Cumming Nature Center

Signs of Sustainability

Cumming Nature Center is a 900-acre environmental education center just west of Canandaigua Lake… And they have indeed REOPENED! 🤩 What they have to offer: guided hikes 🚶‍♀️👨‍🦯, an eco-book club 🌱📖, forest school for kids up to age 15 🐛, an annual Maple Sugaring event 🍁, yoga in the pines 🌲🌲🧘‍♀️🌲🌲,…….. and much more! Visit their Facebook page to learn more and to learn about how they’re helping you stay safe during your visit 👍

Found in Ithaca: Antiques, Vintage, & Unusual Objects

Signs of Sustainability

Finding new homes for pre-loved goods 💗 Reopened! Go on in! Just 2 blocks from the Ithaca Wegmans, you’ll find….furniture from 19th c. formal to Mid-Century 🛏,, country primitive, cottage style and industrial pieces 🕰, Glass, china, pottery 🥣, estate/vintage jewelry 💍, ~ vintage clothing 🩱, art 🖼, ~ collectibles, books 📚, and more!🤩 Plus, they can deliver locally! 🚛

Eagle Envelope

Signs of Sustainability

Eagle Envelope is a print shop in Trumansburg, NY for envelopes and everything you put inside of them. They prepare your order quickly, affordably, and with a high quality standard. Plus, everything is printed with 100% wind power generated in New York State that produces zero carbon emissions. Need we say more? Visit their website to request a quote!

Easy Living Hats

Signs of Sustainability

Easy Living Hats employs creative women to manufacture hats by hand in Ithaca, NY. The hats are designed for all ages and activities, variously made from hemp, locally-sourced wood, or cotton recycled from textile production waste, and sold online and at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market. Their recent collection of naturally dyed Sun Hats sold out within 4 DAYS! 😱 The next batch is due to release very soon, so subscribe to the email list for that update! In the meantime, shop HEMP Sun Hats – locally made, with certified organic hemp twine: an easy-packing, versatile, durable and “scrunchable” summer hat that fits all sizes!

Beaver Lake Nature Center

Signs of Sustainability

15 minutes northwest of Syracuse – Beaver Lake Nature Center offers 9 miles of trails 🏃🏃‍♀️ featuring 200 species of birds 🦆🦉🦇🦅 and over 800 varieties of plants 🌻🌳🌷🌺🍁. Kayak or canoe too if thats your thing! COVID accommodations include closing the visitors center and capping the parking lot at 1/3 capacity to encourage social distancing. Visit their Facebook page to learn about species like this one.

We Did It! NY Finalizes Statewide Strong Water Standards

News

“The New York State Department of Health has taken the final step to establish drinking water standards for three toxic chemicals  that have polluted water in communities across the state. In doing so, New York leads the nation with some of the most stringent drinking water protections for PFOA and PFOS (part of a broader class of PFAS chemicals), and the only drinking water standard for 1,4-dioxane”…

Sign Petition to Divest NY Teachers from Fossil Fuels

Calls to Action

New York’s recently passed Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in just ten years. Continued investments by teacher pension funds into fossil fuels are sending the wrong message and are contradictory to the goals of students for a sustainable future. In addition, New York state pension funds have lost billions of dollars holding onto fossil fuel stocks, a loss which local governments and school systems must make up for with citizens’ tax dollars. Please sign this petition asking the New York State United Teachers to support divestment from fossil fuels and work with the NYS Teachers Retirement System to get fossil fuels out of pension funds.

Become a Lake Friendly Living Champion!

Calls to Action

Making small changes as we live in the watershed can make a big difference. The health and recreational enjoyment of the Finger Lakes depends on our actions and involvement. This summer, a new program, Lake Friendly Living, will provide steps you can take right now, at home, to make a difference in watershed health! What can you do to get involved? Join the Lake Friendly Living program and adopt Lake Friendly Living practices!

Director of Sustainability search Postponed in Ithaca in midst of COVID-19

News

The City of Ithaca enacted a hiring freeze this week, putting the newly created Director of Sustainability position, which would have started in early May, on pause for the foreseeable future. The new director was supposed to create an action plan for implementing an Ithaca Green New Deal, which would aim to create a carbon-neutral city by 2030, amongst other ambitious goals. A global conversation has ensued surrounding the necessary transition to more sustainable and just practices and infrastructure in the realms of energy & climate, economy, healthcare, etc, in response to COVID-19. It seems that the time is now to reimagine the structure of society on all levels, so this news is rather disappointing. What steps do you think the city should take moving forward? Read the Ithaca Voice article for more details about this news.

Help Prevent Sewage Sludge Processing Plant from Contaminating the Finger Lakes!

Calls to Action

The Butler Town Board is considering a proposal by Tully Environment to build a sewage sludge processing plant to be operated in a gravel pit owned by Riccelli Enterprises. In theory, it would be used to process sewer sludge/waste from NYC, compost it, and turn it into fertilizer that could be used on area farmland or elsewhere. Bottom line – if after reading the info below, you feel it’s not something we want in upstate NY, call either Pam Helming’s office, and/or your local NYS Senator or Assemblyperson, and let them know that.