Here I can talk about the video
Our Communities; Our Stories
Farmers
"The river had covered all of my fall crops and the entire acre of lowland where they had been planted. I remember looking out over it and only being able to see the very tops of the four-foot high kale."
"We’ve increased the amount of terracing we have to do, have had to keep two fields, totaling 60 acres, in coverage crop, and have had to replace or repair the same culvert three years in a row after we hadn’t had to touch it for the eighteen years previous."
"Iowa policy must address destructive 'food' production and counter the narrative 'get big or get out' if we want to make progress on climate change."
"The spring window to plant our crops has been shrinking; unpredictable weather patterns have made harvesting more difficult; heavy rains and windstorms have damaged crops; the list goes on. These problems will only get worse until we take action, which is why we need to move quickly to combat climate change."
"Corporations are benefitting off the damages consolidation has done to rural communities, the soil and the climate. We need to put peoples’ interests first and decentralize the food system. Dispersing production and relying on regional economies in which we are thoughtful about where and how food is grown, can better feed people and fight climate change by reducing fossil fuel and resource use."
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Creators
"I designed, built and live in Iowa's most energy efficient home. This is not rocket science. The solutions for a lower carbon future already exist and have been implemented across the globe."
"If current clean energy tax credits were extended to 2030, it would provide more certainty for our members interested in solar, and making the credits refundable would benefit folks of all income levels."
"I've completed a 28,000 mile voyage around the Americas, and in 2007 was one of the first Americans to successfully navigate the treacherous Northwest Passage from East to West. Sailing and photographing the world’s oceans gave me a firsthand account of the beauty of marine environments, as well as the frighteningly rapid melting of sea ice caused by a warming climate.
Educators
"Young people in my life have been a source of hope and a rekindling of my passion for climate change mitigation. I am more and more hopeful as I witness their real desire to stop this problem and work towards a better understanding of how life works together on this planet."
"There is a wide variety of climate change impacts and vulnerabilities, which are often unique to each community. Without climate-friendly action at all levels, flooding and volatile weather changes will hurt our local vegetation, agriculture, wildlife and the livelihoods of our communities."
"Climate change does have an effect on the migratory patterns of the animals we have become accustomed to seeing. As the seasons change, so does the growing season of the habitats these animals need to survive."
Concerned Citizens
"I was in Grenada in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan devastated the country. If we don’t take good care of the planet, then we’re going to see more extreme climate shifts, hurricanes; we’re going to see more flooding, and it’s going to become increasingly expensive to recover if we don’t take action now."
"I let him talk for a while, and then asked, 'Do you agree that the weather is overall different from when we were kids?' He paused for a moment and said, 'yes'."
"Decorah is trying to tackle it all. Our little town, where I’ve raised my family and which I represent as part of the City Council, has long been involved in sustainability."
"Our pastor started preaching about climate change and our call to be in the fight for our future. Local actions such as these are extremely important. Every one of us can make a difference, and we can make a difference at our state and national levels too by holding our representatives accountable. "
Careers in Environmentalism
"I have had the great privilege to paddle over 2,000 miles of Iowa rivers in the past 5 years. Floods now occur in our rivers 2 or 3 or more times in a year, regardless of the calendar month. The impact of these on our rivers is dramatic."
"Forty percent of vehicle trips are under two miles, but the major roadways that crisscross many cities make carless travel nearly impossible or extremely difficult without major investment in bike and pedestrian work-arounds. We have to start designing our cities and rebuilding our streets for people and not just people in cars."
"Environmental integrity and climate stability are foundational to public health, and we need to address them as a public rather than private duty. Let’s reimagine a new idea of the government as a protector of our planet and our health, for without a healthy earth, a stable climate, and clean air and water, we cannot be healthy."
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"Unfortunately, many banks use the money deposited by individuals, non-profits, and business to finance the fossil fuel industry. My startup company greenpenny is a virtual carbon-neutral bank designed with the sole mission of financing a more sustainable future, and has pledged to finance only renewable energy projects, including solar power arrays."
"Each of us play a part in setting forth a vision about how we can deal with climate change. When my son’s glove split completely open this winter, I took a needle and thread to it and it felt so good to fix just one broken thing. That was one tiny thing I can do as a mom to set the right attitude for others in the face of grief and despair, particularly around climate change."
"We must push for an equitable market transformation as we strive for a greener-powered future."
"I am lucky that it is both my profession and my passion to create safe and sustainable transportation options for people from all walks of life."
"We need to communicate more effectively about climate change to bring it out of the abstract and overcome indifference. Building a functional literacy around our changing climate is essential in harnessing the power of people."
"I love Iowa. It made my family, and it’s made me who I am. It’s an honor to stand up and fight for her."
"Solar energy projects have reduced campus operating costs while they have also helped Luther reduce its greenhouse gas emissions nearly 60 percent to date en route to Luther’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. "
Students
"I am a 21 year old college student and founder of an organization called Climate Strikers in Cedar Rapids. I cannot deny the science, and I cannot accept that my world is condemned by the humans that inhabit it, and so I must fight."
"I’m 12 years old right now, and ten years from now I’ll only be in my early twenties. There is a lot that must be done in a short time period to ensure a livable planet for my generation and all future generations."
"Obviously, big changes need to be made everywhere to stop climate change, but that should not make us overlook the smaller steps that still need to be taken."
"Future farmers in Iowa will need to be more broadly educated, clever, and resilient than ever to combat the impacts of climate change. It will be up to me and educators across the state to make sure this message is received by our next generation of farmers."
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"People are the solution to this crisis, one person can get a climate resolution passed in a medium sized city in the midwest, but an army of activists is the only way to get the entire world to get the work done to save our planet. I encourage anyone who cares about the planet to join a local climate group."
"I dream of traveling the world, learning new things, and creating positive change. Not of limited food supply, natural disasters, and a fear of the future."
"Though our government holds most of the power in fighting climate change, we as Americans also have responsibility and we need to stop buying into the consumerism that fuels our production of pollution and waste. Being eco-minded is not convenient."
