The Ithaca Freeskool is a platform for free classes, discussion groups, skill shares, projects, and events hosted in a non-intimidating, informal, radical, creative, and fun environment. The Freeskool aims to bring people together to equalize the distribution of knowledge and confidence with an emphasis on skills and issues of local importance.
Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles is a program of the Southside Community Center, Inc. They are a community bicycle maintenance and repair shop offering education and support to Ithaca residents for over 20 years. They accept donations of unwanted bikes and bicycle parts, effectively rerouting them from landfills.
Last year, Crooked Carrot was bought by Headwater Food Hub. Headwater Food Hub works collaboratively with a network of regional farmers and food producers to coordinate a Good Food System that delivers top-quality, sustainable foods year-round. For Customer Partners, they provide a one-stop-shop for this area’s best produce, meat, dairy, and value-added goods. For Farmer and Food Producer Partners, they provide a consistent, large, and fair market for their products.
Wonderful Wheelchairs repairs and sells power and manual wheelchairs, walkers, and mobility scooters at very reasonable prices. Got an unused wheelchair on your hands? Donate it and receive a tax deduction! Their stock of mobility equipment is collected entirely through donations. Their average reconditioned manual wheelchair costs around $75 for the parts and materials needed for repairs.
Crystal City | Creative Spaces is an exciting new “community-supported” property development company in Syracuse, New York. In short, this unique for profit (REIT) focuses on the adaptive re-use of older, ex-industrial properties in the greater Downtown area, creating adequate, affordable and efficient space for Syracuse’s “Creative Class”,“Greening” buildings, vacant lots and public spaces, jelping neighborhoods become more resilient, safe and community friendly; and creating new openings for economic development through Arts & Cultural activity.
CNY Land Trust, working in Onondaga and Oswego Counties, acquires land either by donation or purchase and keeps it in its natural state. These lands may contain wetlands, ponds, streams, grasslands, forests, hills and all of the other wonderful natural landforms that abound in Central New York. CNY Land Trust owns all of its preserves, and cares for the land forever for community benefit. All of the preserves are open, free of charge, for hiking, photography and nature study from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.
Gadabout is a nonprofit transportation service for older and disabled residents of Tompkins County. Gadabout also provides ADA Complementary Paratransit, specialized, door-to-door transportation service for people who are not able to ride the fixed-route transit system because of a disability. To be eligible you must be disabled or be 60 or older.
Looking for quality whole-grain flour? Want to support local business? Look no further! Farmer Ground Flour is made from grain grown in the Finger Lakes region, through a series of beautiful pink granite millstones, designed to keep the nutritional integrity of the grain intact. In Ithaca, you can purchase FGF at Greenstar, Hometown Markets, Ithaca Coffee Co., The Piggery, and Wegman’s.
Gourdlandia is the leader of the Farm-to-Bedside-Table movement, where lamps are grown organically, from seed to shining LED bulb! Pop into their store in EcoVillage, or take a class with them to learn about the process of growing gourds and turning them into lamps and other functional art! Groups of 6 or more get a $5 discount per person!
The Finger Lakes Bee Club is a community of over 100 beekeepers at all levels of experience and expertise whose purpose is to share knowledge and appreciation of honeybees, to improve the craftsmanship of its members, and to provide opportunities for friendship and conviviality among members and their families. Beekeeping speakers, workshops and programs are sponsored throughout the year! They meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month @ 2pm. Don’t bee shy and pop by! The Finger Lakes Bee Club is open to the public.
How does NO electric or heating bills sound? Lake Tunnel Solar Village features 20 homes from Solar Home Factory, built to be solid, light, warm, and with integrated renewable energy. You can live just steps from the water and walk to fine dining and entertainment downtown. 2 bedroom Lake Access Townhomes start at $167,000. You might even be eligible for a $10,000 Federal Tax Credit!
Located in Willseyville, NY, Double E Forest Farm produces shiitake and oyster mushrooms on hardwood logs. The wood used is selected and cut from over 70 wooded acres using sustainable forestry practices. All mushrooms are cultivated using natural and organic methods. Mushrooms, ramps and fiddlesticks are sold by CSA through Full Plate Farm Collective and direct order.
Democratic Women of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes is an independent, grassroots organization dedicated to bringing more Democratic women into the political process. They actively recruit women to become engaged in their communities and to run for office and connect potential candidates with their appropriate Boards of Elections and political committees. They also offer training and community programs! Check out their website, where they identify all women running on the Democratic line in any race in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York State in the current election cycle.
Lang Elliott has documented the sights and sounds of the Finger Lakes for several decades, and shares these gifts on his website and online store. Photos, videos, and recordings cover a full range of the birds, insects, amphibians, mammals, and even the winds and waters of our region. Get the app, Pure Nature (free at the app store!) or head to the website to listen to 3D Binaural Soundscapes and have the sounds of the Finger Lakes at your fingers anytime!
Natural Upcycling collects organic waste and food waste and turns it into a renewable resource – such as electricity or natural gas – through a process called anaerobic digestion. Developed for a wide range of organizations generating high volumes of food waste, such as hospitals, food manufacturers and processors, hotels, universities, long-term care institutions and hospitality providers, their WasteMaster conversion system re-purposes food and organic waste as reusable resources, on site, without adding anything during the process.