Sustainability Events

Upcoming Events

EcoFair: Sept. 28, 2024

The sustainability-themed EcoFair will return to City Hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, in the west parking lot. Learn more about City rebates, programs, and services that encourage conservation and lower your carbon footprint. Enjoy booths, vendors, activities, and displays, along with live music and food trucks.

The goal of the EcoFair is to share a broad array of conservation information. The City of Ames will highlight its EcoSmart programs, which include electricity, water, watershed, and trash.

Activities are planned for all ages. Mark your calendar to join us for this free, fun, educational event!

Past Events: 2023

 Earth Day on the Airwaves, April 22 - ANNUAL EVENT

Through a partnership between the City of Ames and KHOI Community Radio, the fourth “Earth Day on the Airwaves” event will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. The event will include live call-ins from the Ames Water Pollution Control Facility Open House, which is planned for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 56797 280th St, and the Ames Repair Café, planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave.

Listeners should tune into KHOI-FM Community Radio at 89.1 or stream at www.KHOIFM.org to hear about sustainability efforts throughout the community.

“Earth Day on the Airwaves” radio special will feature City of Ames staff co-hosting with KHOI Community Radio volunteers. Segments will include City of Ames sustainability projects, plans, and updates on the Ames Climate Action Plan. Other participants will include Ames Sustainability Coordinator and Iowa State University Director of Sustainability Merry Rankin.

Ames Repair Cafe, April 22

The Ames Repair Café returns for the third time to the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. Ames Repair Café volunteers have partnered with the Ames Resource Recovery Plant and Ames Public Library to promote waste reduction by repairing rather than replacing items that no longer function properly. The repairs are offered at no charge. 

The Ames Repair Café Team is an all-volunteer group with various repair skills. Some items the volunteers are prepared to work on include clothing, jewelry, musical instruments, computers, furniture, bicycles, wheelchairs, AV equipment, and small appliances, motors, and combustion engines. Participants are expected to bring their items to the library and remain with them throughout the repair process. If volunteers are unable to fix the item or if parts are required, the volunteers will assist in finding a local repair shop. If participants have replacement parts, they should bring them with the item. Volunteers also will focus on sharing basic maintenance tips.

This Repair Café event will also include a flower and vegetable seed giveaway from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Story County, and native tree seedlings from the City of Ames will be available while supplies last.

The Ames Repair Café Teams continues to seek repair volunteers to help with the event. For questions or more information, email AmesRepairCafe@gmail.com.

Stash the Trash/Stream Clean-Up, April 29 - ANNUAL EVENT

Two community sustainability events, the annual Stash the Trash and the Ioway Creek Stream Clean-Up, are scheduled for Saturday, April 29. These events are co-sponsored by the City of Ames and local partners.

Stash the Trash is an annual volunteer community clean-up of litter. Volunteers may pick up supplies at the Resource Recovery Plant (RRP), 410 E. Second St., or the Community Center at City Hall, 515 Clark Ave., beginning Monday, April 17. Supplies include two garbage bags and two pairs of nitrile gloves. A roll-off will be available in Lot S3 at Iowa State University from Saturday, April 29, through Sunday, April 30, to drop off garbage collected during the community clean-up. Otherwise, you may drop off garbage at RRP (let the attendant know that it is from Stash the Trash) or put it in your own trash for pickup. Trash may be picked up in community areas throughout Ames the week before and the week after April 29. For groups participating in Stash the Trash needing large quantities of bags/trashed picked up, please call our volunteer partner, Iowa Home Consulting, at 515.450.2946. For more information, please call Merry Rankin, Sustainability Coordinator, at 515.294.5052.

The Stream Clean-Up of trash along Ioway Creek will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Volunteers for this event must pre-register. The event is co-hosted with Prairie Rivers of Iowa, Story County Conservation, Skunk River Paddlers, and Outdoor Alliance of Story County. More information and online registration are available at https://www.prrcd.org/ioway-creek-cleanup-2023/.

Rummage RAMPage, July 28 through Aug. 5 - ANNUAL EVENT

The City of Ames, in partnership with the ISU Office of Sustainability, annually hosts “Rummage RAMPage,” a community sale designed to keep reusable items out of the waste stream. The event grew from the desire to repurpose items often left on the curb during the annual move out and lease changeovers, and to keep these items out of the landfill. Rummage RAMPage works by selling items that are donated. Non-profit agencies send volunteers to help run the sale and share in any profit. The event is open to anyone to donate or shop.

