Bill McKibben to Speak at Annual Conference

Save the Date: October 15, 2010

Our 2010 Annual Conference promises to be better than ever. We're lining up another roster of remarkable speakers, including Bill McKibben. McKibben is an American environmentalist and writer who frequently writes about climate change and alternative energy and advocates for more localized economies. Beginning in the summer of 2006, he led the organization of the largest demonstrations against global warming in American history. In 2009 he led the organization of 350.org, which coordinated what Foreign Policy magazine called "the largest ever global coordinated rally of any kind," with 5,200 simultaneous demonstrations in 181 countries. The magazine named him to its inaugural list of the 100 most important global thinkers, and MSN named him one of the dozen most influential men of 2009. McKibben is active in the Methodist Church, and his writing is sometimes spiritual in nature. Al Gore wrote in 2007 that "when I was serving in the Senate, Bill McKibben’s descriptions of the planetary impacts... made such an impression on me that it led, among other things, to my receiving the honorific title 'Ozone Man' from the first President Bush.”

He currently resides with his wife, writer Sue Halpern, and their only daughter, Sophie. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College, where he also directs the Middlebury Fellowships in Environmental Journalism. He is also a fellow at the Post Carbon Institute.

Please save the date, plan to attend and watch this site for more updates.

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Iowa Stars in "King Corn" Sequel

 

"Big River" Explains How Iowa Farm Chemicals Contribute to Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico 

"Big River," a new documentary that tracks the trail of fertilizers and chemicals used to produce a single acre of corn, aired on February 18 to an audience of 130, at the Fleur Cinema and Cafe in Des Moines. The film examined how farm run-off travels through waterways to eventually reach the Gulf of Mexico, where that pollution causes an aquatic dead zone. The film was followed by questions and answers from a panel of experts...

Jerry Peckumn is a farmer from Greene County, Iowa, where he farms over 2000 acres with his son, Tom.  Jerry raises corn, soybeans and a small herd of natural beef.  On his farm, he uses sound land management tools to minimize runoff and protect the soil.  He has created and maintains forty acres of natural prairie and forest for wildlife habitat. Jerry graduated from ISU with a degree in Ag Business and spent many years working with farmers in agriculture banking before farming fulltime.

Sarah Carlson coordinates Practical Farmers of Iowa's On-farm Research Program and organizes specific outreach focused on cover crops, non-GMO and organic corn hybrid testing and soil and water quality monitoring. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador for 2.5 years, initiating 4 community banks and increasing farmers’ use of low input farming methods. She is originally from northern Illinois and is 1generation "off" the farm. She has a Master's degree in Agronomy and Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and has lived and worked on farms in Illinois, Iowa and Vermont.

Richard Cruse is a professor in the Agronomy Department at Iowa State University and the Director of the Iowa Water Center.  His research program involves field and laboratory research in soil and crop management, applied soil physics, and soil fertility, with the aim of evaluating the effect of tillage and cropping systems on soil physical properties, soil and water conservation, and crop growth and yield.

Coverage by WHO Channel 13 is shown at right.

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Environmental Lobby Day

Thanks for letting lawmakers know you care 

Iowa Environmental Council staff, members and representatives from our member organizations gathered January 19, 2010, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the first floor rotunda of the Iowa Capitol Building in Des Moines. We announced our 2010 legislative priorities at a press conference at 11:00 a.m. You can download a document summarizing our 2010 priorities by clicking on the link in the "What's New" sidebar.

 

 

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The Iowa Environmental Council is a non-profit organization, working in collaboration with its member organizations and others, to ensure that Iowa rules, regulations and laws sufficiently protect our water, air, soil, plants and wildlife for current and future generations. Please consider supporting our work. You can make a donation and/or become a member by clicking on the "Donate Now" button, on the blue sidebar.

 

 

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