100Grannies

Each year, 100 Grannies donate books to the Iowa City Community School District.  This activity was Barbara Schlachter’s idea and we have been doing this since 2015.  Our first book donation in 2015 was Buried Sunlight, by Penny Chisholm.  We began donating books just to the elementary schools, and now we donate to elementary, junior high, and senior high schools throughout the district.  The books are chosen by teachers in the district.  Below are the books chosen for 2024.

Elementary Schools

Jumper: A Day In the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider

By Jessica Lanan

A bold nonfiction story following a day in the life of a backyard jumping spider – meticulously researched and utterly charming. Open this book to discover the vibrant, hidden life of a backyard jumping spider.

What if you were small as a bean,
Could walk on the walls and ceiling,
Sense vibrations through your elbows,
And jump five times your body length?
That is Jumper’s world.

The Tree and the River

By Aaron Becker

A spectacular time-lapse portrait of humankind—and our impact on the natural world—from a Caldecott Honor–winning master of the wordless form

In an alternate past—or possible future—a mighty tree stands on the banks of a winding river, bearing silent witness to the flow of time and change. A family farms the fertile valley. Soon, a village sprouts, and not long after, a town. Residents learn to harness the water, the wind, and the animals in order to survive and thrive. The growing population becomes ever more industrious and cleverer, bending nature itself to their will and their ambition: redirecting rivers, harvesting lumber, reshaping the land, even extending daylight itself. . .

Junior High Schools

Mission: Arctic: A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole

by Katharina Weiss-Tuider (Author), Christian Schneider (Illustrator)

The Arctic is changing—fast. The once-frozen landscape is melting before our eyes, and the effects can be felt around the world. But the Arctic is also the region we know the least about. Thick ice, extreme cold, and total darkness have always prevented scientists from uncovering its secrets. Until now.

This science-based guide for middle readers follows the 2019 MOSAiC expedition on the largest expedition to the Arctic ever undertaken. On board the Polarstern, a powerful ice-breaker research vessel, more than five hundred scientists from all over the world turned their attention to this mysterious region. Their mission? To let their vessel freeze in the sea ice and drift towards the North Pole in order to study how the Arctic is changing, and how these changes will affect our world.

High Schools

The 21: the true story of the youth who sued the US Government over climate change

By Elizabeth Rusch

In the ongoing landmark case Juliana vs. United States, twenty-one young plaintiffs claim that the government’s support of the fossil-fuel industry is actively contributing to climate change, and that all citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate—especially children and young adults, because they cannot vote and will inherit the problems of the future.

Elizabeth Rusch’s The Twenty-One is a gripping legal and environmental thriller that tells the story of twenty-one young people and their ongoing case against the U.S. government for denying their constitutional right to life and liberty. A rich, informative, and multifaceted read, The Twenty-One stars the young plaintiffs and their attorneys; illuminates the workings of the United States’s judicial system and the relationship between government, citizens’ rights, and the environment; and asks readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.

Tending Iowa’s Land

By Corneila Mutel

In the last 200 years, Iowa’s prairies and other wildlands have been transformed into vast agricultural fields. This massive conversion has provided us with food, fiber, and fuel in abundance. But it has also robbed Iowa’s land of its native resilience and created the environmental problems that today challenge our everyday lives: polluted waters, increasing floods, loss and degradation of rich prairie topsoil, compromised natural systems, and now climate change.

In a straightforward, friendly style, Iowa’s premier scientists and experts consider what has happened to our land and outline viable solutions that benefit agriculture as well as the state’s human and wild residents.

The 2024 Barbara Schlachter Memorial Lecture Series is a partnership between the Senior Center and 100Grannies for a Livable Future.  For 10 years, this team of women has been working to inform and activate communities by drawing attention to risks in our environment. Meet some of the leaders who help us achieve leadership in Iowa for environmental action and transparency. Come to engage with them.  What priorities do you care about and what can you do to support these efforts?

Wednesdays March 6 to 27   5:30 – 6:30

Location: Hybrid – Room 302 or by Zoom (link will be sent to those who register)

Register online at icgov.org/senior/registration or call 319-356-5220 or in-person at the Senior Center M-F 8-5 pm

March 6

Dr. Peter Thorne is professor in the UI College of Public Health’s Department of Occupational & Environmental Health and co-director of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center. He has held a number of prominent national leadership positions, including serving as chairman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board. He will discuss “What is the U.S. Doing About Climate Change?”

March 13

Dr. Charles O. Stanier, professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa. He will discuss anticipated impacts of climate change on wildfires and air quality in the U.S.  “Older Wiser and Prepared for Disasters” is an initiative of the College of Public Health which enables people to prepare for unexpected weather events.

March 20

Jessica Wiskus lives in Lisbon where she’s been working with neighbors to oppose the CO2 pipeline since it was proposed in the fall of 2021.  In the struggle to stand firm and strong, neighbors have been reaching across the state, demonstrating extraordinary trust and support. What strategies have been effective and what do the landowners say they need right now to stand strong.  A video of her lecture is available here

March 27  

Megan Hill, CNP | LEED Green Associate for the City of Iowa City is coordinating many of the climate initiatives for Iowa City.  She will discuss the Climate Action team’s 2024 Energy Blitz on April 20th.   Learn what goals our city is achieving on climate action and about the initiatives which involve community members.

The 100Grannies Fall Film Series is underway with showings at the Iowa City Senior Center on Thursdays from 3:00 – 5:00. The series of four films is described here.  The audience has been excited about the films and expressed appreciation for the handouts available and educational information shared at the showings.