August 9, 2010

Sustainable Tompkins Seeks Director of Operations

Sustainable Tompkins is searching for a Director of Operations to provide experienced leadership in small nonprofit fundraising, marketing, financial management, and general administration.  We are offering flexible, part-time work with good benefits, and a leadership role in the local sustainability movement.

The Operations Director will oversee all administrative functions of the organization and be responsible for developing a membership and outreach program.  Distribution of duties includes:

1. Fundraising (45%): membership development, donor cultivation, special events, grantwriting for operations
2. Marketing (25%): website and social media, monthly newsletter, brochures and exhibits, fundraising materials.
3. Financial Management (20%): budget development, quarterly and annual reports, supervise bookkeeper.
4. Office Management (10%): software/hardware, supplies, phone and mail, organizational records, tenant/landlord relations.

The position is part-time (24 hrs/wk) and offers generous leave, health insurance, and retirement benefits.

The Operations Director will work closely with the Program Director and report jointly to the Board of Directors as part of a collaborative management structure.  Applicants must have fundraising and marketing experience and familiarity with the technical tools needed for database management, budget development, and online marketing.

We are looking for a creative and self-motivated person who supports our mission of taking personal and civic responsibility for creating a more sustainable community.  Please send cover letter and resume with three references to: gay@sustainabletompkins.org by August 30.

August 3, 2010

Local Self-Reliance Gets a Boost from Sustainable Tompkins

What does growing vegetables have to do with economic security? According to community leaders Kirtrina Baxter of Southside Community Center and Dave Gell of the Black Locust Initiative, teaching young people how to garden is one of the surest ways to build both self-reliance and the entrepreneurial spirit so necessary to creating a resilient and thriving local economy. Sustainable Tompkins could not agree more, which is why Baxter’s Youth Farm Project and Gell’s Trumansburg Middle School Root Cellar were recent recipients of awards from their Neighborhood Mini-Grants Program.

Sustainable Tompkins is eager to support more projects like these and is calling on local citizens and grassroots groups to submit their applications by September 1 for the next round of funding. Over the last two years, the donor-supported program has distributed $14,455 to 35 projects with a goal of encouraging local self-reliance, strengthening neighborhood connections, and promoting long-term community well-being.

Mini-grants awarded in the latest round included:

• $750 to support the Youth Farm Project organized by Congo Square Market, Southside Community Center, Lehman Alternative School, Beverly J Martin School’s Fresh Fruits and Snack Program, Gardens4Humanity, and Three Swallows Farm. The partners will bring together young people from all backgrounds to learn about organic farming techniques, food justice, and nutrition. The students are spending the summer months raising vegetables to be sold at a neighborhood market or served in local schools in the fall.

• $750 to the Black Locust Initiative to create a youth-built root cellar for squash and winter vegetable storage at Trumansburg Middle School. The project is part of an ongoing initiative to engage students in food production at the school and provide real-world applications of math and carpentry skills.

• $630 to Dryden Community Garden for fencing materials to keep deer out of a new community garden on land donated by the Town of Dryden. Organizers hope to encourage those utilizing the Dryden Kitchen Cupboard or living in apartments, trailer parks, or senior housing to take advantage of a chance to grow their own food.

Danielle Klock of Wishing Well Magazine was so impressed by the diversity, ingenuity, and community spirit of awardees in the program that she committed to an ongoing business sponsorship of $300 a month – substantially increasing the amount of funds available to applicants. A portion of Wishing Well’s advertising revenue goes to the sponsorship, so when local businesses support Wishing Well, they are in turn supporting our community. “It’s really a model of interdependence.” says Klock, “Ithaca has so many caring and active citizens – it’s an honor to be a part of making our community more sustainable.”

Neighorhood Mini-grant awards range from $150 to $750, and are made on a quarterly basis. Applications for the next round of grants are due on September 1, and all residents, citizen groups and non-profit organizations of Tompkins County are eligible to apply. To obtain an application form, make a donation in support of the program, or get more information, contact Gay Nicholson: gay@sustainabletompkins.org or call (607) 266-1952.

July 31, 2010

The SEEN Helps Build Local Connections

Tompkins Weekly – July 26, 2010
by Bob Rossi
What does success mean to you? Perhaps it means happiness or achieving specific goals. Perhaps it relates to your business, family, or sport. Now take a moment to consider what your best path to success might be. Most likely you cannot travel this path alone.

