In a healthy and resilient community, people of all religions and ethnicities are welcomed and respected. The murals proliferating across the city of Ithaca, coordinated by the organization Ithaca Murals, have engaged and celebrated a wide array of cultures. Amid a nationwide rise of anti-Muslim hostility and stereotyping, three local organizations — the Multicultural Resource Center,…
Toys are an often-overlooked source of resource waste and resource inequality – bought and discarded in large quantities by some families, prohibitively expensive for others. Toy libraries, found across the nation and world, use lending collections and community play spaces to address these issues while fostering a culture of sharing and social connections. Finger Lakes Toy…
Knowledge of textile creation is often overlooked as part of a self-sufficient, resilient community. Sarah Gotowka, weaver and owner of the Earth Grown Shades natural dye business, has taught weaving and dyeing workshops at widespread venues, but recently sought to create a permanent learning space. After founding Luna Fiber Studio in Trumansburg, she needed to supply it with looms…
As the Earth’s climate changes, the seasonal behaviors of plants and animals (leafing, blooming, nesting, migration, etc.) are shifting in complex, interconnected ways. Phenology, the study of these seasonal changes, has a key role in our understanding and adapting to the present and future impacts of climate change. To help the public contribute information to…
Thousands of people attend the book sales hosted by the Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library every May and October, and its facility in Ithaca’s West End is within bicycling distance of many residents. But visitors have long had to insecurely chain their bikes to nearby fences, signposts, or trees. In March 2016, Sustainable Tompkins awarded the organization…
As Tompkins County’s local food scene continues to grow, an expanding variety of venues are making it more accessible to buyers and sellers alike. After encountering a “pop-up” farmers’ market in Hawaii, Lea Elleseff grew interested in starting one in the parking lot of the Freeville Firehouse where she lives. Unlike other farmers’ markets, pop-ups allow…