Category Archives: Environment

Morning Coffee, Climate Change And The 2018 Midterms

Posted on April 3, 2018 by

I first drank coffee in the Army… on top of a hill… during the dead of winter… from a mermite can. Steam rising from the lid proved irresistible when ambient temperatures were below zero and we had just slept on … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Environment | Tagged , , ,

Action Alert On Iowa Water Quality

Posted on August 4, 2017 by

Action alert and other info. from Senator Rob Hogg: On Saturday, August 19, join me at 1:30 p.m. for the City Manager’s “1-Bag Challenge” event at the McGrath Amphitheatre, 475 First St. SW, in Cedar Rapids. For more details, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , ,

Act On Climate — Scary Edition

Posted on July 19, 2017 by

You may have seen David Wallace-Wells’ New York Magazine article titled, “The Uninhabitable Earth.” It’s a scary article with frightful truths circulating on social media. Half truths according to Michael E. Mann, director of Earth System Science Center at Penn … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , ,

Waiting For Trump On Climate Action

Posted on May 30, 2017 by

While in Europe, Pope Francis and the G7 leaders bent President Trump’s ears about climate change. The Pope presented a copy of Laudato Sí, On Care For Our Common Home, his encyclical on consumerism, irresponsible development, environmental degradation and global … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , ,

Iowa Water Quality And Confirmation Bias

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

Progressives, farmers and environmentalists heard there is movement in the Iowa legislature to fund water quality and ears perked up — a natural impulse to interpret new events as supporting something we already believe or are working on, also known … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Farming, water | Tagged , , , ,

Rain Remains

Posted on January 20, 2017 by

Rain is the best natural resource left in Iowa, helping us grow crops without irrigation because of its abundance. If other parts of North America can more deserving be called America’s breadbasket — Central Valley, Imperial Valley and Salinas Valley … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , ,

Making Climate Change Personal

Posted on January 9, 2017 by

“We could use some of that global warming,” a truck driver told me. It was a joke. The ambient temperature was in the low teens and we both work outside as part of our jobs. If the weather were warmer … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , ,

2016 Revisited Do Not Despair

Posted on January 2, 2017 by

Following the mainstream news sources, we only get certain kinds of news.  Generally speaking,  bad news, superficial, biased, sensationalized news, sprinkled with dramatic over-reaction by the punditry in some cases or bewildering under-reaction (nothing to see here!) in others.  But … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , ,

How SILT Creates Farming Opportunities For Young Iowans

Posted on December 30, 2016 by

Sustainable Iowa Land Trust Meet Ben. Ben grew up in Cedar Falls, but after a stint volunteering on a farm decided to dedicate his life to it. He didn’t see Iowa offering the opportunity he was looking for, so he … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Farming | Tagged , , , ,

24 Hours of Reality — 2016 Edition

Posted on December 1, 2016 by

Who knows what President Trump’s impact on the environment will be? To hold ground environmental advocates have claimed since the Nixon administration, we can’t ignore the renewed challenges presented by the mogul’s rise to power. We don’t know what Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , ,