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Permaculture Course Reminder and Sustainable Tompkins Newsletter]
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Michael Burns
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Nov 15, 2005 07:06 PST
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REMINDER: One of the permaculture discipline's more
well-known and experienced practioners and teachers
--with experience throughout the world--is coming to
Ithaca. A free, public reception will be held for
Geoff Lawton on Thursday, November 17th at Ecovillage,
in Ithaca, NY. Geoff's presentation "Permaculture:
Designing and Installing around the World" will begin
at 7:30 pm.
Learn what can be accomplished through permaculture
design. Decide if you'd like to take his weekend
course this week, Friday, November 18th through
Sunday the 20th, or join us for the full certificate
course.
For more info, go to http://www.flpci.org.
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Sustainable Tompkins Newsletter
November 14, 2005
CONTENTS
1. "Short Notice" Sustainability Calendar
2. Events Coming Up
3. TCAT Enjoys All-Time High Ridership in September
4. New Local Websites Enhance Green, Activist Connections
5. Making Oil Go Further
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"Short Notice" Sustainability Calendar
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THIS WEEK
**"Sustainability Makeover" Business Workshop**
8 to 11 a.m., Tuesday, Nov 15
Womens Community Building, 100 West Seneca Street, Ithaca
Workshops, exhibitors, and informed speakers focus on new money-saving
efficiencies for businesses facing increasing energy and production costs.
Spend an enlightening morning that could make a positive difference in your
bottom line! Who should come? Business owners and managers, building and
office managers, purchasing agents, entrepreneurs, fiscal managers, and anyone
interested in sustainable business practices. Greening your business is good
business for everyone. This event is open to the public. Call 607-273-7080 to
register or come to the Makeover Workshop on Tuesday morning. $15 registration
fee payable at the door. Co-sponsored by Sustainable Tompkins, the TC Chamber
of Commerce, and the Re-Business Partners program of the TC Solid Waste
Management Division.
**Sustainability Salon**
7 to 9 p.m, Tuesday, Nov 15
Upstairs at Juna's, on the Ithaca Commons (south side, between Bank Alley and
Cayuga Street) Sustainable Tompkins invites you and your neighbors to join a
community discussion on sustainability and energy conservation at a
"conversation cafe." The main topic will be how to deal with winter energy
costs. Share ideas and get tips from an energy expert. Free and open to all.
For more information: Kat McCarthy, lenno-@hotmail.com
**Planning meeting for "Buy Local Food" campaign,**
7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov 16
Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Big-picture brainstorming and collaboration on the Buy Local Food campaign
sponsored by Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Bring ideas,
commitment, and others who may be interested in getting involved. Contact Leal
Gerhart, 272-2292 or ls-@cornell.edu
**Energy Conservation Workshop**
Noon to 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov 17
Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Free energy conservation workshop to learn about low-cost and no-cost ways to
save energy and lower your energy bills. Also learn about programs that can
help households afford energy-efficiency improvements. All participating
households will receive a free energy-saving kit, worth approximately $30,
including weatherstripping, caulk, faucet aerator, outlet and light switch
gaskets, and more. Workshop is free, with refreshments and door prizes, but
pre-registration is required. Call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins
County at 272-2292 to register. Future workshops, all at Cooperative
Extension, are scheduled for: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov 30; noon to 2
p.m., Tuesday, Dec 6; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec 7.
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Events Coming Up
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**2005 Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair**
11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec 3
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street Have a
sustainable holiday! Twenty area not-for-profits invite you to purchase
meaningful gifts for the holidays. Instead of buying "more stuff" that
clutters our lives and wastes valuable resources for production, shipping and
after-use management, choose from a wide variety of gifts (donations) that fit
your price range and values. Examples of gifts are: support for clean water
for a Nepalese village, a concert for AIDS orphans in Africa, a local cancer
support group, education opportunities for local teachers, much more. Each
gift, from $5 to $100, comes with a free holiday card and a certificate
explaining the gift. Participating not-for-profits earned a total of $8,000 at
last year's fair. All proceeds go directly to the organizations. The
atmosphere of the fair is fun and festive. Plan to add meaning to your
gift-giving this year at the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair. More information:
Wendy Skinner, w-@twcny.rr.com
**Responding to the Heating and Energy Crisis**
9 - 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec 8
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green Street,
Ithaca. A panel of representatives from local agencies that provide energy
assistance will discuss the programs that are available locally and how to
access these resources. This session is targeted at front-line agency staff,
food pantry workers, members of the faith community, landlords, and others who
come in contact with people who may be experiencing difficulty in meeting
rising heating expenses. This free workshop is sponsored by the Human Services
Coalition, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tompkins Community Action, Catholic
Charities, and the Tompkins County Department of Social Services. For more
information call the Human Services Coalition at 273-8686.
**Weatherizing and Repairing Windows**
7 - 9 p.m., Wednesday, Dec 14
Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
Learn to weatherize and repair older windows with Mark Pierce, extension
associate. The class is free but pre-registration is required. Call 272-2292
to sign up.
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TCAT Enjoys All-Time High Ridership in September
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The number of riders on Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) buses in
September 2005 topped all previous TCAT records. Total ridership from
September 2004 to September 2005 increased from 264,095 to 354,266 -- a 34
percent jump. TCAT General Manager Joe Turcotte attributes the increase in
ridership to the soaring cost of gasoline, as well as Cornell's new policy of
giving bus passes to all freshman and other incoming students. Student
ridership increased from about 133,000 in September 2004 to nearly 170,000
this year. Cornell staff ridership also increased, from about 70,000 a year
ago to about 113,000 in 2005. Non-Cornell ridership increased, too, by about
10,000. Turcotte says the numbers for October have fallen off a bit but are
still above previous years' levels. For information on routes, schedules, and
fares visit wwwtcatbus.com or call 277-RIDE. Source: Tompkins Consolidated
Area Transit
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New Local Websites Enhance Green, Activist Connections
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GROOVYGREEN: Webmaster Michael D'Estries has set up a wonderful website,
GroovyGreen.com, as a clearinghouse, gateway, and discussion area for
sustainability and green living information in the Ithaca area. This
interactive site is rapidly becoming an essential source for "all things
green" in our area. Check it out at www.groovygreen.com. Thanks, Michael, for
the generous addition to our community!
TCSWARM: Tompkins County Swarm, at www.tcswarm.org, has also debuted. TCSwarm
is self-described as "a loose collective of activist groups and individuals
that are working for social, economic, racial and environmental justice and a
world free of violence."
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Making Oil Go Further
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Excerpted from a November 13, 2005 NewYork Times article, "Real Energy Savers
Don't Wear a Cardigans. Or Do They?" by Ann Bernasek:
"But higher prices are again capturing the public's attention. Big companies
are finding ways to conserve energy to improve the bottom line. Last month,
Wal-Mart announced a plan to cut energy use in its stores, to double the fuel
efficiency of its trucks and to minimize the use of packaging. Consumers are
changing their habits, too. Sales of S.U.V.'s, for example, have fallen and
automakers that bet heavily on cheap energy are suffering declining fortunes.
"How much more energy-efficient can we become? Amory B. Lovins, chief
executive of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit energy research group
in Snowmass, Colo., says that a barrel of oil today already does twice as much
work as it did in 1975. Mr. Lovins calculates that by moving to vehicles that
consume less fuel, the nation could double that efficiency again.
"Because vehicles account for 40 percent of total domestic oil consumption,
there is a big opportunity for savings. According to Mr. Lovins, hybrids like
the Toyota Prius use just half the oil of typical vehicles, and an ultralight
version of a hybrid could halve that consumption again. If everyone drove an
ultralight hybrid, national oil consumption would drop 28 percent over all.
And moving to new fuel technology for big trucks and aircraft could produce
similar savings."
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This newsletter is a free service of Sustainable Tompkins and has over 500
subscribers. Send your sustainability news items or comments to Wendy Skinner,
w-@twcny.rr.com . Referenced or quoted material, website content, or the
content of news releases, articles, or opinion pieces are not necessarily
endorsed by Sustainable Tompkins. To subscribe or unsubscribe send an e-mail
to w-@twcny.rr.com.
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Michael Burns
http://www.cayuta.org
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Earn your permaculture design certificate.
The Finger Lakes Permacuture Institute
begins its first course on November 18.
Go to: http://www.flpci.org
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