We are social beings. Our individual success depends on the participation of those around us. This holds true for where we live, where we work, and how we spend our time in between.

This concept of interdependence is central to a new business network called the SEEN. The SEEN stands for the Sustainable Enterprise & Entrepreneur Network. It is a growing community of businesses, organizations, and individuals working together to achieve ecological, social, and financial success. This approach – known as the triple bottom line – has been shown to increase customer loyalty and generate stable profitability. Read more……..

July 24, 2010

GrassRoots Festival teams up with Sustainable Tompkins

Pick up a Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance guide and check out their article on page 45 that describes how they used the Marcellus Challenge and Finger Lakes Climate Fund to reduce the Festival footprint! By using our Carbon Calculator they learned that their shuttle buses emit about 3000 pounds of CO2 over the 4-day weekend. And for just a $32 donation to the Finger Lakes Climate Fund they were able to offset or “cancel out” the shuttle bus emissions. It’s that easy!
 

July 12, 2010

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium – Hosted by Sustainable Tompkins

We invited friends in the Ithaca area to join us on Saturday, June 26, for the celebrated Awakening the Dreamer Symposium. Please enjoy a few images from our experience and from the wonderful Minns Garden on the Cornell campus (across the street from the symposium) which happened to be in glorious full-bloom on this day!

The symposium is an inspiring experience created by the Pachamama Alliance. Through dynamic group interactions, leading edge information, and inspiring multimedia, participants of this half-day event are inspired to reconnect with their deep concern for our world, and are empowered to make a difference.

June 1, 2010

“Gasland” – Award-winning Documentary on Gas Drilling Screens June 12 at Cinemapolis

Ithaca Journal – May 24, 2010
The Shaleshock Action Alliance, a group concerned with gas exploration in the Marcellus shale rock formation in New York and Pennsylvania, plans two showings in Ithaca of an award-winning documentary film on the experience of a Pennsylvania landowner and filmmaker who was asked to lease his land for gas drilling. Read the rest of the article in the Ithaca Journal>>>

April 27, 2010

Tompkins County Sustainability Team Efforts Praised

Sustainable Tompkins congratulates the Tompkins County Sustainability team on its many accomplishments during 2009. Please read the highlights from their annual report and share the news!

Helping the County “Go Green:” Sustainability Team Achieves “Outstanding” Accomplishments

In an annual report to the County Legislature this week, Public Works Administrator Cheryl Nelson praised the County’s Sustainability Team for its many accomplishments during 2009. The employee-based team, authorized by the Legislature three-and-a-half years ago, strives “to promote sustainable practices including social, environmental, and economic stewardship to benefit future generations and to inspire other municipalities, public and private entities, and residents to do the same.”

Nelson has led and facilitated activities of the employee-based team since its inception. She reminded legislators that employees took on their sustainability tasks on top of already full workloads, with no funds or additional personnel committed for this purpose. “Instead of being seen as something added to doing business, sustainable practices and products are now seen as a regular part of doing business,” Nelson noted.

Noteworthy accomplishments during 2009 include the following:

Environmentally preferred procurement:
§ The County now purchases copier paper that is 30%, 50%, or 100% recycled content, with virgin content paper typically no longer an option.

§ County purchasing continually seeks environmentally preferred products, advises departments of “greener” options, and asks staff to test samples and provide feedback.

§ A Green Vendor Fair, acquainting county employees and others with preferred products, was held in October.

§ The Finger Lakes Environmentally Preferred Procurement Consortium (FLEPPC) works with municipalities and others toward joint purchasing that encourages purchase of friendlier products at a lower price.

§ The Environmentally Preferred Procurement Resource Guide, shared throughout the community, provides information on environmentally preferred products.

§ The State Electronic Challenge recognized County Purchasing and agent Lisa Jehu for environmental accomplishments in purchasing during 2009.

“Greening the fleets:”
§ A county “Green Fleet” policy has been developed and approved by the Legislature, and used by the City of Ithaca as a model in developing its policy.

§ The Alternative Fuels Consortium was successful in procuring biodiesel fuel locally and is investigating other alternative fuel options, such as compressed natural gas, propane, and electric vehicle applications.

§ Tompkins County became a member of the Clean Cities Coalition, which has provided valuable information on potential grants, alternative fuels, and networking opportunities.

Reducing greenhouse base emissions and making county-owned facilities more sustainable and efficient:
§ The Health Department’s future headquarters at 55 Brown Road in Lansing is the County’s first LEED-certified building project, with “silver” status anticipated.

