tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29271689023428425082024-02-07T20:17:59.910-05:00What's Green in Cortland County?A blog that shares the relocalization, resilience building, and "greening" of Cortland County, New York.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-41949018342927160992012-04-15T22:09:00.008-04:002012-04-18T17:25:39.997-04:00SUNY Cortland Sustainability Week 2012<div style="font: normal normal normal 33.8px/normal 'Arial Black'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><h4><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"> <div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lots of great talks and films for this year’s Sustainability Week. Some highlights include the positive film <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.yert.com/film.php" target="_blank">YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip</a></span>, which follows a group of young people as they travel the 50 states sharing positive solutions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Don’t miss Cortland County’s Earth Day Festival (Sunday, April 22) a great family learning event “the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://sustainablecortland.org/Sustainable_Cortland/Cortland_Blooms.html" target="_blank">Cortland Blooms Festival</a></span>” at the Cortland County Office Building. Free workshops, music by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://colleenkattau.com/" target="_blank">Colleen Kattau</a></span> and Some Guys, local BBQ sandwiches, local farmers market, CSA sign-up, a kids corner, and more!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Monday April 16<sup>th</sup></span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Swaying Instability”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">An art Exhibit by Scott Oldfield exploring the dialog between human life and the natural world<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Open all week at the Beard Building on Main St.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations 1:50 to 2:40 pm Van Hoesen B0140 </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">(Open to Campus Community)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Hazardous Waste Sites in New York State Nuclear Energy / Nuclear Wastes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">“</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Saving Civilization: The Global Fight Against Devastating Climate Change”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Keynote Address 7:30 </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">– </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">9:00 pm Sperry </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Center, Room </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">105<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dr. Steven Leibo</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">, Professor of Modern International History & Politics at the Sage Colleges.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Green Rep: Swap Shop</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">7:30 – 9:00 pm<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Corey Union Function Room<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Join the Cortland Green Reps to help reduce our impact on the environment by recycling and re-using clothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Tuesday April 17th<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">STARS: Tracking SUNY Cortland’s Progress Towards Sustainability<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">12:00 – 1:00 pm The Colloquium Faculty Lounge (Old Main)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nasrin Parvizi</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Tim Slack, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Director of the Physical Plant<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Doug Roll, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Physical Plant Energy Manager </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Showing of “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold And A Land Ethic For Our Time”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1:40 – 3:00 pm </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Colloquium Faculty Lounge (Old Main)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A documentary film highlighting why many consider Leopold to be the “father of the modern environmental movement” and illustrates his continuing influence on projects that connect people and land at the local level.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Showing of “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">7:30 – 9:30 pm Sperry Center, Room 204</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage - to explore every state in America in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity's greatest environmental crises.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wednesday April 18th<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wellness Wednesday Farmer’s Market<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">11:00 am – 2:00 pm Neubig Hall</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Enjoy offerings from local vendors and learn more about the food and other products available from Cortland County farms and businesses. Bring cash and you can purchase: vegetables, seedlings for planting, aquaponics, baked goods, personal care and cleaning products, and photography.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sponsored by the Student Affairs Sustainability Committee with assistance from ASC.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1:50 to 2:40 pm Van Hoesen B0140 </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">(Open to Campus Community)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Global Warming / Climate Change<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Transformations Concurrent Session II<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3:00 – 4:00 pm Sperry Center, Room 205<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Moderator and Faculty Mentor: Kathy Russell, Professor and Chair, Philosophy<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hydrofracking around NY Waterways<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">David Colletti, Professional Writing<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wind Power: An Alternative Side to the Hydrofracking Debate<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kelly Caulfield, Adolescence Education - Spanish<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hydrofracking is Unethical<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Allison Drasser, Childhood Education<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sport and Sustainability<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3:00 – 4:00 pm Bowers Hall, Room 140</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dylan Gioia, Sport Management Sarah Schmidt Zipp, Instructor, Sport Management <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thursday April 19th<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Alumni House Cleanup Day<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lynn Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House on Tompkins Street<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">9:00 am – 4:00 pm</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Students and alumni are invited to stop in for a tour of the house and to help with projects such as spreading mulch, improving brickwork, general yard cleanup, and cleaning and caring for antiques, windows, drapery, and woodwork. Stay as long as you wish. All help is appreciated!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Earth Week Sandwich Seminar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">12:00 – 1:00 pm Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Eating Sustainably at SUNY Cortland and Across the County”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Michelle Brackin, Assistant Executive Director of Auxiliary Services Corporation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Beth Klein, Professor Childhood / Early Childhood Education<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Christine Applegate, Cortland County Local Agricultural Promotions Subcommittee Co-chair<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">*** Free refreshments will be provided on a first come - first serve basis. ***<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Foxey Brown and The Rise Of Natural Resource Conservation In NY State<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Charles Yaple, Professor Emeritus, Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1:40 – 2:40 pm Bowers Hall, Room 140<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hoxie Gorge: An Outdoor Classroom for Sustainability<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">4:00 to 6:00 pm<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A tour of the 169-acre Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve guided by two faculty from the Biology and Geology departments. Following an overview of ongoing research, the discussion will focus on carbon sequestration; biomimicry, and nutrient cycling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(Note: You must sign up in advance by contacting the Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at 607- 753-5488 or emailing outdooredinfo@cortand.edu.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Energy and Sustainability Talk<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">7:30 – 9:00 pm Sperry Center, Room 204<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">“Utility Scale Wind Power: Separating Fact from Fiction”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Friday April 20th<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Alumni House Cleanup Day<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lynn Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House on Tompkins Street<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">9:00 am – 4:00 pm</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Students and alumni are invited to stop in for a tour of the house and to help with projects such as spreading mulch, improving brickwork, general yard cleanup, and cleaning and caring for antiques, windows, drapery, and woodwork. Stay as long as you wish. All help is appreciated!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">4th Annual Outdoor Gear Sale and Fender Blender: Bike Your Own Smoothie</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> SUNY Cortland Recreation Association 1:00 – 5:00 pm<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations 1:50 to 2:40</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> pm Van Hoesen B0140 </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">(Open to Campus Community)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pollution of the Oceans Alternatives to gasoline-powered cars Environmental impacts of food production<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sunday April 22nd (Earth Day)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Community Bike Project Bike-A-Thon: Ride for Earth Pride!