IOWA FOCUS

BLOGGING IOWA:

Bleeding Heartland is a community blog for Democrats and progressives in the state of Iowa. I find this a very good source of Iowa news.

Blog for Iowa is a progressive source of information in Iowa.

Iowa Independent

Progressive Populist: The Independent Journal from the Heartland...I think my mother alerted me to this one.

LeftyBlogs Iowa is the place to find out what's happening in the progressive blogosphere across Iowa.

Iowa Liberal

Fairness Fund PAC: Fairness Fund PAC is an Iowa based political action committee committed to electing fair-minded and pro-equality candidates to state offices.


CURRENT TV:
Current TV, founded by Al Gore, includes some of the best journalism in America today. In particular their Vanguard series is amazing and should not be missed by ANYONE who wants to know in depth coverage of some of the major stories in the world. And now CurrentTV has Keith Olbermann as well.

In most areas Current TV is available on:
DIRECTV Channel 358
DISH Network Channel 196
Comcast Digital: Channel 107
AT&T U-Verse: Channel 189

Check out their program schedule here.


SCREENING LIBERALLY DES MOINES: A Liberal Movie Club in West Des Moines, IA
"Reel Action Inspiring Real Action"
* When? Friday of each month, 5:30 pm
* Where? Chicken Coop Bar & Grill, 1960 Grand Ave
* Hosted by Jenny Irlmeier | Jerre Collins | Atul Sahrawat


And for those who are focused on combining fun and politics, here are the local Drinking Liberally groups in Iowa:

Ames, Iowa
* Every Friday, 5:00 pm onward
* Legends American Grill, 200 Stanton Ave, 7th Floor (in Campustown)
* The group will meet in the large accessible party room left of the elevators unless it is booked by a larger group. We will then be in the Sky Box. Ask a waiter for our location.
* Hosted by Jan Bauer and Brent Wynja, ames (at) drinkingliberally.org

Des Moines
* Every Thursday, 8:00 p.m. onward
* The Lift, 222 4th St (between Court Ave and Walnut)
* Hosted by Amanda Mittlestadt, Tricia Kell, Cassie Samspon and Matt Jesson, desmoines (at) drinkingliberally.org

West Des Moines
* Third Friday of each month, 5:00-7:00 pm
* Tonic, 5535 George M Mills Civic Pky (within West Glen Towncenter)
* Hosted by Cassie Sampson, Mikael Brown and Jenny Irlmeier, wdsm (at) drinkingliberally.org

Eating Liberally
* Second Monday of each month, 6:00-7:30 pm
* Continental Wine Bar, 428 E Locust St
* Hosted by Marcus Walsh and Tricia Kell, desmoines (at) eatingliberally.org

Iowa City, Iowa
* Every Thursday, 8:00 pm onward
* The Mill Restaurant, 120 E Burlington St


Iowa Green Drinks Groups

Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks.

We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. Just say, "are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organising network.

These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity. It's a force for the good and we'd like to help it spread to other cities. Contact your local node to get the latest info about coming along.

Here are some Green Drinks Groups in Iowa: (click on the links to find out more info)

Ames

Cedar Rapids

Des Moines

Dubuque

Grinnell

Iowa City

North Iowa

Waterloo-Cedar Falls


NAACP IOWA:

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization . Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

Here are some local NAACP branches:

Des Moines NAACP:

The Des Moines Branch NAACP was founded in 1915.

The Des Moines Branch NAACP meets every 4th Tuesday of each month 5:30 P.M. at our headquarters located in the Mickle Center, 1620 Pleasant Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50314. Contact us at 515-727-5223 or NAACPDesMoines.com.

