Guest Blogger

IEC is pleased to welcome guest bloggers on a number of different topics throughout the year. If you are interested in submitting a blog piece to IEC, contact us at iecmail@iaenvironment.org.

Blog posts by this Author:

• Why Environmental Justice Matters in Black Communities

  For many people, nature represents peace, healing, and connection. Parks, lakes, rivers, trails, and green spaces are often described and experienced as places where communities can recharge physically, mentally, and emotionally. But access to these spaces, a sense of belonging, and environmental justice has never been equal-especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

• Addressing CAFO Pollution Through Enhanced Waste Management and Research Initiatives

  After World War II, American meat production shifted towards industrial farms due to high demand, antibiotics, and the mechanization of agriculture. This increase in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), an industrialization of livestock production that keeps large groups of animals in a small area and generates massive quantities of manure. Read on to learn more.

• Early Prenatal Nitrate Exposure and Birth Outcomes: A Study of Iowa's Public Drinking Water

  Iowa is currently facing an unprecedented drinking water crisis. Recent reports indicate alarming nitrate levels in the Raccoon River; so high that city officials enacted emergency measures such as lawn water bans, to ensure water treatment facilities could comply with regulatory standards for safe drinking water. Unfortunately, at least for pregnant women, any level of nitrate in drinking water appears unsafe.

• Know Your Flood Risks-Iowa Flood Center Tools

  In response to catastrophic flooding in 2008, Iowa legislators established the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) at the University of Iowa's IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR) department, a world-renowned institute for education, research, and public service dedicated to solving some of the world's greatest water resources challenges. Read on to learn more.

• Elevated Nitrate in Iowa's Public Water Systems Disproportionately Affects Vulnerable Populations

  Iowa, a major agricultural producer of corn and swine in the US, has grappled with decades-long nitrate (NO3-) pollution in its rivers, lakes, and groundwater due to intensive farming practices and animal feeding operations. Nitrate originating from agricultural activities, industrial discharges, and wastewater treatment processes can contaminate drinking water sources such as groundwater and surface water bodies. Read the entire guest blog here.

• Reaching and Improving Iowa's Private Wells

  Gabriel E. Lade, Associate Professor of Economics at Macalaster College, provides insight on his newest publication: 'Improving Private Well Testing Programs: Experimental Evidence from Iowa'. This intervention served to better understand private well water quality monitoring, while exploring interventions to improve current testing rates. Read on to learn more.

• The Legacy of the IOWATER Program

  This guest blog comes from Dan Haug, Water Quality Specialist for IEC Member Organization Prairie Rivers of Iowa, a not-for-profit organization based in Ames. Read on below to learn more about his work and the legacy of the IOWATER Program.

• The Importance of Inviting All to Outdoor Spaces

  Read this week's guest blog from Kristen Morrow, a Johnson County Conservation Naturalist. This blog features a first-hand account of what inclusivity and accessibility can look like in environmental education. Kristen discusses the programs in Johnson County that seek out marginalized groups to foster environmental awareness, stewardship, and recreation. Read on to learn more.

• Drought to Deluge: The 2024 Floods of Northwest Iowa, and Adaptations to Come

  "Drought to Deluge" was written by Nick Blocha as a first-hand reflection of catastrophic flooding in northwest Iowa this summer. Blocha integrates emotional, personal accounts of his time in hands-on relief efforts, direct contact with some of those affected, as well as facts and relevant metrics looking at the causes of floods. Read on to learn more.

• What does environmental justice look like in the Heartland region?

  This guest blog is from Jeff Severin, Senior Program Manager at the Heartland Environmental Justice Center (HEJC) in Wichita, Kansas. Jeff details the meaning of environmental justice and how it impacts lives throughout the Midwest. The HEJC serves as a resource and advocate for marginalized communities to better understand local issues, and boost capacity to make meaningful and sustainable changes towards justice.

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