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10:00 am Registration / 10:30 am Ride begins<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Contact jennifer.miller@cortland.edu for details<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cortland Blooms <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">11:00 am – 3:00 pm Cortland County Gymnasium (46 Greenbush St)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Interactive student and family festival featuring exhibits on topics such as recycling, composting, backyard gardening, and renewable energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sponsored by Sustainable Cortland, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Local Agricultural Promotion Committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Earth Day Clean-up at the Lime Hollow Center for Environment & Culture</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> 1:00 – 4:00 pm Lime Hollow Visitor Center, 338 McLean Rd<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Help prepare trails for the spring and summer season. Projects include wetland restoration, invasive plant removal, and tree planting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">All Events Are Free and Open to the Public!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span></span></h4></div>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-24295430433023532512012-02-03T19:11:00.001-05:002012-02-03T19:24:04.703-05:00Buying Local: Keep it up!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49_pMkkahRQL4y8fEVxwhcQHdT9_-J32Hnf7zEsCl8uQIT1I9G1_oYrCX9GwqhvYWQwiNnGTD8Hzq23Fau68GBJpK_2fl06CtY4SWufGq_lUkFbIMSHnvlhS2BsVfnUgXkQ-IraAxc9c/s1600/OMGHF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49_pMkkahRQL4y8fEVxwhcQHdT9_-J32Hnf7zEsCl8uQIT1I9G1_oYrCX9GwqhvYWQwiNnGTD8Hzq23Fau68GBJpK_2fl06CtY4SWufGq_lUkFbIMSHnvlhS2BsVfnUgXkQ-IraAxc9c/s200/OMGHF.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homer, NY</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've written many times about buying local. I've listed benefits of buying local (see <a href="http://greencortland.blogspot.com/2011/12/have-sustainable-holiday.html" target="_blank">this</a>), and I've suggested items to buy and places to go to support local producers and growers. The good news is, it seems that people are trying to shop local. This article, "<a href="http://www.newrules.org/retail/news/independent-businesses-report-strong-holiday-sales" target="_blank">Independent Businesses Report Strong Holiday Sales</a>", provided results from a survey of 1,768 Independent Businesses that found that holiday sales were up 6.7 % on average for independent retailers (overall sales were up only 4.1 %). In addition, independent retailers surveyed reported that public awareness of the benefits of supporting locally owned businesses had increased in the last year, and communities with active "Buy Local" campaigns operated by a local business organization had higher local sales. Here the <a href="http://www.cortlanddowntown.com/" target="_blank">Cortland Downtown Partnership</a> has a Buy Local campaign and the <a href="http://www.cortlandareachamber.com/" target="_blank">Cortland County Chamber of Commerce</a> ran a <a href="http://www.cortlandareachamber.com/index.php/12-01-2011-chamber-annouces-holiday-qbuy-localq-assistance" target="_blank">Holiday "Buy Local" assistance program</a> this past season.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A friend posted a link to "Why Shop Local?" on their FaceBook page, and I thought it was worth repeating:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVjfK1qW6foFoamRphz7T882ur_Ufjy9ZoHawrXByxZrSm0Dq-HHSIiF5T7bse6k4rUgHzepebGYsLgc1mn5DybSbwGuHqhd006JtpvNtOSLDuu3MV6WfCH79Ka8GhoO_yS_EZNtOGC8/s1600/indulge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVjfK1qW6foFoamRphz7T882ur_Ufjy9ZoHawrXByxZrSm0Dq-HHSIiF5T7bse6k4rUgHzepebGYsLgc1mn5DybSbwGuHqhd006JtpvNtOSLDuu3MV6WfCH79Ka8GhoO_yS_EZNtOGC8/s200/indulge.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cortland, NY</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"When you buy from a small local business you are not paying for a third vacation home for some CEO. You are paying for dance lessons; you are buying a little-league uniform. You are putting food on a family's table and sending a student to college. You are helping the American Dream come true for somebody in our community. Somebody you probably know. Shop local!"</div><br />
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Let's keep up the good work!solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-91430226428591068992012-01-22T20:11:00.003-05:002012-01-22T20:20:04.226-05:00Sustainable Cortland Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NosG77vdV8E2wSWuxHZurRZrpW8csb92VNDazsWfuweeM-dEyh7aFLX5MTFl7hXC0icVPyx0uM2I0ZlR9EQlfAbf12olZ5oNAtKhYtFAuQ4zJo5RTNFm9uA5Fw3q_Orzj52UG0BH-r0/s1600/salatin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NosG77vdV8E2wSWuxHZurRZrpW8csb92VNDazsWfuweeM-dEyh7aFLX5MTFl7hXC0icVPyx0uM2I0ZlR9EQlfAbf12olZ5oNAtKhYtFAuQ4zJo5RTNFm9uA5Fw3q_Orzj52UG0BH-r0/s1600/salatin.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://sustainablecortland.org/Sustainable_Cortland/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Sustainable Cortland</a> has planned a winter reading discussion series "<a href="http://sustainablecortland.org/Sustainable_Cortland/Soup_%26_Sustenance.html" target="_blank">Soup and Sustenance</a>". The first event is this Thursday (January 26) from 6:00-7:30 at the Beard Building (9 Main Street) in downtown Cortland. The January book choice is "Folks This Ain't Normal" by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Salatin" target="_blank">Joel Salatin</a> of <a href="http://www.polyfacefarms.com/" target="_blank">Polyface Farms, Inc</a>. Joel has been described as "America's Most Influential Farmer". Books are available at a discount from Mando Books in downtown Cortland. <br />
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Please feel free to join us even if you haven't had a chance to read all the books, as there will certainly be interesting discussions, and of course great soup and homemade bread! RSVP is not necessary, but would be helpful for planning. Please email sustainablecortland@gmail.com to let us know if you are planning on coming. Hope to see you there!solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-41919260723320907072011-12-06T07:22:00.003-05:002011-12-06T07:25:49.732-05:00Have a Sustainable Holiday!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYqDtLajjhRneq3e-yTzJ9Je9dXn7xrM7UF7qjnAq6ssgSc4VqpVnHTXj7ldPX64DZaXEeQ6wxZ48UBJcdyytVevbARabXUSMmZk6Uc60TXMKEW0scSDduRd09jQ9_oSQcGGhT4ITc1g/s1600/hchgiftcertificates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYqDtLajjhRneq3e-yTzJ9Je9dXn7xrM7UF7qjnAq6ssgSc4VqpVnHTXj7ldPX64DZaXEeQ6wxZ48UBJcdyytVevbARabXUSMmZk6Uc60TXMKEW0scSDduRd09jQ9_oSQcGGhT4ITc1g/s400/hchgiftcertificates.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Jeannine Gettis<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Remember to think "local" and "sustainable" this holiday season.<br />
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By buying local:<br />
More of your money stays in our community<br />
You support the development of local jobs<br />
You reduce environmental impact<br />
You are rewarded with better service!<br />
You invest in our community (encourages new local businesses!)<br />
You help build local economic resilience<br />
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Don't forget about locally made products like soaps and green cleaning supplies from <a href="http://www.limehollownaturals.com/" target="_blank">Lime Hollow Naturals</a> and lotions and shampoo from <a href="http://www.coldbrookfarm.com/" target="_blank">Cold Brook Farm</a>. Great gift ideas of locally grown food or locally made products are also available in the area at shops like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oh-My-Goodness-Health-Food/134244789946662" target="_blank">Oh My Goodness Health Food Store</a> in Homer. Or, how about some gift certificates to local services (like <a href="http://www.heartscontenthealing.com/" target="_blank">Hearts Content Healing</a> and <a href="http://www.pureandsimpleyoga.com/" target="_blank">Pure and Simple Yoga</a>)?<br />
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For more ways to help support your local businesses this season, check out the Cortland Historic Downtown Partnership <a href="http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=0b957d8125acf530c6747eb55&id=8943fef1a2">newsletter</a> for special events and ideas.<br />
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</span></span>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-56543902469159065832011-10-02T19:53:00.002-04:002011-10-02T19:57:13.110-04:00Cortland County Sustainable Living Tour 10/8/11<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6yoO0ow1bN0rQuT90sUZHfaGoOpQcEGCIIJlGzk9Asy2VbKnCMK_KR6DRaJHAOx_aprpHsmCWf3SLJNMZcWn4DCc3RO5qPCzv_mjEBE-Swu4fxkCf3DZ8Lk_esNBYdsJzcrrMBB0zwg/s1600/arnoldfarmpvsystem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6yoO0ow1bN0rQuT90sUZHfaGoOpQcEGCIIJlGzk9Asy2VbKnCMK_KR6DRaJHAOx_aprpHsmCWf3SLJNMZcWn4DCc3RO5qPCzv_mjEBE-Swu4fxkCf3DZ8Lk_esNBYdsJzcrrMBB0zwg/s320/arnoldfarmpvsystem.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Oaks Dairy Tracking Solar PV System</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgn2a1SzVcS2vws1DR6gpg1BSugDRQY2QS6kMMKyZNdHvrpDtdIPDMm2pk0rC0KaFs9pVHDNKHTY9e1UKLa1IROBZFh3XdxZysWnIrNb1D_N-IXnHwoDR8SHPQOBZ4cGBYj3V4qynTOk/s1600/uttech4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgn2a1SzVcS2vws1DR6gpg1BSugDRQY2QS6kMMKyZNdHvrpDtdIPDMm2pk0rC0KaFs9pVHDNKHTY9e1UKLa1IROBZFh3XdxZysWnIrNb1D_N-IXnHwoDR8SHPQOBZ4cGBYj3V4qynTOk/s320/uttech4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uttech Property</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Please join us for the first annual Cortland County Sustainable Living Tour on October 8, 2011. The day includes two tours. Tour highlights will include: Straw bale and earth-berm construction, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, sustainable gardening, passive solar, LEED Silver building standards, and energy retrofits. <br />
