Sustainability and climate care were among the topics brought up for debate at this week’s city council meeting.

The council heard from Merry Rankin, director of Sustainability at Iowa State and sustainability liaison to the city. She spoke at the council meeting to share what efforts were made in sustainability in the past year. 

A project on beneficial waste will be assisted by a recently hired consultant to find different options for waste coming in to the resource recovery center, Rankin said.

Twenty-three businesses in Ames are part of the Smart Business Challenge, with one business at bronze certification, three at silver, one at gold and five platinum certifications.

Rummage Rampage will return this summer from July 28 – Aug. 2. It will expand one more day, and was popular with people who were moving out prior to the event who requested one more day for donations. Funding goes to community non-profits.

EcoSmart websites were expanded over the past year, primarily using Iowa State University students to make sure information is complete, informative and relevant. Part of that feedback was in redeveloping the logos. A pay-it-forward database prototype has been developed for cataloging reuse opportunities.

Rankin said there are still advancements with all of those programs, but adding the initiative for SunSmart Ames and more opportunities for community education on sustainability. SunSmart Ames is the community solar energy project.

Rankin has been allotted $25,000 annually since 2010 from the city, which uses 25 percent of her time. Council member Peter Orazem raised concerns that the council should look into the financial part of that agreement, since seven years have passed.

The council also discussed community commitments to climate care.

“I put this on the agenda after request to respond to executive order on the Paris Accord,” Mayor Ann Campbell said. 

What the council had was a resolution reaffirming the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement, which was first affirmed in 2007. Orazem said Ames is beyond what the Paris Climate Accord asks for, but thought the community should know what has been done by the city. Other council members were concerned about standing behind something out-of-date.

“We should be affirming something more forward-thinking rather than re-affirming something,” Council member Gloria Betcher said.

Betcher objected to the age of the previous affirmation and preferred to affirm current principles. 

Community member Andrew James told the council 26 members of the Ames community came to City Hall for a rally over the weekend in support of Mayor Campbell join the Paris Accord Mayors.

“These are our values that have shown through since 1974,” James said.

Ames would join Des Moines, Iowa City, Fairfield and Dubuque, whose mayors have signed the Accord, according to James.

Robert Bingham, ex-officio from Iowa State’s Student Government, said student feedback is not only in favor of a sustainable university, but to be part of a sustainable community and city with tangible goals.

Council member Tim Gartin also favored tangible goals, and said the conversation needed to continue, but be focused on setting a precedent and tangible way for the community to advance in sustainability.

Council member Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said the goals given in 2007 should be re-evaluated and expanded, and instead of reaffirming them, current goals presented. Council member Amber Corrier said it didn’t hurt to join with a group of people on the accord, even if the city has passed that group’s goals.

Ames is not a member of the U.S. Mayor’s Conference because of financial reasons, according to Mayor Ann Campbell, but Ames has the opportunity to sign on to the 2014 agreement anyways.

Corrier moved to give the mayor the authority to make the decision to sign on to the accords. Mayor Campbell, with the majority consent from the council, will join other mayors in support.

Council member Tim Gartin was the only member to vote nay, on grounds that tangible goals were more important. Beatty-Hansen moved for a future workshop to discuss community sustainability goals.