Dan Dixon, Author at Sustainable Finger Lakes

Webinar Recording! Hear Expert Testimonies: Sign the Petition and Oppose Cornell’s Plan for Plastic Fields

Calls to ActionBy Dan Dixon May 17, 2024

Greetings webinar registrants, Zero Waste Ithaca’s webinar recording, “The True Costs of Artificial Turf: Experts Discuss Cornell University’s New ‘PFAS-Free’ Project,” is now available! Watch here. Presenter slides and resources: Available here. 55-page partially annotated bibliography: Read here. Also, here are some Q&A answers: View here. We hope these resources will be useful in your local battle against artificial…

Greenidge lost air permit appeal, But Keeps Operating its Power Plant/Bitcoin Mining

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon May 15, 2024

(All credit belongs to Peter Mantius at WaterFront News, May 14th 2024) DRESDEN, May 14, 2024 — Although Greenidge Generation lost its state air permit appeal last week, the company appears likely to continue operating its power plant and Bitcoin mining facility in Dresden through September — or beyond. While the Department of Environmental Conservation…

My Comment to DEC on Gravel Mine’s Proposal to Expand Five-Fold: Agency Should Reject Plan, Enforce Reclamation

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 17, 2024

(All credit goes to Peter Mantius at Water Front News on April 13th, 2024) I submitted this comment today to the State Department of Environmental Conservation on the proposed expansion of the Padua Ridge gravel mine. The permitting decision is in the hands of DEC’s Region 8 office in Avon, but DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos…

DEC’s Permit Loophole To Give Mine’s Owner Carte Blanche to Delay or Skip Reclamation

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 14, 2024

(All credit goes to Peter Mantius at Water Front News, April 12th 2024) WATKINS GLEN, Apr. 12, 2024 — For 14 years, the state Department of Environmental Conservation stood firmly on the need to enforce a rule requiring reclamation of mined-out land under any permit to allow the Padua Ridge gravel mine to expand. But…

Downtown Ithaca Survey

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 14, 2024

Share your voice on the future of our downtown Ithaca! Take their short survey to help shape the Downtown Plan Draft Recommendations. Survey link: https://tinyurl.com/IthacaDTPlan Can’t access the survey online? Printed surveys are available at Tompkins County Public Library and City Hall. Join them at an Open House on May 2 at Tompkins County Public…

Reuse Center Contest

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 13, 2024

How do you ReUse? Submit a brief video, photos, or quote telling them how you celebrate Earth Day every day through reuse, whether it’s through creative reuse projects or items you reuse in your home or office. Three entries will win a ReUse gift card!

Cafe Dewitt Earth Day Dinner

EventsBy Dan Dixon April 13, 2024

Exciting News! Cafe Dewitt is hosting a special Earth Day dinner with all proceeds going to SFLX! Indulge in a delicious meal while supporting our mission to fund sustainable projects across the Finger Lakes. Get your tickets now and spread the word. Let’s enjoy a fantastic evening for an even better cause! Date: Monday, April…

Sample comment about the Watkins Glen gravel mine

Calls to ActionBy Dan Dixon April 11, 2024

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pVRJ8tBdLa6QkfVa62wJjn41okkfvwfVvkvUy1j3D-c/edit?usp=sharing

Photos Show Gravel Mine Sediment Washes Into Drainage Ditch Designed to Protect Watkins Glen From Flooding

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 11, 2024

(All credit goes to Peter Mantius at Waterfront News, April 10th 2024) WATKINS GLEN, Apr. 10, 2024 — The drainage ditch that serves as the Village of Watkins Glen’s first line of defense against flooding is filling up with sediment, raising doubts about whether it remains a reliable guard against extreme rain events. “I don’t…

After Repeatedly Fining Gravel Pit Owner for Mining Outside the Law, DEC Weighs Plan to Quintuple His Permitted Site

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon April 5, 2024

(All credit goes to Peter Mantius at Water Front News, April 4th 2024) WATKINS GLEN, Apr. 4, 2024 — Three state inspectors dropped by the Padua Ridge gravel mine on cold, cloudy December day in 2010 to order the owner, Martin Wojcik, to halt operations because his permit had expired 13 months earlier. They also…

League of Women Voters of Tompkins County Presents…

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon March 13, 2024

FRACKING WITH CO2: Examining the Plan for the Southern Tier With Irene Weiser. Retired veterinarian, 3-term town council member, Coordinator of Fossil Free Tompkins, and longtime environmental activist. Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 7 to 8:30 pm by zoom Co-sponsors: Broome-Tioga, Cortland, and Steuben-Chemung chapters of the League of Women Voters, Campaign for Renewable Energy, Fossil…

NY HEAT ACT : MARCH MOBILIZATION

Calls to ActionBy Dan Dixon March 12, 2024

Link to register : https://actionnetwork.org/events/ny-heat-act-mobilization?clear_id=true

Getting off fossil fuels is hard, but this city is doing it — building by building

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon March 4, 2024

(Full credit goes to Jeff Brady at NPR, March 4th 2024) ITHACA, N.Y. – Ithaca Tattoo & Piercing is closed on Mondays. But the downtown two-story brick building was bustling recently, even without customers around. Heating and air conditioning vans were parked on the street, and crews brought equipment to replace the building’s natural gas…

Firm Planning Drilling Spree in Southern Tier Goes Silent as Lawmakers Seek to Ban Use of CO2 in Quest for Gas

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon February 27, 2024

(Full credit goes to Peter Mantius at Water Front, Feb 26th 2024) BINGHAMTON, Feb. 26, 2024 — The scientists and activists that pushed New York State to ban high-volume hydrofracking are working overtime against a speculative plan to inject CO2 rather than water into Southern Tier shale formations to extract natural gas. By backing new…

Seggos Quitting as DEC Commissioner, Leaving Mixed Legacy in Finger Lakes

Regional NewsBy Dan Dixon February 22, 2024

(Full credit goes to Peter Mantius at Water Front News, Feb 22nd 2024) ALBANY, Feb. 22, 2024 — Basil Seggos confirmed late yesterday that he’s stepping down as Commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation after an eight-year term He plans to continue working in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration through state budget negotiations in…

Author Archives: Dan Dixon