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For more info please go to: <a href="http://cortlandgreenhomes.wordpress.com/">cortlandgreenhomes.wordpress.com</a> or contact Beth Klein (607-753-5682) solarbeth@gmail.com <br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">TOUR 1: Businesses and Organizations</strong></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">10:15-11:00 <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Cortland YWCA</em>, Cortland - solar PV system</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">11:30-12:30 <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">SUNY Cortland Professional Studies Building</em>, Cortland – Meets LEED Silver standards, geothermal heating and cooling, and more</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1:00-2:00 <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture Visitor Center</em>, Cortland – Geothermal, solar PV system, and other green building techniques.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tour 2: Farms and Homes</strong></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">9:15-10:00 <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Twin Oaks Dairy</em>, Truxton – tracking ground mount solar panels</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuh3zTrZPciWXtCxDs8MxZVVfWe-2y-YdMkwGr8Gm3oRqDTZ_7B-g8LvY0Z6D4AcX6ip4htwlyHccmeJLIShpObltL0qdD50HXU1NE-0mNdk1YJcLmqy9L8NYWQ2ecKDsiNMS2KyR5NLU/s1600/klein1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuh3zTrZPciWXtCxDs8MxZVVfWe-2y-YdMkwGr8Gm3oRqDTZ_7B-g8LvY0Z6D4AcX6ip4htwlyHccmeJLIShpObltL0qdD50HXU1NE-0mNdk1YJcLmqy9L8NYWQ2ecKDsiNMS2KyR5NLU/s320/klein1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Klein garden and Solar PV system</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">10:30 – 11:30 – <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Klein home</em>, Solon - ground mount solar PV system, solar thermal hot water system, on-demand hot water, wood stove, root cellar. Jon Wood of Cortland and owner of <a href="http://www.4uvips.com/greenSun/index.html">Green Sun Solar</a> will be on hand to talk about his solar thermal installation here.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">12:00 – 1:30 – <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Northland Sheep Dairy</em>, Freetown/Marathon<br />
Karl and Jan North Home: Earth-berm construction and passive solar, and more.<br />
Donn Hewes and MaryRose Livingston Home: Straw bale construction, passive Solar, and more.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2:00-3:00 – <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Uttech home</em>, Lapeer – Solar PV, solar thermal hot water, wood stove and more</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IwUNo3V2vEjXft0wNjapiawz4q_YgWAfNuS8qXtUQlpoOw_OgHHnwl7iwmH0blUEjXYY0TEI7BIL-pVWwJQKt2_LlRl8mFWVwhvY2SpSUP5NweMmDsP_XahtDLMML_fHpVhJsQUKdEA/s1600/uttech1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IwUNo3V2vEjXft0wNjapiawz4q_YgWAfNuS8qXtUQlpoOw_OgHHnwl7iwmH0blUEjXYY0TEI7BIL-pVWwJQKt2_LlRl8mFWVwhvY2SpSUP5NweMmDsP_XahtDLMML_fHpVhJsQUKdEA/s320/uttech1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Uttech Solar PV controllers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-76985877013244862872011-09-16T20:38:00.001-04:002011-09-16T20:40:59.819-04:00Moving Cortland Week Sept. 18-24!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">Lots of great sustainability events planned for "Moving Cortland" Week Sept. 18-24! Our community's role in the world-wide <a href="http://www.moving-planet.org/">Moving Planet</a> event - A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">Events include: hiking trips, energy films (End of Suburbia and Escape from Suburbia, Gasland and Split Estate) incentives to ride the bus, walk and bike around Cortland, and lots more!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">Healthy Now and Way2Go Cortland, two grant programs affiliated with Seven Valleys Health Coalition, and the Cortland County sustainability group have planned a weeklong event from September 18 - 24 to promote locally produced food & products and healthier, more sustainable transportation options.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">"Moving Cortland: A Week to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels" will focus on walking, bicycling, riding the bus and eating/buying local products.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">Activities include:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">1. A bingo-type card where individuals will be able to choose various activities (hike a trail, ride the bus, attend a farmers market, attend an energy presentation, etc.) and will get a stamp when the activity is completed. When they get "bingo" they will be able to enter their card into a drawing for prizes donated by local merchants and organizations</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">2. "Get Caught Moving" - we will have spotters during that week looking for those who display a Moving Cortland armband. They will receive a coupon good for produce at a farmers market in the county.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">3. There will be volunteers who will be available on a reservation basis to act as a "Bus Buddy" for people who need help navigating the public transit system.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">For more information and to find out where to pickup/drop-off bingo cards and armbands, go to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/" target="_blank">Seven Valleys Health Coalition</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;">Check out the bingo game card for specifics on events, available at locations throughout Cortland or download from:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://http//www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/2011_moving_cortland.pdf" target="_blank">Moving Cortland Bingo Card</a></span>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-79436352191698575632011-09-15T07:06:00.000-04:002011-09-15T07:06:27.758-04:00Canning WorkshopIf you've always wanted to learn how to can, here's your opportunity. Cooperative Extension is offering a hands-on workshop THIS Saturday (Sept. 17th) from 9-noon at the Cortland County Office Building (Basement room B-1). Please pre-register ASAP by calling Sharon VanDeuson, Cornell Cooperative Extension, at 607-753-5078. There is a small charge of $5 to help with materials costs.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-89713413484754061562011-08-12T11:56:00.000-04:002011-08-12T11:56:00.709-04:00Preserving the Harvest Presentation<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT39Duqndg6bqSwmr9I90QNlI_9KurRXH_vMo4DFXuyfNOEr3wYq618hPKYBkRqEQfxvkp2mqEer3b23qWwlvV1mRTVgxMBAilV3gQgkYlin4qjte2c_XJ2wAKOSDiTyFxhkDHGBiREM/s1600/chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT39Duqndg6bqSwmr9I90QNlI_9KurRXH_vMo4DFXuyfNOEr3wYq618hPKYBkRqEQfxvkp2mqEer3b23qWwlvV1mRTVgxMBAilV3gQgkYlin4qjte2c_XJ2wAKOSDiTyFxhkDHGBiREM/s320/chris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Applegate at the Virgil Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Please join us for "Preserving the Harvest" on Wed. August 17th, from 7:00-9:00 PM at the New York State Grange Headquarters in Cortland (just off of Clinton Avenue). In this free workshop Chris Applegate will present information on "putting food by" for the winter. Methods to be discussed include canning, freezing, dehydrating, root cellaring, pickling and fermenting. Chris is an organic grower and food safety educator. She has been a professional cook restaurant owner and college dining manager. She currently manages the Virgil Farmers Market. For more info please contact the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District at 607-756-5991.<br />
<br />
Chris is an excellent speaker and very knowledgeable. I encourage anyone thinking about preserving food as well as those who already do to come to this session. She'll be able to answer all kinds of questions.<br />
<br />
solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-70747464997085289522011-08-07T06:36:00.000-04:002011-08-07T06:36:48.930-04:00Finally some fruit!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rJ1dNfy-oKXxt1owC001BAfU3Kr9CYnsCjBJqYhYpXDWIiRtZWyiRGBrtnKn0Q1qQKCEmf7wuSSoqbAFiW1pXoGRdvwP3DEdEz0Al3GF_AgZrbzVBVcEXGo155zGlYeCyiESHie9gcE/s1600/apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rJ1dNfy-oKXxt1owC001BAfU3Kr9CYnsCjBJqYhYpXDWIiRtZWyiRGBrtnKn0Q1qQKCEmf7wuSSoqbAFiW1pXoGRdvwP3DEdEz0Al3GF_AgZrbzVBVcEXGo155zGlYeCyiESHie9gcE/s400/apples.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apples<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuOfys9KIHovXfmcLgTFAW0JDCgQD_z4N4r3z0Eg7N9hFnG5Dm6sG6dtzELAt7nkW14fUmKeXNs0vgV2kpMrRL6Q_tS4aXGC_gmyLqkVSAgmWpUMxGCJzt-sp0-WyHCaWj3pC1o6z2Qc/s1600/bartlettpear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuOfys9KIHovXfmcLgTFAW0JDCgQD_z4N4r3z0Eg7N9hFnG5Dm6sG6dtzELAt7nkW14fUmKeXNs0vgV2kpMrRL6Q_tS4aXGC_gmyLqkVSAgmWpUMxGCJzt-sp0-WyHCaWj3pC1o6z2Qc/s200/bartlettpear.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barlett Pear</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJJceLUsHcXhsJaYCb-oIqj0OtkzHecuvRYvsgNdvqjGZFt_mzREaSBEHulvIE101jIN03fqLjvHy225v7WYWlFyTSTjAAOxomZokaeZjCsWpRePvr0P0mIfY-TciEJ2vSjTHZ_YSgoI/s1600/asianpear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJJceLUsHcXhsJaYCb-oIqj0OtkzHecuvRYvsgNdvqjGZFt_mzREaSBEHulvIE101jIN03fqLjvHy225v7WYWlFyTSTjAAOxomZokaeZjCsWpRePvr0P0mIfY-TciEJ2vSjTHZ_YSgoI/s200/asianpear.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian Pears</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_MTtHIAQdyDM0rCstry7PaX_wffwEhQi3xR7lJW_Funi_KoRX0cZKruKdIgxZhv0XYJvRQxBtxQUo4D-P-EJNVEUkhdMmXY9E_S2uUIRkQ4Ov9fpP_4QITMnGirxNcd7UmjwpiajFYM/s1600/mulberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_MTtHIAQdyDM0rCstry7PaX_wffwEhQi3xR7lJW_Funi_KoRX0cZKruKdIgxZhv0XYJvRQxBtxQUo4D-P-EJNVEUkhdMmXY9E_S2uUIRkQ4Ov9fpP_4QITMnGirxNcd7UmjwpiajFYM/s200/mulberry.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mulberries<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIumpjMG4F83vClNkOKFPtFXTHxNCIGyyIEj0UwJxSnhUH7tVY3tFzne5f9KCies_pCHJnlWwRtQJx073OoIa-fVkRwlnlac6YT4fqDEOd3FQQqwR2VRGX4cx8XLTO4Y79j4zihztjs4/s1600/grapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIumpjMG4F83vClNkOKFPtFXTHxNCIGyyIEj0UwJxSnhUH7tVY3tFzne5f9KCies_pCHJnlWwRtQJx073OoIa-fVkRwlnlac6YT4fqDEOd3FQQqwR2VRGX4cx8XLTO4Y79j4zihztjs4/s200/grapes.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grapes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE-nLqEV5JYjVZ1L-jBs61XrckzvmO8UiQp8UfZCE6ZaPZTYj55ZCigVJWuyEgw3pvWLhEXPKfmv2FDaAjXtaxWUWYGGKep3hDfV3rb7yGrDaHghIZyp5HO0QAYuFhAFjAXzfBtXU0Lk/s1600/hazelnuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieE-nLqEV5JYjVZ1L-jBs61XrckzvmO8UiQp8UfZCE6ZaPZTYj55ZCigVJWuyEgw3pvWLhEXPKfmv2FDaAjXtaxWUWYGGKep3hDfV3rb7yGrDaHghIZyp5HO0QAYuFhAFjAXzfBtXU0Lk/s200/hazelnuts.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hazelnuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ATBk2X1GbaCWJiEVYLWIhUwpNUn7N5VZb3t4rllLz_ajn2u77Izz0wD7VwR8MKiMa_9TthOVsTEkfOKSGuOg3YCfprmGpp75hv0wk1_W_dMl-JrqbUrx_Bndsr4F9Y86K3qIfQAkh0E/s1600/strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ATBk2X1GbaCWJiEVYLWIhUwpNUn7N5VZb3t4rllLz_ajn2u77Izz0wD7VwR8MKiMa_9TthOVsTEkfOKSGuOg3YCfprmGpp75hv0wk1_W_dMl-JrqbUrx_Bndsr4F9Y86K3qIfQAkh0E/s200/strawberries.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">making strawberry jam<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After many struggles with growing fruit (clay hardpan dirt, too much rain, not enough rain, several late frosts after too early springs, pests, etc) we are finally seeing some rewards - but we still have our challenges this year. This season we are finally getting a number of pears and apples. Our cherries were looking good this spring, until we had a ton of rain just as they were getting ripe, so they all split on us. Blueberries did not have enough rain while they were ripening, so many shriveled or are very tart. Our grapes are doing mixed, many looked great, some are shriveling, others look like they may make it. Mulberries are doing very well, if I can beat the birds to them that is. We are getting a lot of apples this year as well, although they are small, those we already have harvested seem to be sweet. Also this season we are getting our first hazelnuts, and harvested a bunch of currants (white and black). Our strawberries did great early on, but our everbearers didn't like the drier and hotter than normal weather we had much of July. Our Elderberries are not doing well this year, although last year we had a bumper crop. In talking with others, they have also had a mixed success this year both with fruit and garden veggies. Some explain how they narrow down what grows best, others plant a variety as they've found (as have we) that some years some things do great and others don't and other years it is the reverse. As <a href="http://www.climatechoices.org/ne/">climate change effects become more dramatic here in the Northeast</a>, I expect this will become even more complicated.