Sustainable Tompkins is a broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals whose mission is to ensure the long-term well-being of our communities and region.
The resources on the right tell you more, those at the top help you get involved.
The Tompkins County Public Library, located in Ithaca, NY, received a 148 kWac PowerGuard photovoltaic roof top system in July of 2001. With 1,430 solar electric PowerGuardŽ roof tiles this system is considered a large building installation of Photovoltaics. Covering 18,500 square feet, this roof-mounted system will provide electricity, insulation and shading. Increasing energy efficiency in summer and winter months. This system will bring significant environmental savings to the region and contribute to air quality and resource conservation over its expected 30-year design life.
Sustainable Tompkins Leader Gay Nicholson Honored with Cornell Tradition 2008 Award
On Saturday, April 26, the Cornell Tradition bestowed the seventh annual Debra S. Newman ’02 Community Recognition Award on Sustainable Tompkins' Gay Nicholson. Nicholson received the award at the National Volunteer Week Day of Service, a collaboration between the Cornell Tradition and OnSite Volunteer Services.
More than 70 people attended the ceremony, at which James Brown, executive director of the United Way of Tompkins County, spoke about leadership and volunteerism before Gay was given the award by Todd Hilgendorff and delivered a well-received talk covering sustainability, activism, and the importance of individual effort in the fight to save our planet.
The Newman award is presented by the Cornell Tradition, an alumni-endowed fellowship program for outstanding undergraduates who are dedicated to work, service and scholarship.
Nicholson received the Newman award because of her strong record of achievement in community service and leadership, including her work with Sustainable Tompkins, a coalition she helped create in 2003-4. Nicholson served as program coordinator for the organization at its founding, and continues to further the organization’s mission by facilitating educational workshops and study circles, convening the Cayuga Sustainability Council, helping to strategize the best ways for businesses, organizations, and municipalities in the region to become truly sustainable, and much more.
Employing Local People in a Sustainable Economy
Sustainable Tompkins invites you to our monthly community gathering on Tuesday, May 6 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church Annex located at 208 E. Buffalo Street. Local business leaders and Cornell researchers will highlight recent trends in the green collar job market, and explain how policy makers can promote these jobs, where people can receive training for them, and how they can benefit the entire community.
Alwyn John of Performance Systems Contracting will speak about the rising demand for skilled workers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Frost Travis of Travis and Travis Real Estate will share his perspective on jobs in the commercial green building industry. Julie Kitson of Dovetail Builders, LLC will discuss jobs in the residential green building industry. Pat Govang of e2e Materials will speak about jobs in the green manufacturing industry.
Also, Professor Susan Christopherson of Cornell’s City and Regional Planning Department and her graduate students in the green economic development class will present their research on green jobs and policy. The class has been researching the job creation potential in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors, and analyzing how state and local policies can drive the creation of green jobs. The group will share their findings and discuss the implications for the Finger Lakes region.
The presentations will be followed by an open discussion about how we can promote green jobs that will benefit people from all areas of the community.
Meal and childcare are provided. Additional potluck offerings are invited & participants are encouraged to bring their own table settings to minimize the clean up.
This event is free and open to the public. It is the third 2008 gathering of the monthly “Equity & Sustainability” series organized by Sustainable Tompkins and its community partners. The event is made possible by generous contributions from Performance Systems Development and e2e Materials, and was developed in partnership with Southern Tier Energy $mart Communities Program.
For more information call 607-275-0249.
On October 12, 2006, participants in the monthly Sustainable Tompkins gathering explored the many dimensions of what we will have to do to co-create a more sustainable society. One of our exercises was to explore what principles we should use to guide our choices. Below is the list that we started that night. Please feel free to add your ideas with an email to Steve Nicholson This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR SUSTAINABILITY
(what principles would help ensure that outcomes lead to sustainability?)
- Use local resources
- Equity for all
- How much is enough?
- Balance
- Closed-loop design
- Precautionary principle
- “And then what?” -- ecoliteracy and systems testing
- Waste not, want not.
- Right livelihood