. Harkin out on the f...
On a freelance assignment this weekend on a farm in western Iowa, I bumped into former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, looking rather refreshed after being retired since the end of his term in January. Harkin last month endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president and wasn’t back-tracking on his decision.
New Pioneer to eliminate plastic bags at...
New Pioneer Food Co-op will no longer offer handled plastic bags at the checkout counter, as of the end of August. The co-op will still offer paper bags at checkout and plans to give away reusable bags for several days in the coming weeks. Cities in California were among the first in the United States […]