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-13237009846928701222011-06-05T21:12:00.006-04:002011-06-05T21:48:02.285-04:00Senator Gillibrand meets with Cortland County Farmers and Residents<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OyUlpOKrkpQiRbRZiqK9ygDV1YFYZqSkk6-dRHH1Mw72wWEa_vaX90UGB0z63G2kZPuPBYvuGytfhKvt8_J7ck82bndowpPJuDcr2H49B9xNVZ_KTjhPA0kjxHaiOCCV6s1jfJghbgQ/s1600/IMG_0976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OyUlpOKrkpQiRbRZiqK9ygDV1YFYZqSkk6-dRHH1Mw72wWEa_vaX90UGB0z63G2kZPuPBYvuGytfhKvt8_J7ck82bndowpPJuDcr2H49B9xNVZ_KTjhPA0kjxHaiOCCV6s1jfJghbgQ/s320/IMG_0976.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Knapp Family with Senator Gillibrand</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This past Friday morning, on a beautiful Central New York day, I had the pleasure of visiting <a href="http://www.cobblestonevalley.com/">Cobblestone Valley Farm</a> in Preble, NY. Since the Knapp Family (Maureen, Paul, Casey, Blaise and Evan) provide us with most of our locally grown beef, chicken, turkey, pork and strawberries, we had been to their farm many times. On this day, they were hosting a "listening session" with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who is serving on the Senate Agriculture committee and conducting a <a href="http://gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=24FF6391-A03F-4001-8AEE-D12480820201">listening tour about agricultural issues that her citizens would like addressed in the next farm bill</a>. Senator Gillibrand was impressive as she took charge of the meeting and had obviously done her own research on key issues as she responded and questioned individuals as they presented questions and comments. The Senator was joined by Darrel Aubertine, the Commissioner of the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidot_stbcuZN9r3n0dAS7eM_2JKUnw8Vh53i4lgTeQa90TBUo9f6CXLD7uq5Uvb1VhtcjjICefj6O2DDuCAyaF8I0ihIRr2oSGaNqjziScgYsLGUog_Vi_imPoAUNVHF16R-ApfnfukKw/s1600/IMG_0970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidot_stbcuZN9r3n0dAS7eM_2JKUnw8Vh53i4lgTeQa90TBUo9f6CXLD7uq5Uvb1VhtcjjICefj6O2DDuCAyaF8I0ihIRr2oSGaNqjziScgYsLGUog_Vi_imPoAUNVHF16R-ApfnfukKw/s320/IMG_0970.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casey Knapp introducing Senator Gillibrand</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
One of the issues raised was federal subsidies for corn-based ethanol - which besides being a food source used for fuel, is also usually grown in non-sustainable manners, is a net energy looser (it takes more energy to make it than we get out of it as a fuel) and as my <a href="http://blog.syracuse.com/farms/2011/06/us_sen_kirsten_gillibrand_list.html">husband said to the Senator</a> "it is wrecking my chain saw, ruining my gas mileage and I get to PAY for the privilege!" Another issue raised was that of famers needing to be paid enough for their products so they can pay employees a decent wage, pay for their costs of production and make a little profit so that they can continue to grow our food. Other issues included a request for support for the development of regional food systems and markets, and also <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/029168_GMO_foods_labeling.html">labeling of GMO</a> (Genetically Modified Organisms) products. <br />
<br />
The latter question was asked by Heather Hawkins, co-owner of <a href="http://www.greenhills.com/">Green Hills Market</a> in Syracuse. We chatted for a while afterwards and I was very impressed with her depth of knowledge of healthy foods, and her dedication for her family grocery store to offer quality food. She went to the <a href="http://washingtonpostlive.com/conferences/food/speakers">Future of Food</a> conference in DC and also watched (as did I) the <a href="http://www.tedxmanhattan.org/">TEDxManhattan conference</a> in January on Changing the Way We Eat.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYqMUTNeaDZfEiDz-we93KFYIcANDhmJixHrWyfgA7ApqkiM1uiko6nrYTeLlPnQ-ZJsGd_3RhoXXSsSq96RWKxORKPa5nXZnuhN5F2Affyj0Ae2LtmyIEFOfEs4bVCIfVkA02gCe1ss/s1600/IMG_0972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYqMUTNeaDZfEiDz-we93KFYIcANDhmJixHrWyfgA7ApqkiM1uiko6nrYTeLlPnQ-ZJsGd_3RhoXXSsSq96RWKxORKPa5nXZnuhN5F2Affyj0Ae2LtmyIEFOfEs4bVCIfVkA02gCe1ss/s320/IMG_0972.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Gillibrand and Commissioner Aubertine<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I also bumped into Neil Brody Miller who developed the iPhone (iPad/iPod) app called <a href="http://www.farmshedcny.com/farmshednation/">Farmshed</a>. This free app as Neil says on his website "puts all of Central New York's local food producers at your fingertips. Browse through comprehensive directories of regional farms, CSAs, farmers markets, natural food stores, locavore restaurants, and more. . . Why Central New York? Because we live, work, and eat here. We believe that buying local does a world of good for the region, and that supporting local farmers and food producers puts fresher, more nutritious food on our tables, strengthens community-based economies and local food cultures, and builds closer personal relationships between producers and consumers." Of course this includes Cortland County! Neil also said that they were coming out shortly with a web-based app that would also work on your PC and other portable wireless devices, so check the Farmshed website for more info.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #362400; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-17057743064704088812011-05-26T18:16:00.005-04:002011-06-05T21:32:05.210-04:00The Garden Grows, the Weeds Grow Faster!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5Fn0fMsbSbqCldSAwKlzlLmqKlIL-NslvZqmV12BQ_cD-LAP-FT0gkNfdd020pmom1VWR5cUCt3MaDRZ_ivfclraaHA0vrG6SEIy2etaEfSHWCtX85rJIDaxK-BWfwrWCE5Ks788ow/s1600/gardenstreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5Fn0fMsbSbqCldSAwKlzlLmqKlIL-NslvZqmV12BQ_cD-LAP-FT0gkNfdd020pmom1VWR5cUCt3MaDRZ_ivfclraaHA0vrG6SEIy2etaEfSHWCtX85rJIDaxK-BWfwrWCE5Ks788ow/s200/gardenstreams.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">unfortunate garden streams</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2biDm6ul1FiU4FPdpysnUCp05ulFd9xBcJVqUWqT5vauI9KjLdv6Fc8AYvOLcuzSIbtS-DVR4le7HJeI1-I-k7Fly0J30iTZV5DoAlD30Gkqk5aSsJApsPAtcm56pRic9yKfoP63hyphenhyphenLA/s1600/peasandonions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2biDm6ul1FiU4FPdpysnUCp05ulFd9xBcJVqUWqT5vauI9KjLdv6Fc8AYvOLcuzSIbtS-DVR4le7HJeI1-I-k7Fly0J30iTZV5DoAlD30Gkqk5aSsJApsPAtcm56pRic9yKfoP63hyphenhyphenLA/s200/peasandonions.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peas and onions, oh my!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Wow, it seems like in the blink of an eye we went from winter to weeds that are 3 feet tall! Overall it has been a bit damp this spring with the garden being pretty swampy. We did manage to get our potatoes in - during a stretch of a few days of sunny dry weather and they are beginning to show themselves. Other things went in the raised beds. These includes copious amounts of onions and shallots. I broke a companion planting rule and planted my peas with my onions. I am tired of critters always eating the peas down - so thought perhaps the onions might help deter and figured it was worth the risk. So far the peas look like they don't mind being with the onions. In fact, it is time to give them something to climb on.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uWbveUHzrh-gHAd1OgzORS4uKdg8bLmKEwzZ41gB1QMRrWoLdEDwPBEEigCqvJM9f_r4B9_rjRw4tWwjpz3HK0HAKwfJcM69qGYaBmmedpnhhkJW6MJadRRMvZYZlO-vokhNJbZQhaA/s1600/spinachbrocandcabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uWbveUHzrh-gHAd1OgzORS4uKdg8bLmKEwzZ41gB1QMRrWoLdEDwPBEEigCqvJM9f_r4B9_rjRw4tWwjpz3HK0HAKwfJcM69qGYaBmmedpnhhkJW6MJadRRMvZYZlO-vokhNJbZQhaA/s200/spinachbrocandcabbage.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">broccoli, cabbage and spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We also put in some cabbage, broccoli, spinach, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, turnips rather early using our hoops and agribon. Now that it has warmed up they are really taking off. So far we elected to not put in too many fragile things - only a few tomatoes so far. And this year we are trying out Karl's new "modular" tomato cage design made from PVC pipe and tacked in the ground with a little rebar (Did I mention we get what seems like gale force wind around here?) He's also designed some for pole beans, too. Which I'll show in a later post.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0Lc2U14pMuApMGwNfECWyeHaaXAxDYWmY4vyEpcvIYiP6FsBV7vx2vCWkMYDcr1q1kSUrttq0ip6COYqChEXtTg9N-sU00dU5w1pvuYcTwbwAfsbQKhmgIwel7OgAm-o3XUIy4Ppsgg/s1600/newtomatocages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0Lc2U14pMuApMGwNfECWyeHaaXAxDYWmY4vyEpcvIYiP6FsBV7vx2vCWkMYDcr1q1kSUrttq0ip6COYqChEXtTg9N-sU00dU5w1pvuYcTwbwAfsbQKhmgIwel7OgAm-o3XUIy4Ppsgg/s200/newtomatocages.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karl's PVC tomato cages</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The rest of the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash and herbs are still in the greenhouse waiting both for our last frost date to pass (June 1 for us) and also for the garden to dry up a bit. The good part about the damp weather is that most of the fruit trees have beautiful blooms and all the perennials are looking terrific (and all the weeds are, too). Hopefully we won't get a late frost (like we have the last couple of years) and these blossoms will give us some fruit this year!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQcxg-XvIzUKVlCiDy1OI0EEXybNAvnhmhZcKqqf66JU_dQR62vL7r7odFjfBsmkSYU8JDDeN-QBMWhAXLpxTJulpAnxYbqx2OTg_lPSse4aJdKc3KOnTTQXZ2bBvr8VgsyN8tKhrliU/s1600/tomatoesandsquashgreenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQcxg-XvIzUKVlCiDy1OI0EEXybNAvnhmhZcKqqf66JU_dQR62vL7r7odFjfBsmkSYU8JDDeN-QBMWhAXLpxTJulpAnxYbqx2OTg_lPSse4aJdKc3KOnTTQXZ2bBvr8VgsyN8tKhrliU/s200/tomatoesandsquashgreenhouse.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">veggies in the greenhouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAaX7Y4PY69M4oR7rkysOYt6AnmEHCaFmEu_OmvxBOoRn0NuSJPLA7vop-wCDiJN-QP15pAWvAJwQ4VVRWUypHpncilyiN1Juzo56R0ZSqk3__dXrXD_v5qGSDTIWqHmOoRN6N0w5ny0/s1600/crabappleblooming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAaX7Y4PY69M4oR7rkysOYt6AnmEHCaFmEu_OmvxBOoRn0NuSJPLA7vop-wCDiJN-QP15pAWvAJwQ4VVRWUypHpncilyiN1Juzo56R0ZSqk3__dXrXD_v5qGSDTIWqHmOoRN6N0w5ny0/s200/crabappleblooming.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> pink crabapple blooming</td></tr>
