Upcoming or Recent Activities and Talks

The annual bicycle commuter and recreational rider breakfast will take place from 7 to 9 a.m., Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Johnson County Administration Building patio. The building is located at 913 South Dubuque Street in Iowa City. The low-waste event, which is free, features locally made food.

Ongoing Programs and Resources

Two Soil Health Programs are available to the public. Your residing address will determine program eligibility.

Johnson County is a Small Wind Innovation Zone. Learn about the program's history.

The Johnson County 2018 Comprehensive Plan and 2024 Update include an entire chapter on sustainability, and the topic is also interwoven into the other main sections of economic development, infrastructure and amenities, and land use.

The County ordinance requires stormwater management plans for major subdivisions and site plans to manage the effects on water quality and quantity. Learn more at Stormwater Management.

Past Programming

Past in-person events have included talks on electric vehicles, trails and bike paths, beekeeping, electric vehicles, solar and wind power. We also have hosted hands-on or interactive events on soil and water quality, air quality and safe medication disposal.

Plastic Waste: Impacts and Ideas?

Hosted by Johnson County PDS and Green Team, "Plastic Waste" featured area waste and sustainability experts talking about environmental impacts, how and where plastics are processed, and what residents can do to have a positive impact at the local level. A question-and-answer session was included. Event presenters were Jane Wilch, recycling coordinator for the City of Iowa, and Blake Rupe and Beth MacKenzie, sustainability program managers for the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability and the Environment.  You can access it at https://tinyurl.com/Plasticwaste2021

Solar Group Buy Programs

Solar group buys provide solar education to any who is interested and for those who want to take the next step--affordable base pricing for residential or business solar. Participants save even more as the group collectively reaches all purchasing thresholds. In 2012, all four prices breaks were reached.

Collectively, the three solar group buys provided education for more than 1,000 county residents. In total, 249 properties added more than 1.6 MW of solar!

In 2021, we partnered with Linn County, Iowa City, Johnson Clean Energy District, Cedar Rapids and others to offer a "dual-county" solar group buy. Similar to the "Solarize" programs of 2018 and 2020; the 2021 program was led by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). The 2021 program was called Grow Solar Linn and Johnson Counties and won the Iowa State Association of Counties 2022 Excellence Award.

If your jurisdiction is interested in the program, contact [email protected] for information on how to connect with MREA.