Grannies marched in the July 4th Coralville parade. We had great fun walking and riding on Lois and Merle H’s pickup and flat bed – many thanks to them for the “lift”. 100Grannies joined with other local organizations in the People’s Coalition – Iowa United Nations Association, PEACE Iowa, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Veterans for Peace – to share messages promoting actions for a sustainable future.
An action item for Grannies and other concerned citizens is to write to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding the pipeline and the extreme amount of Iowa water that they will use. The DNR must grant water use permits by Summit for the CO2 pipeline. The person to write to at the DNR is:
Mike Anderson, Senior Environmental Engineer, 6200 Park Avenue Suite 2, Des Moines, IA 50310 .
Or you can email a letter to: Michael.Anderson@DNR.Iowa.gov
Your message should be brief. Include your name and address. Below are some points that can be mentioned to support your opposition to the DNR granting water use permits to Summit:
The “bring your reusable bag” sign that a Grannie saw in the New Ulm HyVee store can be ordered by store Directors/Managers from the HyVee sign store. So let’s write to them to ask them to order the sign and post it near the entrance to their store. Use the sample letter at the bottom of the page, or write your own, and mail it or take it to any HyVee. It wouldn’t hurt to send more letters than less, hoping that at least one person thinks it’s a great idea. They could save money if customers bring their own bags!!
Below are all the HyVee’s in the Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty area and their Directors and/or Managers:
HyVee 8th Street – Director Aaron Lammers – 1914 8th Street
Coralville, Iowa 52241
HyVee Waterfront Drive – Director Kerry Sherlock and Store Manager Emily Bockelman – 1720 Waterfront Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52240
HyVee North Dodge Street – Director Kerry Sherlock and Store Manager Emily Bockelman – 1125 North Dodge Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52245
HyVee South First Avenue – Director Alex McDonald and Store Manager Tyler Rose – 812 South First Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa 52245
HyVee Drug Town – Store Manager Michael Hagerman – 310 North 1st Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa 52245
HyVee Crosspark Road – Director Elise Scheil and Assistant Managers of Store Operations: Jesse Barber and Peyton Garrow – 3285 Crosspark Road, Coralville, Iowa 52241
Below is a sample letter than can be used or modified:
To HyVee directors/managers:
I am a member of 100Grannies, a local environmental group. One of our members was recently in Minnesota and stopped at the HyVee store New Ulm. The first thing she noticed was the sign in the front window.
What a wonderful reminder for customers to bring their reusable bags. I shop at HyVee and I encourage you to post a similar sign for a front window to remind shoppers to use reusable bags. I believe that HyVee in Iowa can be a leader in reducing the use of single use plastic bags.
This sign is available from the HyVee Sign shop.
Please order it for your store. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Member of the 100Grannies.org
The 100Grannies co-hosted a Johnson County Supervisor candidate forum on environmental issues which was held May 20, 2024 at the Iowa City Public Library. For those who were not able to attend, follow this link to see a YouTube recording of the event.
The Grannies joined the festivities of the annual Iowa City Pride Parade on Saturday, June 15, 2024 while reminding parade-goers that climate justice is also a crucial issue affecting all and in need of advocacy because, as the placard says, “there is no planet B”.
The 100Grannies.org celebrated the 12th anniversary of the founding of their organization on April 23 at the Unitarian Universalist Society facility. The Grannies began their environmental work in April of 2012. Their work over the past years has included educating, agitating, and advocating for clean water, clean air, the elimination of single use plastic bags, stopping pipelines in Iowa, visiting legislators, and much more.
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.
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.
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.
On December 5, 2023, the 100Grannies enjoyed their annual winter stone soup celebration. This annual event takes the place of monthly meetings over the winter holiday season and is always a popular get-together.
This year’s event included a “roast” for Ann Christenson, pictured center below receiving a plaque honoring her many contributions to 100Grannies over its 12-year history. Ann was one of the original founding grannies and has been among the most active in protesting (including several arrests for getting into “good trouble”), writing editorials, and supporting causes for a sustainable future.
Grannies traveled to Des Moines on Tuesday November 14, 2023 to join the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) for a rally and protest. Over 500 signatures have been collected on a letter opposing the CO2 pipelines which were delivered at that time.
Thousands of Iowans across the state oppose CO2 pipeline projects because they:
The decision makers need to do everything in their power to stop these proposed pipelines. The Grannies continue their tradition of Making Good Trouble for a Livable Future.
Pictured below are Miriam K, Sally H, and Diane L holding a banner at the protest.
You must be logged in to post a comment.