</tbody></table>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-56806267060902136112011-04-13T11:30:00.000-04:002011-04-13T11:30:42.366-04:00Sustainability Week EventsNext week on the SUNY Cortland Campus is Sustainability Week. Below is a list of events. All events are free and open to the public. Sessions address issues such as sustainable food, local foods, renewable energy, climate change, etc. Hope to see you there!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Saturday April 16th from 8:30 to 11:00am: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sixth Annual Community Cleanup Day</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Meet at the Chamber Parking lot at 37 Church St.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Organized by the Cortland Downtown Partnership, the City of Cortland, the Cortland Chamber of Commerce, the SUNY Cortland Institute for Civic Engagement, and SUNY Cortland AmeriCorps</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Fresh from the Farm” Little York Farms at 5668 U.S. Route 11, Homer, NY. from 9:00am to 2:00pm</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">A NEW opportunity to buy locally grown and processed foods including: local pasture-raised beef, free range eggs, honey, herb plants, real maple syrup, semi-soft cheese, homemade beef soup, and baked goods. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Organized by Healthy Now Cortland County (For more information call 607-591-9727)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sunday April 17th From 9:30 to 1:30pm</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">A Trip to the Seneca Meadows Landfill</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Meet at the loading dock behind Bowers Hall</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Organized by the SUNY Cortland Environmental Science Club</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Monday April 18th </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">SUNY Cortland Sustainability Week Keynote Address 7:30 - 9:00 pm Sperry Hall 205</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Pedaling Climate Change: A bike trip from Delaware to Oregon, talking about climate change”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Dr. David Goodrich, former Director of Climate Observations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and former director of the Global Climate Observing System Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Tuesday April 19th Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155: The Environmental Impact of Tobacco: Working toward a Tobacco-Free Campus</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The SUNY Cortland Tobacco Advisory Committee</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155: A Not-So Temperate Environment and How it Affects Forests (and People, too)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Neil Pederson, Doherty Associate Research Scientist, Tree-Ring Laboratory, LDEO & Columbia University</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">4:00 to 6:00 pm Hoxie Gorge: An Outdoor Classroom for Sustainability: A tour of the 169-acre Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve guided by two faculty from the Biology and Geology departments. Following an overview of ongoing research, the discussion will focus on carbon sequestration; biomimicry, and nutrient cycling.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">(Note: You must sign up in advance by contacting the Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at 607-753-5488 or emailing outdooredinfo@cortand.edu.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">7:00pm in Sperry Hall 205: Annual Connie Wilkins Bird Lecture</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">“The Surprising Behavior of Crows”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife - Habitat Relationships and Avian Social Ecology & Demography at the University of Washington in Seattle</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Organized by the Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture and the SUNY Cortland Biology Club</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Wednesday April 20th Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Doubt mongering in environmental issues A presentation by the ENS 486: Environmental Science Seminar class</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Local Foods Movement: Learn about the local foods movement in our area and how you can get involved!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Beth Klein, SUNY Cortland; Christine Applegate, Co-Chair Cortland County Local Agricultural Promotions Committee ; Heather Birdsall, Cortland County Cornell Cooperative Extension; and more.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">7:00-9:00</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Screening of “The Greenhorns” a documentary film exploring how young people are making a difference in America’s sustainable food movement.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">A discussion led by young, local farmers and beginning farmer mentors will follow the film.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sperry Hall 105</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Thursday April 21st Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">12:00 – 1:00 pm Earth Week Sandwich Seminar</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">“Sustainable Heating at SUNY Cortland Using Biomass and Geothermal Energy”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Matthew Rankin, Senior in Biological Science</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Student Actions for Sustainability A presentation by the Environmental Science Club (C-SAVE), the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and the SUNY Cortland Recreation Association (SCRA)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Technical and Economic Success of Renewable Energy in Central New York</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Melissa Kemp, Director of Halco Renewable Energy</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">7:30 - 9:00 pm: Energy and Sustainability</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">“The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Lessons for U.S. Energy Policy in the Era of Extreme Energy” Sperry Hall 105</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics and author of Insurmountable Risks: The Dangers of Using Nuclear Power to Combat Global Climate Change</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Friday April 22nd</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Student/Staff Events in Honor of the 41st Anniversary of Earth Day</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Build Your Own Wind Turbine Physics & Engineering Club 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Facts About Fracking New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPRIG) 12:00 - 3:00 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Earth Café 2050 Environmental Science Club (C-SAVE) 12:00 - 3:00 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Local Foods Resources and Composting Made Easy Cortland Faculty, Staff, and Community Members 11:30 - 3:00 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">3rd Annual Outdoor Gear Sale and Fender Blender: Bike Your Own Smoothie SUNY Cortland Recreation Association 12:00 - 5:00 pm Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">4:30 – 7:00 pm Earth Day Open House</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS), Environmental Justice Committee and the Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County community group (GDACC)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Beard Building 9 Main Street Cortland, NY 13045</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Open House will include a screening of the film "My Name is Allegheny County." The film chronicles the way in which residents actively organized resistance to siting a low level radioactive waste dump in Allegheny County. Jim Weiss and Paul Yaman, two residents active in the resistance in Cortland County, will speak after the film.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The program will also highlight the need for greater activism to promote the use of clean, safe, and affordable energy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-66180006123142652822011-04-03T17:04:00.000-04:002011-04-03T17:04:24.249-04:00Gardening has Started!!!!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_f6y1-6IhmScMRRtLcZ5i066FiG317GRZMk1qqMdlAOkO4FsLGscH7cDhwBASRhSPQSVPoXG4UDrRwCy3YZDb1d8eYkvco4CDbMWF-QtSAn8Y_vrazsH9Zad9tzpWCPqHwDoBjXGIrY/s1600/cabbage%2526brocseedlngs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_f6y1-6IhmScMRRtLcZ5i066FiG317GRZMk1qqMdlAOkO4FsLGscH7cDhwBASRhSPQSVPoXG4UDrRwCy3YZDb1d8eYkvco4CDbMWF-QtSAn8Y_vrazsH9Zad9tzpWCPqHwDoBjXGIrY/s200/cabbage%2526brocseedlngs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts and cabbage seedlings</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0zIBz3KbmjUxYeotAKyA_lcUC1UaLHCDMc5VFpNZxWKbBqC1zEzQ1v7BeGcgzkYmhuMDyFXTM8DvzisLKpEj45NoIYRtNpWQG2RM5YBC8PiQ0HVzj5k8Jiu5S_53kMVNzjHPMuabe8M/s1600/shallots%2526leeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0zIBz3KbmjUxYeotAKyA_lcUC1UaLHCDMc5VFpNZxWKbBqC1zEzQ1v7BeGcgzkYmhuMDyFXTM8DvzisLKpEj45NoIYRtNpWQG2RM5YBC8PiQ0HVzj5k8Jiu5S_53kMVNzjHPMuabe8M/s200/shallots%2526leeks.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shallot and leek seedlings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Time for starting gardening has come! Although we are mostly doing it indoors at this point. We now have shallots, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, peppers, kale, brussels sprouts, eggplant and some cherry tomatoes started in containers on a shelf in an east facing window. More seeds will be started soon. Chives are coming up in the herb bed now that the snow has mostly melted away. This slow warming trend is nice (even if it is slow I think we are all tired of winter!). I just hope it means that we'll continue our gradual warm-up and won't have any mid and late spring cold snaps like the last couple of years. It would be nice to have some apples, plums and pears blossoms NOT get frozen this year!solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-83008356825221407822011-03-30T21:03:00.003-04:002011-03-30T21:08:25.931-04:00SPRING THINGSHas it really been since October that I made time to add to this blog? Where does time go? Anyway - here is news that might be of interest to readers:<br />
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<b>First</b>, make sure that you plan to attend a great workshop for gardeners to be held April 9th from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Port Watson Mini-Conference Center (131 Port Watson Street, Cortland)! For only $5 you can attend workshops on food preservation (by Chris Applegate!), vegetable growing, native and alien plants, and summer perennials. The keynote speaker is Elaine Norris speaking on "Growing Your Own Food" Please call the Seven Valleys Health Coalition at (607) 756-4198 to register ASAP or go to their website where you can download the registration form <a href="http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/">http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/</a><br />
