Jessika Bond and Emily La speak with Joe Salzone of 607 News Now about the recent expansion of the Sustainable Finger Lakes Neighborhood Mini-Grant program. Applications for grants between $150 and $750 are open until September 1 for residents from Steuben, Chemung, and Tioga Counties. Interested applicants should reach out to Sasha@sustainablefingerlakes.org to request an…
New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez (SD-59), Chair of the Senate Committee on Internet and Technology and sponsor of the Responsible Data Center Development Act (S.10642), will be embarking on the New York Fights AI Data Centers statewide tour from August 22 to August 30. The Senator will be visiting 13 sites with active or…
Sustainable Finger Lakes recently awarded Dundee Central School a mini-grant to help create The Highland Hub. This space provides free apparel, school supplies, and essential personal items for their students. Check out the full article at The Observer.
In a recent interview with Rochester Beacon, Gay Nicholson, President of Sustainable Finger Lakes, discussed the organization’s concerns surrounding the proposed Lake Hawkeye AI data center in Lansing and the broader implications for New York communities. The proposal has sparked significant public response, with more than 20,000 people signing a petition urging the Lansing Town…
Sustainable Finger Lakes (SFLX) is pleased to announce the hiring of Jessika Bond as its new Deputy Director. Bond holds a Master of Public Administration from Western Carolina University, a bachelor’s degree in History and Anthropology from UNC Asheville, a certificate in sustainable zoning and land use from UNC SOG, and a Certificate in Rural…
Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Finger Lakes, alongside other leaders from local organizations, delivered a petition opposing TeraWulf’s proposed data center on Cayuga Lake. The organizers also raised concerns regarding long-term impacts on water use, air quality, and future electric system reliability. Read the full announcement from the Ithaca Voice here. See below for other media…
Cayuga Climate Action received an award from the Neighborhood Mini-Grant program to support expenses for their annual Styrofoam drop-off and recycling event. This group is also the first organization to receive a grant in Cayuga County. Upcoming grant cycles will now expand to Tompkins, Cortland, and Cayuga counties. Read the full article from The Citizen…
Sustainable Finger Lakes awarded five grants through its Neighborhood Mini-Grant program for citizen-led projects that support resource sharing, community building, and waste reduction initiatives. The Spring 2026 Awardees and the projects their grants will support are listed below: For complete project descriptions, please visit our site at: https://sustainablefingerlakes.org/neighborhood-mini-grant-program-seneca-keuka/ Read the full staff report from Finger Lakes…
In the article, Gay Nicholson responds to how decisions to implement AI data centers in small towns are often made by volunteer planning boards who may not have the time to fully learn about the details of the projects. “We were all making the point that these deep-pocket billionaire developers target rural small towns, and…
The state Legislature just passed a bill that would place a 12-month freeze on permits for data centers. If the governor signs it, it would be the first statewide moratorium in the nation. By Lauren Dalban June 4, 2026 This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate,…
Sustainable Finger Lakes held a webinar on April 8, 2026, “Reducing Wildfire Risk in a Changing Climate”, in response to how wildfires are becoming an increasing threat to public health in the Finger Lakes region. Our panelists of experts shared their insights. The full webinar can be viewed here. For more resources, visit our event…
Lodi Food 4 All received a mini-grant from us this past fall as part of our Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program pilot in Seneca, Yates, and Schuyler counties! They used the grant to purchase carts to allow their patrons to navigate the pantry more easily. Check it out here: Lodi Food 4 All received a mini-grant from…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: ITHACA, NY—March 19, 2026— Do you have an idea for a project to make your community more sustainable, resilient, or inclusive? Need a little help in covering the costs? Sustainable Finger Lakes is accepting applications for our Spring 2026 round of Neighborhood Mini-Grants in Tompkins County. An application deadline for Schuyler,…
Sustainable Finger Lakes is a community-based organization whose mission is to promote the long-term well-being of our region by integrating social equity, economic vitality, ecological stewardship, and shared responsibility. Sustainable Finger Lakes is seeking its next leader for our 22 year-old nonprofit based in Ithaca, NY in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. We are looking for…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: ITHACA, NY—February 24, 2026— Across the country, local communities are organizing to protest plans for massive AI data centers in their neighborhoods that drive up electricity prices for everyone, threaten water supplies and disrupt lives. New York needs to get ahead of the problem by imposing a temporary moratorium on…