July 12, 2010

Cayuga Sustainability Council Provides Outreach

Tompkins Weekly – July 12, 2010
By Tom Shelley

The Cayuga Sustainability Council is an informal gathering of representatives of the various sustainability-related organizations in the area. Most of the member organizations are located in Tompkins County with a few from the greater Cayuga Basin—Southern Tier area. The original purpose of the Cayuga Sustainability Council was to give sustainability related groups an opportunity to share their programs, visions and upcoming events with similar organizations.

The Cayuga Sustainability Council was organized nearly two years ago by Sustainable Tompkins as a way to help various local sustainability organizations reach their collective goals. There are approximately 70 member organizations. Varying numbers of groups send a representative to a Cayuga Sustainability Council meeting once each quarter. Meetings are held in or near Ithaca with various member organizations frequently offering their meeting rooms for use.

Each meeting has been different. The original meetings were mostly a “once around” to share information. Over time various thematic discussions of interest to all have developed with each meeting having some topic for group discussion or a presentation by a member followed by discussion. The meeting topics have followed the interests of member organizations and have included discussions on inclusion and diversity, fund raising in a tight economy and sustainability indicators. Some of the most interesting discussions have been “meta topics” on the development and functions of the organization itself.

Many useful functions, in addition to information sharing, have evolved over time for Cayuga Sustainability Council members. Those organizations that work on common topics are able to work together to develop complementary programing. Some organizations have developed shared office space. There are opportunities to develop and share volunteer services. As an example of the latter function, when Sustainable Tompkins was approached by the Cornell Alumni Affairs to help with “greening” the Reunion Weekend, one important step developed was to undertake source separation of compostable organic materials from other items at the big alumni lunches held in Barton Hall.

Sustainable Tompkins contacted the Compost Education program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, another Cayuga Sustainability Council member organization. Several Master Composter volunteers were enlisted to facilitate the source separation process. Volunteers from both organizations contributed to a very successful event.

All non-profit sustainability related organizations are invited to participate as members of the Cayuga Sustainability Council. (The Green Resource Hub—Sustainable Enterprise Network serves for-profit, sustainability related business and organizations.) There are no dues or fees and the only commitment is to attend meetings and share the meeting topics with your organization. The meeting is chaired on a rotating basis which brings new perspectives to each meeting. A mailing list and member-only Wiki are available for member use and a web site is under development. Our next meeting is on July 29th. For additional information please contact Tom Shelley at 342-0864 or tjs1@cornell.edu.

Tom Shelley is active in the local sustainability movement.

Green Initiatives at Alternatives Federal Credit Union

Tompkins Weekly – July 5, 2010
by Suzanne Cerquone

We’ve all heard the term “greenwashing” by now – companies who disingenuously spin their products and policies as environmentally friendly. Greenwashing isn’t even that new of a term – it was coined by an environmentalist in 1986 after he observed the practice of major hotel chains promoting the reuse of towels to guests as a way to be more green, when it was really more of a cost-cutting measure for the hotels.

In the 21st century, we see greenwashing all around us – some quite obvious, some not so obvious. The question remains – how does the average company establish effective, true green policies while at the same time adhering to budgets and bottom lines? Sometimes “going green” means saving money, and sometimes it doesn’t. Often companies must bridge the gap between the two in terms of affecting true environmental change – and in uncertain economic times, this gap is often seen as too large.

At Alternatives Federal Credit Union, we have found that there are steps to creating real, effective environmental change over the years. First, make sure your staff buys in. You’ll always have some eco-enthusiasts among the bunch, but don’t forget to communicate to all staff why these changes are important. Even if the non-greenies don’t care as much, they’ll at least understand the reasoning. Secondly, get staff involved. Alternatives has been able to compost our kitchen scraps for years now, thanks to certain staff volunteering to take the compost home. Assemble a “Green Team.” Our Green Team meets regularly, and routinely initiates new internal and eternal projects. One internal project was working with staff to reduce our electricity usage, which resulted in a yearly savings of 26,800 kilowatts and $8,993 from 2008 to 2009. External projects include community tree planting, and also working closely with community organizations like Sustainable Tompkins and the Finger Lakes Climate Fund for a better understanding of community concerns.

Thirdly, listen to your customers. They’re most likely trying to reduce/reuse/recycle more themselves, and are paying attention to corporate waste as well. Years ago, Alternatives was first in the local marketplace to provide home loans for people who wanted to live “off the grid” – we weighed the risk vs. the need and decided it was well worth the endeavor. More recently, one of our members who frequents our Drive-Thru felt we desperately needed a “Please don’t idle for more than ten seconds” sign, as idling your car longer than that is detrimental to both one’s car and the environment. Don’t treat customer complaints or requests negatively – if anything, they’re either pointing out something you’re not paying enough attention to, or they’re helping you move something up your “to do” list more quickly!