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<b>Second</b>, there will be some sustainability related events announcements soon from both the SUNY Cortland Sustainability Week Planning Committee and the Sustainability Track. Multiple movie and speaker events are being planned. So please stay tuned for more info.<br />
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<b>Third</b>, <strong>Fresh From The Farm!</strong> Saturdays, April 9 - May 14, 9 am - 2 pm, Little York Farms, LLC, 5668 US Route 11, Homer (3 miles north of Homer Village). A NEW opportunity to buy locally grown food!<br />
<ul><li><strong><img align="right" alt="Healthy NOW" border="0" height="80" hspace="6" src="http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/artwork/healthynow.gif" vspace="6" width="200" /></strong>Local pasture-raised beef - <a href="http://www.CNYBeef.com/" target="_blank">CNY Beef</a></li>
<li> Herb plants - Frosty Morning Farm</li>
<li> Baked goods - Chris Applegate</li>
<li> Free range eggs - Barbara Clark</li>
<li> Semi-soft cheese - Kelley McGarr</li>
<li> Homemade beef soups - Kory’s Place</li>
<li> Sweet baked goods - Fleurette Clough</li>
<li> Real maple syrup - Delavan Farms</li>
<li> Honey - various vendors</li>
<li> Adding more vendors weekly!</li>
</ul>If you have compostable food waste to dispose of, we will take it! Compostable bags available for sale. Cash, personal check or EBT accepted. Bring the kids and visit the animals at <a href="http://www.lonebirchstables.com/" target="_blank">Lone Birch Stables</a> and enjoy some refreshments. Another initiative by Healthy Now Cortland County. For more information call 607-591-9727.<br />
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Spring is on the way - someday:)solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-28962305408191892302010-10-27T10:34:00.002-04:002010-10-27T10:39:31.196-04:00October Updates from the Homestead<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj48jv3ra-kYbu6TZdV5H3DNVrp3lCdxrbsexBbe4DncWW43xjirqaicBYphj3gImoyApuS3L8Dy1xIe7w4ibU1XyAGmJtLhHhj8Gk756c7uRnxiYTOFA0yeRYOJQsl7c1GXjCTpNFKA8/s1600/asters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj48jv3ra-kYbu6TZdV5H3DNVrp3lCdxrbsexBbe4DncWW43xjirqaicBYphj3gImoyApuS3L8Dy1xIe7w4ibU1XyAGmJtLhHhj8Gk756c7uRnxiYTOFA0yeRYOJQsl7c1GXjCTpNFKA8/s200/asters.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New York Asters in the Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtFyQAmpJ4qmjyc1MBEUvPA7NdY5OFc4GGgjHUQbkSRR4HLZx6jwUy5dv4PlMnP24hQkf62kvFrgzMi8CGo2l1fRAePDTvGQNYcgWU2EhNkB_wOyfMUEEZKT0HKbyA21GTBS5vyK2cLA/s1600/squash2010_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtFyQAmpJ4qmjyc1MBEUvPA7NdY5OFc4GGgjHUQbkSRR4HLZx6jwUy5dv4PlMnP24hQkf62kvFrgzMi8CGo2l1fRAePDTvGQNYcgWU2EhNkB_wOyfMUEEZKT0HKbyA21GTBS5vyK2cLA/s320/squash2010_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the 2010 squash and pumpkin harvest</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnuF6pGOwC-rpNX_OYLGyrRa7aAnb9PD92-daZkzwozjgwuMZRWg57gqBhB0nYlYf61SRDuY0RYO9__4iXPqIWV6cH54ADRJIFkDZFFp5HpNl9FixOj_wni8xJOu4M8DRiYq1_vJGvsE/s1600/chardkohrabi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnuF6pGOwC-rpNX_OYLGyrRa7aAnb9PD92-daZkzwozjgwuMZRWg57gqBhB0nYlYf61SRDuY0RYO9__4iXPqIWV6cH54ADRJIFkDZFFp5HpNl9FixOj_wni8xJOu4M8DRiYq1_vJGvsE/s200/chardkohrabi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss chard and purple kohlrabi</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYkZJeSLookHn1JCucUPdsU1wWSD676PwMvfFHBvnChwLpbmv6sgbP8JRw73ODAhRptT72FfqMOfSii41wo92YLb6GkKtnwpOjM9ixTpR1bmF97Odhrnc-apGpEki7xrQIBwn_1hUebc/s1600/potatoes2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYkZJeSLookHn1JCucUPdsU1wWSD676PwMvfFHBvnChwLpbmv6sgbP8JRw73ODAhRptT72FfqMOfSii41wo92YLb6GkKtnwpOjM9ixTpR1bmF97Odhrnc-apGpEki7xrQIBwn_1hUebc/s320/potatoes2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potatoes in the bin and shelving unit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The harvest months really seem to fly by; especially when combined with the beginning of the school year (which conspires to keep me from making posts). There has been a lot going on in the County and I hope to get caught up with sharing that news in the next few weeks. I thought I'd start by reflecting a little on what has been happening around the homestead. We had a pretty good garden year. Tomatoes did well - especially after last year's blight took most of them. We harvested lots of potatoes and squash. Despite a couple of pretty mean frosts/freezes, thanks to our frost cloth we still have some swiss chard, kohlrabi, celery, cabbage, kale, and leeks out in the garden. We did not do a fall planting of carrots and greens like usual (we just ran out of time and energy). We did manage to get new potato bins built for the root cellar. These are designed to provide lots of airflow and easy for us to monitor and pick out any that might be going bad throughout the winter.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnth2fh2E5JjwmgtM8GuiL_OWOonbfW9rOI66klJwsn4Iw7ub14F45PAveHaET3iSLyLbvyFxWlBD_u9Fp0OzVcMNhiUkYKKrKDfnAi76f7RTc_jQfwidSapGChDtC3MCabu55KlF8B8w/s1600/solarthermal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnth2fh2E5JjwmgtM8GuiL_OWOonbfW9rOI66klJwsn4Iw7ub14F45PAveHaET3iSLyLbvyFxWlBD_u9Fp0OzVcMNhiUkYKKrKDfnAi76f7RTc_jQfwidSapGChDtC3MCabu55KlF8B8w/s320/solarthermal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our solar thermal system being installed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We've also been enjoying our new solar thermal system that we had installed this summer. It should provide 80-90% of our hot water needs (100% in the summer months a little less on those dark, damp days of fall, winter, spring). <br />
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The farmers market season closes this month, with tonight being the last Homer Market. There has been discussion about a virtual local winter market - more on that as it develops. Also as you look for places to get winter veggies and NYS apples, please check out the <a href="http://www.farmshedcny.com/">Farmshed blog</a> and the FREE app for iPhone (works on iTouch and iPad, too) which will map for you local farmers markets, CSA's, U-Pick Farms, local food stores and restaurants serving local foods. Neil Brody Miller of New Woodstock has developed this resource specifically for Central New York (with potential plans to go national later).solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-25156564459395913002010-08-21T12:02:00.000-04:002010-08-21T12:02:42.312-04:00Sunday on the Farm!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4ZiTqyvuBpyRJ5Tom1_YcNehk46SxXkb44odhP1kJoyoMBuFeYrSIVqXesSlw4DTBAO6tEOgY2k4h2SjUtjPZGpGEl6cwOSCK8b3nRsi12BuR9_yZTxt0YzjwUmUzZGm0VGJsTA2ezw/s1600/sundayonthefarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw93F_kI-DWfEH5178spHkLGK5gN8ctLMRtpRrFcQ8iF5EQO5PzmQzXkJF7g-olPG9KIlWVd5Lqd8RFXCXUdB3H4N8LfGk2Sq0hxT3N71BFz9ybpdeNuffCUqWoXtBG5kPsSt-1yFqRhs/s1600/sundayonthefarm2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw93F_kI-DWfEH5178spHkLGK5gN8ctLMRtpRrFcQ8iF5EQO5PzmQzXkJF7g-olPG9KIlWVd5Lqd8RFXCXUdB3H4N8LfGk2Sq0hxT3N71BFz9ybpdeNuffCUqWoXtBG5kPsSt-1yFqRhs/s200/sundayonthefarm2.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>If you are looking for a great family activity to do this Sunday (August 22), please check out "Sunday on the Farm", a driving tour of Cortland County farms. The tour is from 1 to 5. Here is a link to their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cortland-County-Sunday-on-the-Farm/126394270739895?ref=ts">FaceBook event</a> page.<br />
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Below is a list of farms and markets that are open to the tour and their address so you can locate them:<br />
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Lone Birch Stables and Little York Farms (CNY Beef): 5668 Route 11, Homer, NY 13077<br />
New Hope View Farm: 5937 Route 11, Homer, NY 13077<br />
Cobblestone Valley Farm: 2023 Preble Road, Preble, NY 13141<br />
Currie Valley Dairy: 7369 Route 11, Tully, NY 13159<br />
Gladtime Farm Market: 7612 Route 281, Tully, NY 13159<br />
Reakes Country Goods: 4016 Route 13, Truxton, NY 13158<br />
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<a href="http://www.cobblestonevalley.com/">Cobblestone Valley Farm</a> is where I purchased the organic strawberries in <a href="http://greencortland.blogspot.com/2010/07/strawberries.html">this entry</a> and where we get most of our beef, <a href="http://greencortland.blogspot.com/search?q=pork">pork and poultry.</a> Gladtime Farm Market offers a lot of locally grown goods, including some they grow themselves.<br />
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Take some time to meet the people and see the farms that grow our local food!!!!solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-38034363052374857782010-07-04T10:32:00.001-04:002010-07-04T10:32:45.449-04:00Strawberries!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg9CU8bbuBingcGHdjrac3KGDyMPttds0zFgZ5rhQIJr5Mr2WRcaq7tRw_ymfhAP40VzKLzkTUO3XHSG7cVO9kzWLnMioLo-N88GmaHKdTatLOvZyvNH5_tgUUDQE0xMzYci6UhgPy-0/s1600/IMG_0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg9CU8bbuBingcGHdjrac3KGDyMPttds0zFgZ5rhQIJr5Mr2WRcaq7tRw_ymfhAP40VzKLzkTUO3XHSG7cVO9kzWLnMioLo-N88GmaHKdTatLOvZyvNH5_tgUUDQE0xMzYci6UhgPy-0/s200/IMG_0253.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
If you love strawberries, I'm sure you've been picking and eating them for a few weeks now. We are getting to the end of our season, but <a href="http://www.cobblestonevalley.com/">Cobblestone Valley Farm</a> is still open and still picking. Their late variety is going strong and they've got some beautiful organic berries. These photos show those that I picked on Friday being prepped for dehydrating. I picked about 32 quarts this year, that was plenty to make jam for us and to give away, dehydrated some, and sliced and froze some. Of course we ate quite a few, too (and drank a few in fresh made daiquiris). We also have our own small patch that we gathered enough from to make strawberry shortcake and snack on. Why spend time picking organic strawberries from local sources? Well, for one I find they taste much better. But take a look at this <a href="http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/332/the-new-dirty-dozen-12-foods-to-eat-organic-and-avoid-pesticide-residue.html">article</a> to see how strawberries are listed among the "dirty dozen" of fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residue if conventionally grown.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRbEkBKK5Xrl2EeFUrqR-incqsw7hSMD5Wg0PH1r1fxV72FDgLghyErtGs2jQQB335DTBRVnrqRaC2Gr6F44oz8JqY2oGrW2Ym9QUEodT2HMKC2Z3fgq8Y-5-ldu5IQYMhDBI48YOXrI/s1600/IMG_0255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRbEkBKK5Xrl2EeFUrqR-incqsw7hSMD5Wg0PH1r1fxV72FDgLghyErtGs2jQQB335DTBRVnrqRaC2Gr6F44oz8JqY2oGrW2Ym9QUEodT2HMKC2Z3fgq8Y-5-ldu5IQYMhDBI48YOXrI/s400/IMG_0255.