August 17, 2024

Finding Inspiration Supporting Sustainable Indigenous Futures

Tompkins Weekly    8-14-24

By Cathleen and Eric Banford

OJI:SDA’ is an Indigenous women-led, non-profit organization based in the Finger Lakes. They recently hosted a volunteer day at their gardens at The Soil Factory where locals came together to harvest tulsi, mint and lemon balm for tea making. A general sense of community connection was infused with the heady aroma of the harvest, making for an afternoon of joyous work and conversation.

“The plant program here in Ithaca is the result of figuring out that people wanted to know more about how to reconnect with their own plants,” shared Tahila Moss, OJI:SDA’s founder and executive director. “We wanted to reconnect in sustainable ways, including the education programs for Indigenous circles. We share with individuals who gather their own circles, and they share with their circle and we provide everyone with teas. It means that community can come and learn about plants and engage with plants together, supporting us sending out plant medicine to Indigenous folks. At the basis of the organization is nurturing support, awareness, learning and sharing in community, with the Earth as an equal part of the community, as opposed to people above Earth.”

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July 25, 2024

Speakers Present on Oversalting, PFAS at Cayuga Lake Summit

Tompkins Weekly    7-24-24

By Lauren Stavros

On July 16, 2024, Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network hosted the Cayuga Lake Summit.

There was an amazing turnout of environmental leaders and active community members alike who were able to learn from the presentation of the two sessions. The first session was a presentation by the keynote speaker, Phil Sexton. Sexton is a contractor who specializes in winter and landscape management.

Sexton is the founder of WIT, which is a business focused on supporting and educating businesses on sustainable solutions and environmental impact through a different approach to practice. His graduate thesis from Harvard University is titled “A Sustainability Analysis of the Commercial Winter Industry’s Use of Salt,” which is what his Cayuga Lake Summit presentation was focused on. To summarize Sexton’s insightful knowledge, salt is a force to be reckoned with. Because of non-point source runoff from rain, sodium chloride and other blended materials permanently pollute the lake and damage infrastructure. Salt in the Cayuga Lake causes a difference in weight problems so when the lake wants to mix in the fall, excess salt can change the ecosystem within the watershed, causing an imbalance of nature.

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July 12, 2024

Climate Anxiety is Affecting Young Adults

Tompkins Weekly      7-10-24

By Sora Takahashi

There are many studies that show the negative effects of climate change on mental health and teenagers may have it the worst. This is a collection of statistics and studies based on how teenagers are affected by climate anxiety.

According to Sarah Lowe who is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health, climate anxiety is distress about climate change and its impact on the landscape and humans. This can entail intrusive thoughts or a feeling of hopelessness and fear of the long term effects from the issue. Lowe also says that there are different constructs related to climate anxiety such as ecological grief (the feeling of sadness based on observed changes in the ecosystem), and Solasaliga (a feeling of nostalgia for how things used to be in the environment).

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