Lastly, cost cutting measures can be good if you plan to “use that power for good.” Our dramatic cuts to our NYSEG bill enable us to evaluate using that money elsewhere for energy efficient improvements, or to create new green products that suit the marketplace.

Corporate responsibility is becoming such an oft-used term it might ring false for some (see: BP’s many PR blunders of late). But if anything, corporate responsibility is more important than ever, and this responsibility starts on a local level, no matter how big your company is. If we’re all truthful and transparent in our environmental efforts, customer loyalty is sure to follow.

Suzanne Cerquone is the Marketing Director at Alternatives Federal Credit Union.

Wild Activities Lead Kids to Environmental Stewardship

Tompkins Weekly – June 28, 2010
By Sharon Anderson

Does play mean a romp in the park or hours in front of a video game for the children in your life? During my school years, my playground was the woods across the street. They seemed a huge magic area of trees, birds and squirrels. My visits back as an adult reveal a less grand scale – the woods look small and ordinary. Yet I loved looking under rocks, catching brightly color leaves before they fell to the ground and studying the varied details of snowflakes. These activities are the kinds of informal outdoor play that lead children to grow up caring about the environment.

Early childhood nature activities are an excellent predictor of environmental stewardship among adults, according to Nancy Wells and Krist Lekies at Cornell University. Their study found that gardening, formal environmental education programs and other outdoor activities helped shaped positive environmental attitudes and behaviors to some extent. They were not nearly as powerful as activities categorized as “wild play”, such as exploring in the woods, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting. Free play nature experiences before the age of 11 were still memorable and continued to shape the choices of adults.

Unstructured play in the out-of-doors benefits children– they are smarter, more cooperative and healthier overall. Mental health benefits include creativity, problem-solving, focus and self-discipline. Social benefits include cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness. Emotional benefits include decreased stress, reduced aggression and increased happiness. Reductions in childhood obesity is linked to outdoor play and green neighborhoods. “For children in densely populated cities, the greener the neighborhood, the lower the risk of obesity. Our new study of over 3,800 inner city children revealed that living in areas with green space has a long-term positive impact on children’s weight and thus health,” said Gilbert C. Liu, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Furthermore vegetation improves aesthetics, reduces pollution and keeps things cooler, making the outside a more attractive place to play, walk or run.”

Time outside in nature awakens the senses with smells, sounds, textures to touch, and three-dimensional space to move through. TV and computer games rob children of this complex sensory experience. Prolonged time spent in front of a screen early in life contributes to attention deficit disorder (ADD), and, conversely, outdoor play can calm ADD behaviors.

Spending time in nature may also increase caring. People put a higher value on helping others and forming meaningful relationships than on material gains and fame after nature experiences. “Now we’ve found nature brings out more social feelings, more value for community and close relationships. People are more caring when they’re around nature,” says Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester.

The key to giving children regular opportunities to be in the out-of- doors is in the backyard and the neighborhood park.

Be a role model for the children in your life
Your excitement and curiosity is contagious. Model respect for nature through simple everyday activities like pausing to watch a sunset or commenting on the different texture of bark on the trees you can see – you don’t even have to know what kind they are. Sharing your interest in nature is the best motivation a child can have to participate.

Plan for regular time outdoors
Take a 20- minute walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Saying hello to neighbors, pointing out flowers or birds, and catching up on the days’ events is a great way to spend quality time together. Or plan a surprise outdoor trip once a month with the children in your life. A regular time demonstrates that you value your time together and making it a surprise builds kids’ excitement for the next adventure. Try a visit to Ithaca’s Children Garden, a picnic at Stewart Park, a bike ride on a recreation trail or go camping in your own backyard or a nearby state park. Whenever possible, encourage and allow for independent, spontaneous exploration to help youth develops new skills, gain confidence and foster long-term environmental stewardship.

From Toddlers to Teens
Introduce very young children to nature by setting up a blanket or playpen outside. Keep toys to a minimum and point out birdsongs, the sound and feel of the wind. Tickle with a piece of grass or stroke a cheek with a fuzzy leaf. Teens can get active with community projects such as creek cleanup and water monitoring or find nature-related paying or volunteer jobs. Recreation departments, YMCAs, schools, or churches often have summer programs.

Scrapbooks and Field Guides
These walks can be further enhanced by keeping a journal or scrapbook with stories, drawings, photographs, or specimens like pressed leaves. Field guides can help learn alongside your child as you identify things.

Visit ccetompkins.org/camp for a list of summer camps Cooperative Extension offers. You can find everything from nature exploration as part of the urban camps to near emersion in nature at Primitive Pursuits programs.

Sharon Anderson is the Environment Program Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.