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-42441571917184311062010-06-28T08:02:00.004-04:002010-07-10T08:43:23.335-04:00Cortland County Farmers Market Tour: Virgil Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQI30p0Dm8XMUUIvj3GXn1IUQSMFQxrCJ_r9UKAFpD3Qt2C23dNxjZ3wu8xkHYsFN3mWEUqeMmUVWu340zTmL3odC5dfIu1bHzbmGWt3e0YQ_ujM49M0wzpxcN7ZcfoNG_BC7WvX0R0U/s1600/chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQI30p0Dm8XMUUIvj3GXn1IUQSMFQxrCJ_r9UKAFpD3Qt2C23dNxjZ3wu8xkHYsFN3mWEUqeMmUVWu340zTmL3odC5dfIu1bHzbmGWt3e0YQ_ujM49M0wzpxcN7ZcfoNG_BC7WvX0R0U/s320/chris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I've been going on "tour" visiting the different farmers markets in Cortland County. This entry focuses on the Virgil Market which is located in the "heart" of Virgil in front of the Vigil School at the "Four Corners" (Rts 215 and 392 intersection). Chris Applegate has done a wonderful job coordinating the market and is also a vendor. I was quite impressed with the variety of offerings at this market. On the day we visited, they had flowers, homemade soaps and cleaning products, crafts, fresh rustic bread, lettuce, chard, spinach, arugula, kale, beets, carrots, rhubarb, potted herbs, strawberries, peas, new potatoes and onions (yes grown this year!), baked goods, and eggs. They had a nice area with tables and chairs and offered coffee so folks can sit down and chat with their neighbors. It was a wonderful friendly atmosphere. We purchased some soap to give as gifts (in cute shapes) and some of the best rustic bread we've ever had (vermont cheddar, 7-grain, and italian), and some new potatoes. Everything looked wonderful. If you live in the Virgil/Dryden area, I encourage you to check out this Saturday morning market. If you are on Facebook - check out the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virgil-Farmers-Market/124465894255630?ref=ts">Virgil Farmers Market</a> page<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mi0wU0xs2mRH5DPzqmJNNx8E-G5KAp2KISDiuTJsjO-cM5-9QgPUQRb6Wv0gteAZ5XUJbmlkK18hYMq_JDnqjM5IB2hhYEu3kxBMzOiqynFtdyoQzvPk-HZ_EY5zSZja3nFipBSWBa8/s1600/virgilsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mi0wU0xs2mRH5DPzqmJNNx8E-G5KAp2KISDiuTJsjO-cM5-9QgPUQRb6Wv0gteAZ5XUJbmlkK18hYMq_JDnqjM5IB2hhYEu3kxBMzOiqynFtdyoQzvPk-HZ_EY5zSZja3nFipBSWBa8/s400/virgilsign.jpg" width="400" /></a>solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-12776381478519253492010-05-30T21:57:00.002-04:002010-06-16T20:36:48.623-04:00Local Produce Season begins in Cortland CountyIt is Memorial Day weekend. We've had some pretty hot weather already, and the garden (and the weeds) have been growing quite well. Despite that Dave from Dave's Veggies in Homer warned that the last frost could happen June 15th (the last new moon before the Summer Solstice), we've gone ahead and put in tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, onions, shallots, scallions, parsley, basil, dill, tarragon, rosemary, potatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers. Soon we'll put out the winter squash, plant some beans and corn. And just about as soon as we put out the veggies from our little hobby greenhouse, the voles and rabbits are doing their part - already eating some of the tiny potato plants who have poked out their heads, and cleaning off the cabbage leaves for us. We've been harvesting, lettuce, beets, carrots, swiss chard, and spinach (trying before the rodents get them). Here's to hopin' that the new addition to our family (a rescue pup named Calvin who is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_(dog)">Fiest Mix</a>) will help keep our garden more rodent free.<br />
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Last weekend we received our first share from the <a href="http://risingmoonsettingsun.blogspot.com/">Rising Moon, Setting Sun CSA</a> in East Freetown. We received some delicious lettuce, herbs, and scallions. One may wonder why with our own garden do we belong to a CSA. Well we joined for a number of reasons: 1) If the rabbits get our lettuce - hopefully they won't get theirs; 2) They plant in succession much better than we do - so we get things through out the season; 3) Since we try to eat local as much as possible, it helps to have some extra food coming in; 4) We are learning growing techniques from them that improve our own gardening; and 5) I don't know how long our backs will hold out for us to do our own gardening - so we want to make sure they are around to grow us food!<br />
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We are looking forward to next weekend as the farmers markets are open. It is a great place to catch up with folks, and chat with local farmers about how things are growing and learn techniques. Also in addition to food, other local products are available, too. Some great natural cleaning products, soaps, creams, and more make it a great one stop shopping trip for us. In addition to Saturday mornings, the <a href="http://www.eastendfarmersmarket.com/">East End Farmers Market</a> (Cortland's local only market) will also be on Wednesday evenings at the Homer Green. <br />
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Speaking of Homer - the new Homer Community Garden project is taking shape. Check out the <a href="http://homergardens.wordpress.com/village-garden/">Homer Community Gardens Blog</a> to keep up with their progress.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-17716906317482172122010-04-17T13:16:00.001-04:002010-04-17T13:17:48.099-04:00A Week of Sustainability Activities!This week the Cortland Community will be involved in several sustainability activities. Here is the schedule. All Activities are FREE and OPEN to the public!<br />
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<i>Sunday April 18th at 3:00 </i><br />
<b>Public Forum: Gas Drilling Impacts on Drinking Water Dusty Horwitt, Senior Counsel for the Environmental Working Group and author of “Drilling Around the Law” </b><br />
3:00 to 4:00pm at the Beard Building (9 Main Street) <br />
Organized by Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County (GDACC)<br />
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<i>April 4th through 28th</i><br />
<b>Earth Stewards Coalition: Artists Respond to Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale</b> <br />
SUNY Cortland Memorial Library<br />
More than forty artists from across the country are featured at an exhibit that encourages viewers to explore their thoughts and feelings about the potential for high volume hydrofracture drilling for natural gas being permitted in New York State.<br />
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<i>Tuesday April 20th at 7:00 </i><br />
<b>Showing of “Food Inc.” the Academy Award nominated documentary film </b><br />
This film will be followed by a <b>local foods panel discussion</b>. Panelists include: Chris Applegate (Virgil Farmers Market), Lisa Lickona (East End Farmers Market), Kathie Arnold (Organic Dairy Farmer and Chair of the Cortland County Local Agricultural Promotions Subcommittee), Elaine Norris (Homer Community Gardens and Master Gardner), Sean Duffy (Rising Moon, Setting Sun CSA), and Jeremy Sherman (Organic Dairy and Produce Farmer).<br />
7:00 pm in Brown Auditorium in Old Main on the SUNY Cortland Campus<br />
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<i>Wednesday April 21st </i><br />
<b>Sustainability Conference All Day on the SUNY Cortland Campus</b><br />
All Concurrent Sessions will be held in Bowers Hall Rooms 146, 155, and 161<br />
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First Concurrent Session (9:00 - 10:00 am)<br />
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1. A Culture of Sustainability in an Academic Department<br />
Lynn Anderson, Professor and Chair, RPLS Department<br />
Eddie Hill, Assistant Professor, RPLS Department<br />
Amy Shellman, Assistant Professor, RPLS Department<br />
Sharon Todd, Associate Professor, RPLS Department<br />
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2. Green Parenting: Baby Steps Toward a Green Planet<br />
Aaron Zipp, Instructor and International Coordinator, Sport Management Department<br />
Sarah Zipp, Instructor, Sport ManagementDepartment<br />
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Second Concurrent Session (10:30 - 11:30 am)<br />
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1. Energy Conservation Measures for the Campus<br />
Nasrin Parvizi, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management<br />
Jeffrey Lallas, Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction<br />
Timothy Slack, Director of Physical Plant<br />
Lisa Kahle, Director of Academic Computing and Classroom Media Services<br />
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2. A Consumer Society’s Effects on the Environment<br />
Alyssa Neely, student in Social Philosophy<br />
Krystle Caggiano, student in Social Philosophy<br />
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3. Cortland Community Sustainability Efforts<br />
Members of Cortland community groups working on sustainability projects in the town and county<br />
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FREE Sustainable Lunch (12:00 - 1:00 pm)<br />
Talk by Bill McNamara, Director of ASC Dining Services<br />
Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall) (Note: Lunch is limited to the first 80 attendees.)<br />
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Third Concurrent Session (1:30 - 2:30 pm) <br />
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1. Formula For A Successful Bike Share Program<br />
Lindsey Brown, Graduate Assistant for the Community Bike Project<br />
Lynn Anderson, Professor and Chair in the RPLS Department<br />
Eddie Hill, Assistant Professor in the RPLS Department<br />
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2. Can a World of More than Seven Billion Persons Sustain the Eating of Meat?<br />
Scott Anderson, Associate Professor and Chair, Geography and GIS Department<br />
Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, Associate Professor, Philosophy Department<br />
Lisi Krall, Professor, Economics Department<br />
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3. Student Actions for Sustainability<br />
C-SAVE (Cortland Students Advocating for a Valuable Environment)<br />
Green Reps Program<br />
NYPIRG (New York Public Research Interest Group)<br />
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Fourth Concurrent Session (3:00 - 4:00 pm) <br />
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1. Renewable energy for homes, businesses, and schools<br />
Melissa Kemp, Halco Renewable Energy<br />
Duncan Cooper, Renovus Energy<br />
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2. Urban Forestry and Tree Campus USA<br />
Steven Broyles, Professor, Biological Sciences Department<br />
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3. The Environmental Impacts of Tobacco<br />
Katelyn Upcraft, Public Health Educator with the Onondaga County Health Department<br />
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<i>Keynote Address (7:00 - 8:30 pm) </i><br />
<b>Dr. Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research<br />
“Carbon Free - Nuclear Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy”<br />
</b>Sperry Hall 105 on the SUNY Cortland Campus<br />
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Thursday April 22nd (40th Anniversary of Earth Day)<br />
Sandwich Seminar (12:00 - 1:00 pm) <br />
“The Cortland County Relocalization and Resilience Initiative: Building Community Sustainability”<br />
