Update from June 8, 2007

Dear Friends,

Hello.  This week’s update is brought to you by Lynn Heuss. 

We’re launching our website today!  You can find it at: www.imforiowa.com.  It is a work in progress and, with your help, will continue to grow and evolve into a resource you will often use. 

The home page will give you a brief explanation of the new initiative An Independence Movement for Iowa (I’M for Iowa).  In “About Us” you can get more detail regarding the history behind its inception and some of our goals for the future.  For additional history, you can check out our “Archives” section where you’ll find information from Ed Fallon’s gubernatorial campaign.  Our “Photos” section has pictures from some of our more recent events and will soon have a selection from the campaign.  Finally, we’ve added two categories we hope will become useful resources for you: an “Information” category where you can get information about general topics of interest -- locally, statewide, nationally and globally; and a “Shop Locally” category with a list of locally-owned businesses organized by county.  These are the two sections where we’d most like to have your input.

One of the key strategies of our “Independence Movement” is to advocate for sustainable living.  What we mean by that is: we believe in supporting communities and neighborhoods that support themselves, i.e. that have a vibrant downtown (or shops within walking distance from housing) with locally-owned businesses that provide goods and services to residents.  Not only does this have a significant and beneficial impact on the local level by supporting the people who own the businesses who then support the community, it is where we all have the opportunity to address national and global problems like reducing our use of fossil fuels if we aren’t driving as far to shop.    

If you can provide us with contact information about businesses in your community -- grocery stores, restaurants, barbershops, hardware stores, pharmacies, boutiques, clothing and shoe stores, etc. -- we would like to add them to the list.  One very important caveat:  our definition of a locally-owned business does NOT mean your town’s Wal-Mart, Caseys or Blockbuster Video.  But, if you have questions, please ask.

Thanks for reading,

Lynn

Events

Saturday, June 9

Democracy for Iowa Annual Convention
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn Street, Iowa City
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Contact: Caroline Vernon, (563) 676-7580 or carolina1961@gmail.com

Celebration of Sustainable Community
Community concert and local food potluck picnic
Cedar Rapids Peace Center
1029 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids
2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Contact: Michael Richards, soyawax@aol.com

Thursday, June 14

Pottawattamie County Democrats Annual Dinner
Iowa Western Community College
Ashley Hall, 2600 College Road, Council Bluffs
Begins at 5:45 p.m.
Contact: Marilynn Leggio,  jrleggio@cox.net

Tuesday, June 19

Iowa Global Warming Candidate Communication Workshop
Iowa Environmental Council
521 E. Locust, Suite 220, Des Moines
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Contact: Steve Falck, (515) 244-1194 ext. 209

Tuesday, June 26

Iowa Global Warming Candidate Communication Workshop
Iowa Environmental Council
521 E. Locust, Suite 220, Des Moines
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Contact: Steve Falck, (515) 244-1194 ext. 209