Ames- Chartered in 1927
Contact: Dr. Thomas Hill, President
(515) 294-1909
tomhill@mail.iastate.edu

Blackhawk County - Chartered in 1921
Contact: Sharon A. Goodson, President
(319) 232-7150
goodie748@hotmail.com

Burlington– Chartered in 1921
Contact: John S. Herring, Sr., President
(319)753-0193
john.herring@caofseia.org

Cedar Rapids– Chartered in 1919
Contact: Dedric L. Doolin, President
(319) 560-0482
ddoolin@asac.us
http://www.naacpcr.net/
Davenport (Adult) – Chartered in 1915
Contact: Vera Kelly, President
(563)320-3310
sistagirl44@aol.com
http://www.davenportnaacp.org/
General Meetings
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM the third Tuesday of each month at:
United Neighbors, Inc.
808 Harrison Street
Davenport, IA 52803

Sioux City– Chartered in 1922
Contact: Flora Lee, President
(712) 255-0629
fleeconsults@aol.com
http://www.siouxcitynaacp.org/


SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL UNION:

Click here for the Iowa AFL-CIO website to get involved in protecting your rights in the workplace. Click here for the Iowa AFL-CIO Action Center to see what you can do now.

For more union info, contact:

Iowa AFL-CIO
2000 Walker St., Suite A
Des Moines, IA 50317
Phone: 515-262-9571

Hawkeye Labor Council
1211 Wiley Blvd., S.W.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Phone: 319-396-8461

Southern Iowa Labor Council
411 N. Court St.
Ottumwa, IA 52501
Phone: 515-971-3325

Click here to find your local union affiliate.


IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY:

Here is a list of local offices of the Democratic Party. Contact them and see how you can help Take Back America from right wing extremists.

Black Hawk County
512 Mulberry St. Waterloo, IA 50703

Cerro Gordo County
517 1st St. NW Mason City, IA 50401

Clinton County
224 22nd Pl. Suite 204 Clinton, IA 52732

Des Moines County
319-752-9555
214 N 4th St. Suite 1 52601

Dubuque County
3250 Kennedy Circle Suite 6 Dubuque, IA 52002

Johnson County
36 Sturgis Corner Drive Iowa City, IA 52246

Lee County
319-372-1830
1035 Avenue H Fort Madison, IA 52627

Linn County
1121 7th Avenue Marion, IA 52302

Marshall County
112 W Main, Marshalltown, IA 50158

Muscatine County
563-264-0042
112 E. 2nd St Muscatine, IA 52761

Polk County
info@iowademocrats.org
515-244-7292
6100 Thornton Ave, Suite 270 Des Moines, IA 50321
Mailing address: PO Box 35053 Des Moines, IA 50321

Pottawattamie County
712-871-6795
156 W. Broadway St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Poweshiek County
829 Main St. Grinnell. IA 50112

Scott County
1706 N Brady St. Suite 204 Davenport, IA 52803

Story County
415 Clark Ave Ames, IA 50010

Wapello County
404 Church St. Ottumwa, IA 52501

Warren County
602 ½ N. Jefferson Way Indianola, IA 50125

Webster County
515-955-1012
29 12th N. St Fort Dodge, A 50501

Woodbury County
712-255-0420
506 Nebraska St. Sioux City, IA 51101


Sustainable Agriculture:

The Leopold Center is a research and education center with statewide programs to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. It was established under the Groundwater Protection Act of 1987 with a three-fold mission:

*to conduct research into the negative impacts of agricultural practices;
*to assist in developing alternative practices; and
*to work with ISU Extension to inform the public of Leopold Center findings.

In 2002, a vision statement was adopted: The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture explores and cultivates alternatives that secure healthier people and landscapes in Iowa and the nation.

Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization -- founded in 1943 -- that serves as an advocate for conservation professionals and for science-based conservation practice, programs, and policy. SWCS has over 5,000 members around the world. They include researchers, administrators, planners, policymakers, technical advisors, teachers, students, farmers, and ranchers. Our members come from nearly every academic discipline and many different public, private, and nonprofit institutions


IOWA FOOD CO-OPS

It took nearly 7 years living within a few blocks of one of the biggest food co-ops in America before Joy and I joined it. We were definitely reluctant. But, in the end the lack of good produce and the decline of our local supermarkets led to us joining. And the result is a slighly more inconvenient shopping trip each week, but much healthier, higher quality and cheaper food. I recommend joining a co-op if there is one nearby. You will save money and eat healthier. So I will list some local food co-ops in Iowa:

Wheatsfield Cooperative Grocery
413 Douglas Avenue
Ames, Iowa 50010
Phone: (515) 232-4094
FAX: (515) 233-0040
shop@wheatsfield.coop
http://www.wheatsfield.coop

Our mission is to serve our members, employees, and the Central Iowa community by offering the highest quality local, natural and certified organic foods, related products and services in ways that best promote the health of the individual, the community, and the earth while honoring the cooperative tradition.

