Sustainable Ames

The City of Ames is committed to becoming a more sustainable organization, promoting conservation, and encouraging renewable energy within our community. As an organization, the City of Ames is committed to making environmentally sound choices in how we operate, in the equipment we purchase, the services we provide, and the policies that guide our organization's decision making. 

Additionally, the City of Ames encourages sustainability through the programs and services we provide to the citizens of Ames. From hybrid public transit buses to bike lanes to electric vehicle charging stations, the City of Ames constantly looks for ways to help citizens make green decisions. Balancing the need to be fiscally responsible with our commitment to a cleaner, greener community, the City of Ames is committed to making the Smart Choice and the sustainable one.

 Ames Mayor and City Council History of Sustainability Support 

In the past decade, the Ames Mayor and City Council have made sustainability part of its annual goals. Some major milestones include:

• More than 40 years ago, Ames became the first city in the nation to operate a municipal waste-to-energy facility. The Arnold Chantland Resource Recovery Plant takes in garbage from throughout Story County, pulls out metals for recycling, and processes the burnable trash into refuse derived fuel (RDF). RDF is sent to the Ames Power Plant to provide a supplemental fuel for producing electricity.

• In 2016, the Ames Power Plant converted from coal to cleaner burning natural gas reducing its carbon footprint by 40 percent.
   
• More than 10 years ago, the Ames mayor joined mayors from across the country in signing the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. Part of signing the agreement involves conducting a baseline inventory of energy usage, collecting data about energy management, recycling, waste reduction, transportation, and land use. While Ames is working hard on going green, we are encouraging our residents to do the same. 
  
  
• The City of Ames and Iowa State University have partnered to share a Director of Sustainability/Sustainability Coordinator position for more than 10 years. This position looks for ways to collaborate through both organizations and leads efforts to conserve natural resources and improve sustainability.
  
  

• Greenhouse Gas Inventory was completed in 2020. This data will provide a foundation from which to build a climate action plan and community goals for reduction.
   

Climate Action Plan (CAP)

After completing the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, work has continued to develop a customized Ames Climate Action Plan (CAP). Learn more about the Ames CAP and how to get involved. 

Sustainability Reports

In November 2019, the City of Ames contracted with paleBluedot, of Maplewood, Minn., to prepare a Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, Forecasting, and Recommendations Reports. The project kicked off on Dec. 3, 2019, and final reports were completed in August 2020.

Click here to view the City of Ames Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Click here to view the Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Click here to view the Renewable Energy Potentials Study

CAP Previous Meetings

Climate Action Plan Meeting with Ames City Council (Aug. 31, 2021)

Climate Action Plan Supplemental Input Committee Meeting #1 (Oct. 6, 2021)

Climate Action Plan Town Hall Meeting (Oct. 25, 2021)

Climate Action Plan Meeting with Ames City Council (Nov. 16, 2021)

Climate Action Plan Supplemental Input Committee Meeting #2 (Dec. 1, 2021)

Climate Action Plan Supplemental Input Committee Meeting #3 (Feb. 23, 2022)

Climate Action Plan Supplemental Input Committee Meeting #4 (March 28, 2022)

CAP Supplemental Input Committee 

The CAP Supplemental Input Committee will be one input tool in a series of community engagement tools, which may include an interactive website, social media, town hall meetings, virtual participation, surveys, and/or in-person meetings.

As a supplement to this citywide approach to citizen input, the City Council created a Climate Action Planning Supplemental Input Committee to offer input to the Ames City Council, the designated Steering Committee in the plan development.

Ames CAP Supplemental Input Committee Purpose Statement:

To ensure that the Ames Community Action Plan engages and empowers residents, businesses, and institutions toward ownership and responsibility in ensuring a resilient and sustainable future for Ames, the City Council expects an extensive citizen input process that represents many sectors of our community including the establishment of the CAP Supplemental Input Committee. The City Council is especially interested in hearing from those groups who do not traditionally participate in our local government decision-making process.

Supplemental Input Committee Business Sector Presentation PowerPoint

Supplemental Input Committee Business Sector Video

Sustainability by the Numbers

• 3,471: Number of LED street lights (and counting)

• 40: The percent reduction of greenhouse gases annually by the Ames Power Plant since converting to natural gas

• 36: Number of megawatts of power purchased from a wind farm

• 12: Number of hybrid buses

• 11: Number of programs offering rebates promoting conservation of resources

• 8: Number of glass recycling locations (14 countywide)

• 4: Number of electric vehicle charging stations

• 1: First in the nation public waste-to-energy facility built in 1975

EcoSmart

EcoSmart is the City of Ames' comprehensive strategy to reduce energy consumption and decrease its carbon footprint. While many of these efforts are new, others have been around for decades.

Rebates

To promote conservation of resources, rebates are available for Prime Time Power, residential new construction, high efficiency heating and cooling equipment, heat pump water heaters, high efficiency appliances, residential and commercial photovoltaic (solar) systems, native landscape, rain barrel, rain garden, soil quality, and composting.

Click here for Smart Energy Residential Rebate Programs (Prime Time Power, new construction, high efficiency  heating and cooling equipment, heat pump water heaters, high efficiency appliances, photovoltaic systems)

Click here for Smart Energy Commercial Rebate Programs (high efficiency heating and cooling equipment, heat pump water heaters, high efficiency appliances, photovoltaic systems)

Click here for Smart Watersheds Rebate Programs (native landscape, rain barrel, rain garden, soil quality, composting)