This week in Iowa organizing…

Written By Katie Bryan

In case you missed it, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with big-moneyed corporations over everyday people last week in their decision to make it immensely more difficult for people to sue Bayer if they got cancer from using Roundup.

We couldn't agree more with our allies at the National Family Farm Coalition in saying this decision is "an injustice to the farmers, farm-workers, and rural people whose health and safety is put at risk by glyphosate-based herbicides."

This news is saddening and maddening, but also not surprising. We know that too much of our government doesn't currently work for us. It's being held captive by and used for the interests of the wealthy few. 

And we're not deterred by this and what it means for the work ahead. Organized people can - and will - beat organized money, and that's the work we're committed to doing here, now and until we build the Iowa we need.

Building the Iowa we Need just so happens to be the theme of our upcoming annual statewide convention on July 25 in Des Moines - you should join us! More on that below, and remember that early-bird registration discount ends on July 2.

Alright, we hope you all are staying cool and safe as possibly record-breaking heat descends upon us. Read on for a few ways to take action, what we're reading, and more.

 

Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director

Take action

 July 11: Public School Strong meeting

Our campaign to win full funding for public schools is growing and we want to hear directly from more families who have kids currently in school. Do you have kids or grandkids in public schools? We invite you to tell us about your experience by joining us at the CCI office on Saturday, July 11 for a community meeting!

Come share what you want for Iowa's public schools and learn more about how to get involved in our campaign to win full funding. What would you change about your student's daily experience in school? Smaller class sizes? More music and arts programs? Better support for special education students? We are curious to learn more and hope you can join us on July 11.

 July 13: Author event in Mason City

Join us alongside Laura Dungan, author of The Archer, for a Book Talk event in Mason City! RSVP here. We will:

  • Hear from Laura about her long history with Iowa CCI and how this relationship helped inspire parts of her book, 

  • Enjoy a short Reader's Theatre performance highlighting an exciting action with Iowa CCI against the National Pork Producers, and

  • Celebrate the local organizing in North Central Iowa that helped lead to Summit withdrawing their CO2 pipeline permits from Worth and Mitchell Counties! 

What's this book about? The Archer, a novel featuring CCI, is about a young mother who discovers her power through personal trails and lessons learned in becoming a community organizer. (That's what we do!) 

Early-bird registration ends Thursday, July 2! 

Our July 25 convention: Building the Iowa We Need is the one time of year when the CCI Action community gathers from across the state and issue campaigns to connect, celebrate, learn, strategize, and reenergize for the work ahead -- including this year’s midterm elections. 

Have you seen the line up?!? 

Click here to register today! $25 early-bird registration includes speakers, workshops, lunch and more.

Whether you're a longtime member, newly engaged in our work, or looking for a boost of inspiration - this event is for you!

Water Talk

Your CCI Nitrate Water Testers are dedicated to collecting and sharing their data to help us all understand the big picture of water in Iowa. Last Thursday's monthly call was ripe with local information - give our report back email a scan (it includes a warning on wild parsnip!).

This past week, the highest nitrate levels were from Annie G. She got a 35 ppm from a small creek running through crop fields south of Marshalltown. For many seasoned testers, they are recording their highest reading in three years. 

  • Join CCI’s water testers! For more information or to order a free test kit, you can visit CCI’s Nitrate Watch Water Testing page.

  • The water testing crew meets on the last Thursday of the month to share information and discuss what we are seeing in our data. Our next Zoom is Thursday, July 30, at 5pm. Click here to register.

Articles of interest:

  • Lawn-watering ban drives use down by millions of gallons a day [KCCI]

  • Iowa City residents face higher water bills in July [KCRG]

Update

Data Center Organizing Call report-back

Last Tuesday, over 100 of you joined our statewide Data Center Organizing call. Data centers have been rapidly expanding, despite the fact that this AI data center expansion far exceeds what we need to live our normal, day-to-day needs.

Companies like Google and QTS are trying hard to convince us that hyper scale data center are inevitable, but the public isn’t buying that message. According to a Gallup News poll, 71% of Americans oppose having an AI data center built in their local area. This pushback cuts across political and demographic groups.

This is a long-haul fight. That’s why we need to build a statewide people-power movement now. Check out Tuesday’s recording here to learn more, and feel free to download our fact sheet and petition to get started talking to your community!

What We're Reading

These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!

Katie Bryan
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This week in Iowa organizing…