The Sustainable Finger Lakes Map created by Sustainable Tompkins provides a visual interface for people interested in learning more about the regional sustainability movement. People are coming together across our region to relocalize the economy, make our systems of local governance more just and democratic, and protect our land, air, and water for future generations. The Map currently has over 800 entries and allows visitors to quickly search 8 main categories of sustainable living for local programs, businesses, and activities. Regional businesses or groups are invited to put themselves on the Map! If they are working on some aspect of a more sustainable system, they can register online and submit a short description of their sustainability efforts, and contact information. Submissions are reviewed on a weekly basis.

With a shared goal to assure a future landscape in which all of us can thrive despite the many changes underway, community members are invited to help build this map of the sustainability and democracy movement in the Finger Lakes Region. Residents can add what they are working on, plug in where they can make a difference, and spread the word to share with others. Visit the Map to discover the creative and the compassionate, the solidarity builders and the self-reliant, the pioneers and the protectors of a sustainable future.

Recent additions to the Map include Lev Kitchen, Central New York Labor Federation, Food Policy Council of Tompkins County, and Oxbow Farm. Located downtown on the Ithaca Commons, Lev Kitchen is one of Ithaca’s newest restaurants and features Yemeni flatbread called Malawach and the amalgamation of distinctive cuisines and cultures from countries such as Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Opened in March 2022, they aim to embrace business transparency, explore what it means to be a “sustainable” food service operator, and support food security by donating 1% of all revenues to the World Food Program and their relief efforts around the world.

The Central New York Area Labor Federation represents over 100,000 members of 200 local unions in eleven central New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Tioga, and Tompkins. Their mission is to improve the lives of working families — to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to New York and the nation. They work to build a broad movement of New York workers by helping them join and form unions, support workers as they bargain with employers to improve their living conditions and workplaces, and strengthen the voice of working families at all levels of government in a changing global economy.

The Food Policy Council of Tompkins County is a non-governmental citizen advocacy council working for a more sustainable, equitable, healthy and affordable food system for Tompkins County, NY. Their first initiative, Tompkins Food Future, is a two-year collaborative community project aiming to develop a county-wide food system plan.

Oxbow Farm is a family-run produce farm located in Erin, New York, which is committed to growing a diverse array of crops with zero chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. They have been selling their produce at the Ithaca Farmers Market since 2010. They also breed and sell pedigreed American Nubian goats.

To learn more, contact our Outreach Coordinator via email at sarah@sustainabletompkins.org.