Happy Earth Day! It is spring, it is beautiful outside, and this is the latest iGreenCR news - hot off the press!

Example City Commitment: Decrease landfilled waste from City operations 10% by 2022.

What You Can Do: Put food scraps in your YARDY cart!

Do you put food waste in your green YARDY yard waste cart? You can and should! We're talking food scraps (everything except animal products), coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, napkins, and paper towels. Almost any dry, compostable material can be discarded in your YARDY cart! That's a lot of waste you don't have to send to the landfill.

Pro- tip: Use a counter-top container to hold food scraps throughout the day. Be sure to empty into your YARDY cart daily! Or, seal the container with a lid and keep it beneath your sink or in the freezer and you don't need to empty it as often.

Where does compost go?

The contents of your YARDY cart are sent to the Solid Waste Agency's compost site. All of this waste was originally made from plants that grew in soil. The compost operation turns this waste back into fertile soil. Pretty neat!

• View a short video detailing how you can pick up free compost at the Solid Waste Agency, even during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cedar Rapids is one of few cities across the nation which offers weekly, year-round, curbside compost collection. Tell your friends and neighbors!

Example City Commitment: Plant 325 additional acres of native prairie on City property by 2021.

What You Can Do:  Plant native flowers and grasses in your own yard!

You've heard that monarchs need milkweed. Did you know that all bees and butterflies native to our region depend upon specific native plants for their reproduction cycles? If you plant native species, you're supporting our precious local ecosystems. If you haven't been, there's still time to start this spring! Here are some helpful resources:

• Pollinators for Midwest Region
  Simple table showing flowers, colors, bloom period, height, and supported insects.
   
• Prairie Parkland Pollinators
  A regional pollinator guide with extensive details.

Note: Avoid buying native plant cultivarsif possible. Cultivars often change the color and shape of flower features, which may prevent native insects from finding or accessing pollen. Here's a great article explaining the challenges of cultivars.

Example City Commitment: Pursue partnerships to leverage funding in order to produce new or improve existing housing that is affordable for all income levels.

What You Can Do: Explore Neighborhood Finance Corporation!

Neighborhood Finance Corporation provides purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans to property owners. The program is location-based, not income-based. If you haven't checked the program out in a while, the lending area was recently expanded!

Residents or future homeowners in the lending area could qualify for up to a $10,000 forgivable loan!

Benefits of a Neighborhood Finance Loan:

• No private mortgage insurance (PMI)
• Fast loan approval
• Low down payment
• Forgivable loans for home renovations
• So much more!

More than 44 households have already benefited from the program, representing more than $1 million in public-private investment.

Example City Commitment: Increase the number of those positively rating their "Neighborhood as a place to live" on the National Community Survey to 80% by 2022.

What You Can Do: Engage with the brand new Municipal Volunteer Program!

iGreenCR includes programs to help all residents lead lives of purpose, health, and community. Volunteering not only promotes community member involvement and strengthens community cohesion; it is a way to improve one's life, health, and happiness. To support all of our municipal volunteer opportunities, the city has launched its Municipal Volunteer Program.

Visit the MVP page to learn more about how you can be involved with city government. Whether you want to cuddle furry friends or coach a youth sports team, the MVP program makes it easier than ever to get involved with your city!