Blog – Iowa Environmental Voice

posted by Kean Roberts on Friday, June 19, 2026 Play is a necessary component for a child's development with increased benefits coming from unstructured, natural environments. This article demonstrates those differences between natural and domesticated play environments.

posted by Kean Roberts on Thursday, June 18, 2026 Outdoor opportunities for play exist across Iowa but safety can be a concern. A little preparation can help reduce the most common risks and allow more time for exploration

posted by Kean Roberts on Friday, June 12, 2026 For many Iowans, fishing is not just a hobby; it's dinner. When humans consume forever chemicals, they increase their risk for increased cholesterol levels, lower birthweights, decreased antibody responses to vaccines in children, various cancers (e.g., kidney, testicular, prostate, ovarian, non-Hodgkin lymphoma), pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia, changes in liver enzymes, as well as other health effects.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Water is a necessity of life. Not just human life, but the lives of fish, macroinvertebrates, and other wildlife. As anglers, we see this every time we go to lakes, rivers, or streams. In northeast Iowa, the trout streams are delicate ecosystems that are susceptible to degradation of water quality and reductions in water quantity.

posted by Colleen Fowle on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 For many Iowans, nitrate pollution becomes a headline only when water utilities ask us to reduce water use or when our favorite public beach closes because of a toxic algal bloom. But more Iowans are realizing that nitrate is a year-round and growing problem in our state, with scientific evidence that these record-high levels are impacting not just our lawns and recreation time, but our health and lives.

posted by Guest Blogger on Thursday, May 28, 2026 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.

posted by Cody Smith on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 Over the past two years, IEC has renewed our focus on combating the most harmful effects of climate change in Iowa communities.

posted by Raihan Rashidi on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 After decades of relatively flat electricity demand, the United States is entering a period of rapid growth in energy needs. The country's transmission system has not kept pace. Large amounts of new generation are waiting to connect to the grid, creating congestion and supply bottlenecks that drive up electricity costs. This is where advanced transmission technologies come into play to enable more electricity to flow through the grid in a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective way.

posted by Colleen Fowle on Thursday, March 12, 2026 The true measure of a nutrient reduction strategy must be improved water quality with documented reductions in nitrogen. Scattered, uncoordinated efforts, however well-intentioned, are neither fiscally responsible nor timely enough to address the state's water quality and public health crisis.

posted by Noah Daniel on Thursday, March 5, 2026 As Iowa's energy landscape continues to evolve, communities across the state face an important moment of opportunity. Renewable energy has long played a key role in Iowa's economic success, environmental leadership, and rural vitality.