Linn County Honored with Resilient Iowa Communities Award

Linn County is among the first recipients of the Resilient Iowa Communities Award.

The award was established by the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy & Environmental Education.

It recognizes communities of all sizes engaging in best practices in six categories – buildings and energy, land use, transportation, environmental management, economics and community development, and environmental equity and inclusion. 

Award recipients can achieve gold, silver, or bronze status in these six best practice categories. Linn County earned gold status in two categories – Land Use and Community & Economic Development.

The cities of Ames, Bloomfield and Meservey were also recognized. Ashley Coffin, director of the Center for Energy at UNI, says Linn County and these three cities are great examples of how progress can be made in a variety of ways no matter the community’s size. She says they’re hoping to see more Iowa communities follow their great example and submit applications to have their own community recognized in 2025. 

Resilient Iowa Communities is a voluntary assistance and recognition program, facilitated by the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy & Environmental Education aimed at helping communities of all sizes in Iowa achieve their sustainability, resiliency, and quality of life goals. For more information, visit the Resilient Iowa Communities website.