§ A recently approved Facilities Management and Workplace Environment administrative policy addresses many items including thermostat settings, energy reductions, and use of appliances in county buildings.

§ County-owned and maintained facilities are cleaned with environmentally preferred products.

§ Solid Waste Management staff have conducted waste assessments at all county departments, and departments have implemented waste reduction programs. Each department has a waste reduction representative who serves as the point of contact for all things related to waste. Departments use a listserv to advertise unwanted items to other departments at no cost, saving tax dollars.

§ Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport is the first airport in the country approved by the FAA to develop a “green” 20-year master plan.

§ Tompkins County’s energy performance contract with Johnson Controls, entered into a few years ago, provides information on energy-related improvements needed for county buildings and anticipated payback, with annual reports showing results that slightly exceed expectations.

For 2010 and beyond, the team will continue to monitor and improve upon existing goals and to work toward new initiatives to “keep the county organization leading the way and moving positively and responsibly into the future, Nelson said. The team will continue to work provide ongoing employee education and communication, as well as to seek green alternative products “at prices that budgets can bear in this economic time.”

As she makes the transition to retirement, Nelson expressed confidence that next-generation team members will carry on with visions and missions for a sustainable future. “My hope is that everyone who lives in or travels to Tompkins County does their share to protect and improve this area we call home so it can be enjoyed by this and many generations to come,” she said. “I have no doubt that Tompkins County will continue to be seen as a leader and set high standards for others to emulate. Although it may seem cliché, the slogan of ‘think globally but act locally’ seems applicable and appropriate to summarize our actions.”

Legislators voiced their appreciation of the Sustainability Team’s efforts and ongoing commitment, and thanked Nelson for her leadership and hard work to make the important vision of sustainability a reality.

The full report, “Tompkins County Sustainability Team 2009 Accomplishments and 2010 Goals,” may be viewed online at the County’s web site at http://www.tompkins-co.org/pubinfo/SusRep09.pdf.

Contact: Cheryl Nelson, Public Works Administrator and facilitator of the Tompkins County Sustainability Team, 607-274-0302.

April 21, 2010

April 2010 Newsletter

If you’d like to receive the Sustainable Tompkins Newsletter delivered by email once or twice a month please sign up. Check out our April newsletter here.

April 6, 2010

Neighborhood Mini-grant Showcase & Reception Highlights

Visit our Mini-grant program pages>>

March 27, 2010

Sustainable Tompkins Sows Seeds of Change

ITHACA:  Jessica Orkin, facilitator of GIAC’s Pre-teen Green Summer Camp, wanted more downtown teens to learn about the watershed. She was delighted to receive a Sustainable Tompkins mini-grant award of $300 for six youth scholarships to the Water Wizards’ training aboard the M/V Haendel, culminating with teen presentations on eco-cruises this summer. As Jessica said, the mini-grant “will allow more middle school youth to take on the role of community educators.” [Also published in the Ithaca Journal.]

Ithaca Community Recovery also received a mini-grant of $600 for teens from families in “recovery” to attend the Counselors-In-Training (CIT) summer course on sustainable environmental practices at Camp Earth Connection. One community member was so moved by the award, he donated $300. “I can’t think of anything more important than protecting a vulnerable child, and Camp Earth Connections is doing that wonderfully,” he said.

Awards were made to five other community projects:

• $350 to Caroline Food Pantry garden, providing fresh produce to 300 households.

• $300 to Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming for a youth scholarship to their summer practicum on sustainable farming and local food systems.

• $250 to West Hill Community Garden at Linderman Creek for fruit trees.

• $150 to Groton Student Vegetable Garden; managed by students in grades 6-12, who provide fresh produce to the school.

• $105 to Dryden Solutions, to host sustainability salons at the Dryden Community Center Café.

“The mini-grants program is an outstanding example of how relatively small amounts of money can be leveraged into huge community pay backs,” said Marnie Kirchgessner, an awardee and organizer of the Linderman Creek garden. The donor-supported program has awarded $12,325 to date, distributed to 32 projects that encourage local self-reliance, neighborhood connections and community well-being. Mini-grant awards range from $150 to $750, and are made quarterly. The next round of applications, due on June 1, is open to all residents, citizen groups and non-profit organizations of Tompkins County. To learn how to apply or support the program, visit www.sustainabletompkins.org or contact Jan Quarles: jan@sustainabletompkins.org or (607) 532-9288.