IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Halloween decorations are coming down, but that does not mean your jack-o'-lantern has to be sent to the trash. To help the environment, a conservation group is encouraging Iowans to recycle them instead.

David Mizejewski, naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation, said carved pumpkins usually last a few days before they start to go bad. But you can help wildlife before then by cutting them open and leaving them in your yard for birds and squirrels.

He explained his group usually discourages folks from feeding wild animals, especially mammals, but this is a once-a-year treat.

"It's an OK thing to do, as long as you're not overdoing it or putting out 50 pumpkins in your backyard or bringing them to natural areas and dumping them," Mizejewski explained. "Don't do that; that's actually littering."

In Iowa City, officials say another option is to place the pumpkins into your yellow organics bin before the next pick-up day. For residents not enrolled in curbside service, they can bring their pumpkins, at no cost, to the city's compost facility. The city of Dubuque also has recycling options through its yard-waste collection program.

Mizejewski noted pumpkins are perfect for composting since they are 90% water and break down quickly after they are cut. Before adding to your compost pile, he advised removing the seeds to dry, then leaving them out for birds and small mammals such as chipmunks. Or you can collect the seeds and plant them to grow pumpkins for next season.

"Now, not only is that going to result in you having your own little private pumpkin patch, but the flowers that pumpkins put out, pumpkins are part of the squash family, and they actually can be an important source of nectar and pollen for some of our wild native bees," Mizejewski added.

There is one exception - he said if you've painted your pumpkin or sprayed it with anything to keep animals away, don't offer it to wildlife or put it in a compost bin. In those cases, it's best to just toss it out.

Climate and environmental activists along the Texas Coast are celebrating after receiving favorable news from an insurance company covering liquefied natural gas terminals.

Melanie Oldham, director of the group Better Brazoria Clean Air and Water, said after a meeting with members of their front line community, Chubb Insurance denied coverage for the expansion of one project and they are hopeful the same will be true for a planned plant expansion in Freeport.

"They said keep track of all the operational problems of Freeport LNG and we will keep looking at them," Oldham explained. "And we're hoping Chubb takes the lead and stops insuring these LNG's."

The plant in Freeport is the second-largest in the United States. It was shut down for several months in 2022 following an explosion, which federal investigators said was caused by inadequate operating and testing procedures, human error and fatigue.

Oldham lives about four miles from the Freeport plant and multiple petrochemical companies. Two oil export projects are also proposed for the area. She pointed out the community of around 13,000 people suffers from many illnesses due to the hazardous chemicals released from the plants.

"We have 65% Hispanic, Black, White, Asian; very low-income community," Oldham noted. "I'm a health care professional, I helped Texas Department of State Health do a cancer cluster study here in 2018. We have eight types of cancers higher than to be expected. COPD, it just goes on and on."

Oldham and others said further permitting of oil and gas infrastructure on the Gulf Coast would quadruple gas exports and likely cause hurricanes to hit the region even harder and they are calling on the Biden administration to permanently ban such facilities.


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Lansing residents and businesses can breathe easier following a new 15-year renewable energy deal.

The partnership between General Motors and North Star Clean Energy will harness solar power to lower carbon footprints and deliver cleaner energy to the community. The partnership will also supply renewable energy directly to the grid powering GM's Lansing Delta Township and Lansing Grand River assembly plants.

Rob Threlkeld, director of global energy strategy for General Motors, shared how it is also a positive step in the battle against climate change.

"It's really sourcing renewable electricity," Threlkeld explained. "That obviously is replacing fossil generation with renewables, in support of our efforts to address, really, the climate change in general."

The project fuels Michigan's Healthy Climate Plan, signed into law last November by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The state has a goal to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.

The state's Healthy Climate Plan also targets generating 60% of Michigan's electricity from renewable sources and phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030. Threlkeld noted the effort to achieve a healthy climate environment is expansive.

"It's not just GM and a few companies," Threlkeld pointed out. "It's more about how do we scale this beyond the number -- all the way down to our supply chain as well."

Threlkeld added a newly launched solar array in Arkansas will power multiple GM plants across Michigan and Missouri, marking a significant step toward sustainable energy in the automotive industry.


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A survey of 760 registered Latino voters found 87% of Latinos support projects to produce a cleaner, natural world.

The poll, conducted in 10 states, including Illinois, was commissioned by the Hispanic Access Foundation. The organization creates outreach efforts to inspire individuals to improve themselves, their families and their communities.

Vanessa Muñoz, waterways program manager for the Hispanic Access Foundation, said the survey showed disparities and injustices in the Latino community and is designed to empower community leaders' push for change and boost issue awareness. She noted the survey's timing is crucial.

"We are in an election year," Muñoz emphasized. "The survey results can play a critical role in shaping and informing policy discussions and ensuring that the needs and perspective of Latino voters are considered in the electoral process."

Among those surveyed, 91% of Latinos support policies for future Congressional sessions such as new national monuments, national parks or wildlife refuges to protect areas for outdoor recreation.

Environmentalists are seeing an increase in Latino advocacy in the challenge to clean up U.S. land and waters, especially in the Mississippi River area.

Muñoz explained one goal is the Biden Administration's 30 by 30 plan, which calls for conserving 30% of America's lands, fresh water and oceans by the year 2030.

"We found that 86% of Latinos think that PFAS or forever chemicals are a major threat to the Mississippi River," Muñoz outlined. "Another one was that 93% of Latinos believe that trash dumped in rivers and streams is a major threat to the Mississippi River."

Other survey respondents were based in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.