Category: Environment - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

February Green Drinks - PACG Event

1/18/2022

February Green Drinks - Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative
Tuesday, February 1st at 5:00 pm

Environmental Forum

Join us on Tuesday, February 1st from 5 - 7 pm for our February Green Drinks. You will hear from Jennifer Wendt, Mississippi River Cities & Town Initiative (MRCTI), Plastic Waste Reduction Campaign Manager.

In October 2021, many Quad Cities residents participated in this initiative by tracking litter collected along our waterways. Jennifer will summarize the data collected and share the next step for this initiative with us.

Please register in advance at: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/

Susan Leuthauser

January Environmental Celebration - National Bird Day

1/18/2022

January Environmental Celebration - National Bird Day
Wednesday, January 5th

Environmental Forum

January 5th was National Bird Day. The Environmental forum is celebrating birds for the entire month of January. North America lost 3 billion birds in the past 50 years and we need to take action to protect them.

Susan Leuthauser

Green Drinks in 2021 - After Action Report

1/17/2022

Green Drinks 2021 - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum held 11 Green Drinks events in 2021. Since March 2019, we have met monthly to network and listen to a presentation by a subject matter expert. In spite of the pandemic, Green Drinks continues to meet virtually on the first Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 pm. Watch this space for our 2022 gatherings, we have exciting programs coming up.

In January of 2022 the Executive Director of Citizen Climate International Joseph Robertson gave an inspiring talk about what happened at COP26. He gave us hope and motivated us to continue to do our advocacy work.

Susan Leuthauser

After Action Report - the Environmental Forum in 2021

1/17/2022

2021 Environmental Forum Activities - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum had a busy 2021. Here's summary of our activities:

Held ten Green Drinks virtual events and one Green Drinks in-person gathering.
Celebrated one specific environmental day/issue each month and published an informational and take-action flier (images and flyers below).
Held a weekly outreach table at the Farmers' Market during the market season.
The theme for the 2021 Earth Day was “Restore the Earth” and we celebrated this occasion with 2 events:
- Screened the film “Kiss the Ground,” followed by a panel discussion on the topic by soil conservation experts.
- Hosted an Earth Day Fair at the Farmers Market.
Supported City Council woman Judith Lee’s effort to pass the Davenport Resolution in support of a policy for Energy, Environmental, and Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency.
Participated in the St. Ambrose University Sustainability Fest.
Supported the NAACP Environmental Justice Committee Events.
Participated in several local cleanup efforts.
Participated in the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative to collect plastic waste data.
Worked with Rock Island County residents to address the issue of the closing of the recycling centers.
Worked with the Davenport North High School Environmental Club students on their environmental projects.
Actively participated as a member of the QC Earth Coalition and River Action Steering Committee.
Supported NAACP Environmental Justice Group events.
Initiated the QC Voter Turnout/Voter information project.

We have made our 2021 Monthly Environmental Celebrations into two flyers. They print off nicely back-to-back to make a perfect placemat for the family. We have attached the flyers here as pdfs of Side 1 and Side 2.

Susan Leuthauser

2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_1.pdf
File Size:	1489 kb
File Type:	pdf

2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_2.pdf
File Size:	1271 kb
File Type:	pdf

QC Environment Film Series

1/12/2022

2022 Environmental Film Series
Various Dates, Sundays at 2:00 pm

Figge Art Museum
225 W. 2nd Street
Davenport, IA (map)

River Action

Plastic Pollution Initiative - After Action Report

12/22/2021

Plastic Pollution Initiative - After Action Report

Mississippi River City and Town Initiative

For the month of October, numerous organizations in the QC region participated in citizen scientist data collection. Those of us in the Environmental Forum participated in collecting litter and submitting information about the specifics to the Marine Debris Tracker app on our phones. Staff at the University of Georgia, National Geographic, and the United Nations Environment Programme analyzed the data and provided an overview at a Zoom conference on November 17th.

Data was collected from 6476 volunteers, who collected debris from an area equivalent to over 10,000 football fields. Significant take-aways included that the largest sources of litter were cigarette butts and food wrappers, with 76% of the material being made of plastic. What will be done with this data depends in large part upon our city commitments to reduce litter, particularly plastic litter. Ideas discussed at the meeting included modifying city contracts with mowing companies, who may not always clear trash before mowing. The trash is then chopped into little pieces, which then permeates our soil and water. There was also discussion of expanding Keep America Beautiful projects, and increasing the number of trash and recycling receptacles all around our communities. If you are interested in working on a litter campaign, contact the Environmental Forum.

Lori McCollum

January Green Drinks - What Happened at COP26?

12/22/2021

What happened at COP26? - Green Drinks
Tuesday, January 4th at 5:00 pm

Join us on January 4th at 5 pm for the first Green Drinks of 2022. Joseph Robertson, who led a delegation of 23 at COP26 in Glasgow, will share with us his experience and takeaways from the conference. Joe is the Executive Director of Citizen Climate International.

Please register in advance at: zoom.us/meeting/register

Susan Leuthauser

World Soil Day - Environmental Monthly Celebration

11/28/2021

World Soil Day - Sunday, December 5th
December Environmental Celebration

In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly designated December 5th as World Soil Day to focus on the critical nature of healthy soil, and to advocate for the sustainability in soil management.

Soil is an important ecosystem that contributes to human health. It is a habitat for many species, and combats climate change by storing carbon. Currently one third of global soils are damaged by hazardous waste, pesticides, fertilizers and other debris. Soil pollution is often invisible, but it, nonetheless, degrades soil and poisons our food and water.

Half of the earth’s habitable land is used for agriculture. Practices like diverse crop rotation, nutrient management and conservation tillage help rebuild healthy soil. Successful soil management feeds the soil, reduces erosion, improves soil structure, enhances nutrient cycling and water retention, increases soil biodiversity, and sequesters carbon.

Today, American lawns occupy 30-40 million acres of land. Lawn care adds chemicals to the soil, and fuel spilled from lawn equipment further pollutes the soil. Small changes like using organic fertilizer, replacing gas-powered equipment with electric, changing the type of grass, interplanting with clover or native plants, and watering more efficiently, will help regenerate the soil.

Take Action Steps:

If you aren’t doing it, start composting. You don’t need a backyard to do it.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home or
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-create-and-maintain-indoor-worm-composting-bin

Take care of your lawn in an environmentally friendly way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4r88u8euYU

Susan Leuthauser

December Green Drinks - PACG Event

11/24/2021

December Green Drinks - Restoration of the River
Tuesday, December 7th at 5:00 pm

Environmental Forum

Join us on Tuesday, December 7th at 5 pm to find out how to restore the Mississippi River. Olivia Dorothy, Director, Upper Mississippi Basin at American Rivers, is going to talk to us about how floodplain restoration can be used as a tool to remove downstream nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that runs off from agricultural land.

Please register in advance at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

Green is the New Black - What You Can Do Now

11/24/2021

Green Is the New Black

Environmental Forum

We encourage you to re-think your holiday gift-giving spending! Here are some suggestions. And visit https://betterworldshopper.org to learn how to be a more responsible consumer.

Download this flyer below and share it with your family and friends.

Lori McCollum

green_is_the_new_black.pdf
File Size:	2971 kb
File Type:	pdf