LET'S BUILD PATTERNS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT

ENCOURAGE US TO USE LESS RESOURCES

Entire towns can invest in solar farms to break away from fossil fuels. Let’s put solar panels on the rooftops of

our public buildings - for example, at Iowa's three Regent universities - and windmills in our empty lots. Let’s convince our utility companies, like MidAmerican Energy, to provide energy usage reports for city residents. Let's build incentives to help make our homes more efficient and encourage all new construction to include geothermal technology and solar panels. Let’s encourage cities to develop city-wide recycling programs.

Imagine towns and cities with energy conservation laws and policies and  5-year, 10-year, and 20-year  smart grid and smart growth plans. Imagine sidewalks and bike lanes that inspire us to walk and bike more, drive less, and build strong relationships with our neighbors.

            >> A solar garden is a shared array of solar panels connected by a grid.

            >> Transition towns are areas that slowly, but steadily, become more efficient by moving away from fossil

            fuels.

            >> Smart grids deliver real-time energy usage data to customers and can easily connect to renewable

            energy sources. According to the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, smart grids can “cut air pollution

            from the electric utility sector as much as 30%.”