Past Events: 2022

EcoFair returned! 

EcoFair returned on Oct. 1, 2022 after a two-year hiatus. City Hall west parking lot was filled with displays from City departments, local businesses, and organizations that work to make our community more sustainable & environmentally friendly.

Past Events: 2021

Chad Pregracke

The City of Ames hosted environmental speaker Chad Pregracke, founder of non-profit water quality education organization Living Lands and Waters, on Sept. 30, 2021, in City Auditorium. Pregracke shared his organization’s efforts to protect and preserve rivers and watersheds around the Midwest, and what others can do to help. 

Prairie Rivers of Iowa Film Festival

Prairie Rivers of Iowa presented its Wild & Scenic Film on Oct. 1, 2021, in City Auditorium.

Stream Cleanups

The City of Ames held a stream cleanup event Oct. 2, 2021. 

EcoChats 2021

The City of Ames and Ames Public Library partnered for EcoChats, a series of virtual lectures focused on sustainability topics. The 2021 EcoChats were held via Zoom at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month  from March through August.

Topics included:

• March 2: Gardens
• April 6: Trees
• May 4: Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
• June 1: Water
• July 6: Watersheds
• August 3: Electric

Rummage RAMPage- ANNUAL EVENT

The City of Ames, in partnership with the ISU Office of Sustainability, annually hosts “Rummage RAMPage,” a community sale designed to keep reusable items out of the waste stream. The event grew from the desire to repurpose items often left on the curb during the annual move out and lease changeovers, and to keep these items out of the landfill. Rummage RAMPage works by selling items that are donated. Non-profit agencies send volunteers to help run the sale and share in any profit. The event is open to anyone to donate or shop.

The 2021 event was held July 30 through Aug. 7, at the Ames Intermodal Facility, 129 Hayward Ave. Get more information about Rummage RAMPage here!

Mayor and City Council's Bike Ride, May 15 - ANNUAL EVENT

Mayor John Haila and members of the Ames City Council hosted a family-friendly bike ride around Ames, starting and ending at City Hall. The 6.5-mile ride gave participants the opportunity to see some recently completed projects in the city, including the low head dam modifications at North River Valley Park, Homewood Golf Course Clubhouse, and Miracle Playground at Inis Grove Park.

Bike to Work Week Bike Commuter Continental Breakfast, May 17 - ANNUAL EVENT

Mayor John Haila and Ames City Council members will kicked off National Bike to Work Week by hosting a free Bike Commuter Continental Breakfast in the City Hall front entryway where bicyclists stopped for a quick grab-and-go snack and drink.

Earth Day Appreciation on the Radio, April 24 - ANNUAL EVENT

Through a partnership between the City of Ames and KHOI Community Radio, the second virtual Earth Day event was broadcast from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, on KHOI-FM Community Radio at 89.1 and streamed at www.KHOIFM.org 

The all-day Earth Day Appreciation radio special featured City of Ames staff co-hosting with KHOI Community Radio volunteers. Segments included City sustainability projects, plans, and investments such as Ioway Creek flood mitigation, diversification of the City’s fleet, and rebates to incentivize sustainable choices. Other participants included experts on all aspects of sustainability from Iowa State University, Ames Community School District, Story County, and other local organizations.

Hosts for the Earth Day Appreciation from the City of Ames included Mayor John Haila, City Forester Paul Tauke, Public Relations Officer Susan Gwiasda, Municipal Engineer Tracy Peterson, Stormwater Analyst Liz Calhoun, Ames Electric Services Director Donald Kom, and Sustainability Coordinator Merry Rankin.

Sustainable Ames Scavenger Hunt, April 22 - 29

Residents were invited to celebrate Earth Day and learn about sustainability in Ames by participating in the Sustainable Ames Scavenger Hunt. Participants were tasked with completing a range of challenges on the hunt, from identifying where to pick up free mulch from the City to taking a selfie by an electric vehicle charger. The hunt was held from Earth Day, April

The scavenger hunt was intended as a fun way to celebrate Earth Day while also raising awareness about all of the resources and opportunities available in Ames to help us live more sustainably. Programs highlighted through the hunt included Smart Energy, Smart Watersheds, SunSmart Ames, and Smart Business Challenge; Food Waste Diversion; Rummage RAMPage; CyRide; paper recycling; trees; and more.