Out here in Iowa, as soon as you leave the city you are surrounded by farms primarily growing corn and soybeans. A farmer told me a couple of days ago that Iowans only eat 3% of the soybeans produced in Iowa, and that the rest is used for biodiesel production. All of the gasoline in Iowa has at least 10% ethanol, and biofuels are strongly supported by the state and national governments. However, there is concern over the environmental impacts biodiesel production causes, the amount of energy consumed during production, and the efficiency of ethanol production from various biofuel soruces.

I am not an expert on biofuels, but I am excited that in a couple of days at the March to ReEnergize Iowa we will have the opportunity to explore some of the details of biofuel production. On Thursday, our kickoff begins with a biofuels walking tour at Reiman Gardens at 9:30 am. The walking tour allows you to see what biorenewable plants look like, learn about their cultivation requirements, and learn more about the issues concerning biofuels. During the walking tour, you can see 15 different plants that are used to make ethanol. All you need for the tour is a cell phone.

Not only will we get a chance to learn about the ecological aspects of biofuels, but on Saturday night we will have the opportunity to discuss some of the current policies surrounding biofuels. During our evening program at Saydel High School, Saylorville at 5:00 pm, Ed Woolsey of the Iowa Renewable Energy Association will lead a session on biofuel policies and how individuals can get involved with biofuel issues. Also, that evening we will have sessions on coal and industry and their relationship to global warming.

These are both incredible opportunities to learn about an issue that is so dominant in Iowa, and I can't wait to be a part of it. Even if you can't make it to the march itself, I highly recommend that people check out our evening programs and the Reiman Gardens biofuels walking tour.

As we organize for the March to ReEnergize Iowa, we have encountered a phenomenal number of individuals who care about fighting global warming. From the Green Granny in Ames who bikes everywhere, to the small farm owners who are resisting developers and city expansion, to the local steelworkers who support the developing renewable energy industries, the folks of Iowa have a deep connection to their homes and the spunk to preserve them. With the March commencing in just two and a half weeks, it would be easy to get caught up in the details of the march and the stress of it all. And yet, most of our work takes us out into the greater Des Moines area, where we meet with individuals who care about fighting global warming just as much as we do, and are eager to help. Some of these folks are old hats at organizing. Some have never done activism before in their lives and weren’t sure how to make a difference. And some offer a completely new facet as to why we fight global warming.

A couple of days ago, I visited Norine Black up at Black Heritage Farm to discuss stopping at her place along the march. The Black’s have been working this farm for over 100 years, and are making the transition to organics to stay competitive. Now, the agricultural constituency is often forgotten in climate debate, but out here in Iowa, the farming community is the heart of the state. If we want to make change here, we must engage local farmers. As we talked with Norine, she explained that many folks are hesitant to change their practices, preferring to take the tried and true path, even if it often leads to staggering debt. For Norine, farming is all about being creative and adapting to the changing conditions, be they economic or climatic.

Global warming is affecting the crops out here in the Midwest, resulting in more extreme weather events, shifting precipitation patterns and increased summer heat. Norine explains that although we can’t change every small farmer’s business practices, we can do our part to stabilize the climate, so that these farmers at least have a shot at continued productivity. Small-scale farmers face the pressures of subsidized prices, mega-farms and exceedingly expensive equipment. The least we can do is ease the pressure on the crops themselves so that small-scale farmers can continue their family’s farming traditions.

Although we're organizing all types of Iowans and Midwesterners to walk in the March to ReEnergizeIA, youth (outside of our organizing team) need to be involved in outreach and pulling off the march. This week, David and I were at the 4H camp in Madrid, Iowa, training high school and college students in effective grassroots organizing at the Iowa SPROG. While the Sierra Student Coalition does these trainings every summer, this time we had a focus on how to engage the participants in ReEnergizeIA.

As I write, the rest of the ReEnergizeIA team is at the West Des Moines farmer's market, collecting petition signatures, striking up conversations about how to fight global warming and making connections with local Iowans. In the last two days alone we obliterated our weekly petition goal. Team Iowa is pumped up and ready to make waves in Iowa.

Let me give you a little perspective on the scope of our project. Global warming is everywhere in the media, and has recently come full swing into the political discourse. Here in Iowa, in the heartland of the country, folks are taking action on global warming. The Mayor of Des Moines was the first Iowa mayor to sign the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and is hosting a conference next week to urge all of the other mayors in Iowa to do likewise. Iowa has the third most developed wind capacity in the country, behind California and Texas. In the last two weeks, 23 mayors in Iowa have signed on to be Cool Cities.