New Pioneer Bakehouse and New Pioneer Co-op
498 1st Avenue
Coralville, Iowa 52241
Phone: (319) 358-5513
FAX: (319) 358-5514
newpi@inav.net
http://www.newpi.com/

22 South Van Buren Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Phone: (319) 338-9441
FAX: (319) 338-0635
jangerer@newpi.com
http://www.newpi.com/

New Pioneer is a member-owned grocery specializing in natural foods, local foods, and other healthy products for your active lifestyle. Come to the Co-op to hang out with your friends and get to know your neighbors, to learn more about your food from our friendly, expert staff, and to pick up hard-to-find gourmet items.

Explore New Pi to find the area’s best locally-grown produce, artisanal cheeses and breads, hand-selected wines, and mouthwatering cakes and pastries, just for starters. Everyone is welcome to shop the Co-op and become a part of our shared vision of a cleaner, healthier world. Eat smart and have fun doing it when you shop your Co-op!

They have an extensive list of classes events as well.


ALTERNATIVE FUELS:

There are two kinds of alternate fuels that are readily available that lower your carbon foot print and use AMERICAN resources and create AMERICAN jobs rather than supporting big oil companies and oil nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.

BIODIESEL: Pretty much ANY diesel engine can use biodiesel. Biodiesel burns cleaner and in most engines is better for the engine. It can be more expensive than regular diesel depending on the location, but is better for the environment, is better for most diesel engines, and is good for the local economy. You can find nearby stations and cooperatives (often the best option) that offer biodiesel by clicking here and either clicking on your state on the map or entering your zip code. We used biodiesel in a rental car one year and loved it.

ETHANOL: Cars labeled FlexFuel (now becoming common in some states) can use up to E85 (85% ethanol/15% gasoline). E85 burns cleaner than gasoline and is usually cheaper. I have used E85 in California and found it to be 10-40 cents cheaper than the cheapest gasoline at the same station. CLICK HERE TO FIND STATIONS IN IOWA OFFERING E85. This can be a really good way to help the American economy, help the environment, AND save money.


Alternative Energy:

Some figures from Repower America:

# Iowa surpassed California in 2008 to become the No.2 state for wind power with its 2,790-megawatts of wind power generation. Combined, these wind developments produce enough electricity to power over 720,000 average homes!

# The state's energy efficiency programs save enough electricity to power over 30,000 homes for a whole year, save more than $30 million in energy costs, and prevent the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking over 47,000 cars off the road. Although great progress, the state still has much more potential to increase its energy efficiency.

# Iowa has one of the fastest growing wind industries, up 198% from the state's mere 936-megawatts in 2006.

Alternative energy and YOUR energy bill: YOU can be part of the solution for America by signing up to purchase your energy through a Green Power Provider. My wife and I have been doing this in NYC for years. All our energy usage is provided through wind energy generation on American farms. So we use clean energy AND help American farmers. It costs us three cents per kilowatt-hour more per month, but we feel great about it. Although our actual energy may come from anywhere, we are paying to purchase wind energy for the energy grid. Each state has different programs available, usually through yuor existing energy provider right on your existing energy bill. To find such options in Iowa, go here and pick your energy provider from the list. If you need help, you can email me and tell me who you get your bill from (don't give me any other info!) and I can tell you who to contact to go green through that energy provider. Or you can do the same thing using Renewable Energy Certificates through an organization that works with utility companies, though in this case it is a separate bill. One off the cheapest (.4-1 cent per kilowatt-hour), but still e-Green certified, ways to do this is through Good Energy. Or, for about half a cent per kilowatt-hour you can purchase renewable energy certificates through Carbonfund.org. ANY of these ways you do it, you are helping the environment, helping America, and helping cut carbon emissions.


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