Beth Klein, Professor of Science Education and Chair of the Community Forum Sustainability Track, and<br />
Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics and Co-Chair of the Community Forum Sustainability Track<br />
Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall on the SUNY Cortland Campus)<br />
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<i>Saturday April 24th 10:00 am - 2:00 pm </i><br />
<b>Cortland Blooms</b> <br />
Cortland County Gymnasium (46 Greenbush Street)<br />
Interactive family festival featuring exhibits on topics such as wildlife, recycling, composting, backyard gardening, alternative energy, and health and safety. Sponsored by Leadership Cortland, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Local Agricultural Promotion Committee.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-3874991400550431572010-04-04T12:41:00.003-04:002010-04-04T12:56:46.003-04:00The Only Way to Have a Cow and Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly PlantsTwo authors I respect a great deal are <a href="http://www.billmckibben.com/">Bill McKibben</a> and <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan</a>. Both have advocated for what I consider a reasonable response to issues of climate change, animal abuse, and other associated problems with our diet.<br />
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McKibben has recently authored an article in Orion Magazine, “<a href="http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5339">The Only Way to Have a Cow</a>”, which discusses the issues of factory farms, animal rights and carbon emissions. McKibben’s stand is that although he rarely eats meat himself, looking at the carbon emissions, and process of carefully raising grass-fed animals he has little problem with individuals eating it “as a condiment, a flavor, an ingredient, not an entrée". It isn’t a stance, he points out, that either McDonald’s (with their use of cheap CAFO meat) or Paul McCartney (a well-known vegetarian) would like. <br />
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Michael Pollan’s saying “Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants” is also representative of a similar position as McKibben. In this <a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=87">New York Times Magazine article</a>, he also discusses issues of “nutritionism”, bad nutrition science, and of course the issues of processed foods.<br />
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For my family, we have reduced the amount of meat we eat. We mostly only purchase locally grown, grass-fed meats (from farms listed on the side). As I mentioned in an <a href="http://greencortland.blogspot.com/2009/04/excuses-for-eating-meat.html">earlier post</a> , having a mixture of dairy, eggs and meat in small portions (2.2 oz. per day) may be more sustainable if one is eating mostly local foods in Central New York than eating vegetarian or vegan diets.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-23292841671550708062010-03-07T18:33:00.004-05:002010-03-11T20:57:13.998-05:00Snow is melting! Spring is on the way! Let's talk gardening!As our snow begins to melt, and the days get noticeably longer, thoughts turn to gardening again. Well actually for most gardeners, we've been thinking about this year's garden since we started planting last year's! My leek seeds that I planted last weekend are mostly up; warmed through the window in my dining room by the couple of days of sun we received this week. I'm still waiting for the shallot seeds that I also planted to appear. In the next few weeks, more seeds will get planted - lettuce and kale for sure.<br />
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My seeds are all here. This year we mostly ordered from <a href="http://www.fedcoseeds.com/">FEDCO</a>. For our seed potatoes and onions we ordered from <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/">Johnny's</a> and <a href="http://www.seedsofchange.com/">Seeds of Change</a>. We also ordered a selection of cherry trees and some Sansa apples from <a href="http://www.cumminsnursery.com/">Cummins Nursery</a>. And we have an Asian pear and 4 varieties of currants coming from <a href="http://www.starkbros.com/">Stark Brothers</a>.<br />
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Earlier today, I had the pleasure of attending a <a href="http://homergardens.wordpress.com/">Homer Community Gardens</a> "Garden Chat" where several of us gathered together in the home of Elaine Norris to share good food, gardening resources, and garden knowledge. The eclectic discussions included an update on the Homer Community Gardens project, some school gardening projects, folks sharing where they get their local foods, discussing ways people keep pests away from their gardens, ideas for materials to use for raised beds, offering to share worms for vermiculture, and lots of other great topics.<br />
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Please check out their blog (<a href="http://homergardens.wordpress.com/">Homer Community Gardens</a>) to see when they are having events and for local gardening tips.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-25105515078072241682010-02-13T06:31:00.004-05:002010-03-23T07:08:32.517-04:00New Cortland County Sustainability TrackIt has been a while since I've made time to post here, but lots of "green" things have been happening in our community. One of these is the the addition of a Sustainability Track to the Cortland Counts process which is an "Assessment of the Health and Well Being in Cortland County".<br />
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The Cortland Counts process includes setting community priorities in 4 areas (or tracks): Economic, Health, Youth, and Housing. In January, the Community Assessment Team (CAT) hosted a Community Forum that shared the results of “2009 Cortland Counts” which checks progress on the community priorities. At that Forum, a presentation on sustainability, particularly as it relates to a resilient and healthy community was presented by Brice Smith and a new fifth track on sustainability was established.<br />
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For more info on the Cortland Counts process please see this website: <a href="http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/projects/cc.htm">http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/projects/cc.htm</a><br />
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Brice Smith, chair of the Physics Department at <a href="http://cortland.edu">SUNY Cortland</a> and I are co-chairing the track and we will be hosting a series of meetings that will help establish sustainability related priorities for Cortland County that will be assessed yearly for progress. This includes (but is not limited to) local sustainable food production, sustainable community energy, reducing community energy consumption, improving economic opportunities with the development of local sustainable products (products providing environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health, welfare, and environment).<br />
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The first meeting was on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 where we had great conversations about different issues surrounding sustainability and began brainstorming on ideas for actions, goals and objectives. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 25th at 10:00 AM in Room 203 in the Beard Building (Main Street SUNY Cortland) which is located directly across from the Community Restaurant. Following this meeting - we'll meet regularly the FIRST Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm in Room 203 in the Beard Building (Main Street SUNY Cortland). <br />
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Hope to see you there!solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-54473625563971060442009-10-01T07:38:00.000-04:002009-10-01T22:50:04.010-04:00Local Foods - Red and White Cafe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZCQsUtizzZNeL0JoLKvtn2GNApO2E8tPVci1llhFNygi-3N2ZulYrCFsvp5LgprBQrwMYXT1ltFSaziUyAOuaE29XKkONr0bayBIivhCq8xatHCqFCykEd5Jw8Z3ZUlTPEugrSxudtg/s1600-h/redwhitecafe.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZCQsUtizzZNeL0JoLKvtn2GNApO2E8tPVci1llhFNygi-3N2ZulYrCFsvp5LgprBQrwMYXT1ltFSaziUyAOuaE29XKkONr0bayBIivhCq8xatHCqFCykEd5Jw8Z3ZUlTPEugrSxudtg/s320/redwhitecafe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387598522690616018" /></a><br />I few weeks ago I attended the Cortland <a href="http://greencortland.blogspot.com/2009/09/eat-local-buy-local-be-local.html">Women Working Together (WWT) luncheon</a>. The focus was on buying and eating local foods and included keynote speaker Lisa Lickona, co-founder of the <a href="http://eastendfarmersmarket.com">East End Farmers Market</a>. While there I was introduced by Chris Applegate to Chris Glave, co-owner of <a href="http://redandwhitecafe.com/">Red and White Cafe</a> in DeRuyter. Since then my husband and I have visited the cafe for breakfast and dinner. It is a delightful place. Chris has established a wonderful atmosphere, keeping the historic tradition of the building, the old Red and White Grocery store, while providing high quality and healthy local foods, coffee, and homemade baked goods. Chris tries to purchase as much as she can from local providers to serve in her Cafe. For instance, she said that a local farmer she has been working with let her know he had lots of beets, so <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht">borscht</a> became the menu special (and she said she sold out!) Chris has also been bringing in local musicians to the Cafe, including <a href="http://colleenkattau.com/">Colleen Kattau</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/markzane1">Mark Zane</a>. In addition to the cafe, Chris has designated an area as a local products showcase, selling handmade items, local soaps and creams from <a href="http://www.greenpeople.org/searchResults.cfm?memid=16228">Frosty Morning Farm</a> in Truxton, and other items.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927168902342842508.post-11780603209387218722009-09-18T22:30:00.000-04:002009-09-18T23:12:19.949-04:00September Garden UpdateWell here it is September 18th and we haven't had a frost yet (probably going to jinx us now). We don't consider it fully fall until the Hummingbirds have left. We did see them yesterday, but not today. We'll have to be more observant tomorrow to see if they are still around. Last year, September 8th was the last day we saw them.<br /><br />Our garden is still producing pretty well as a result of the warmer September weather. Our popcorn is the tallest we've ever had, onions are all harvested now and are huge. We've pulled up all the late cabbage and have two big crocks full of sauerkraut. The early cabbages that we cut off (leaving the roots and a few leaves) have put up fairly decent sized additional cabbages. Brussels Sprouts are "sprouting", pole beans and eggplant are still coming in pretty strong, and the fall veggies I planted (carrots, turnips, beets, peas, lettuce, kale, spinach, and swiss chard) are doing fairly well. The cucumbers, zucchini and bush beans are all still producing some, but the end is near for them. The winter squash got a very late start, but we now have some pumpkins ripening, a few butternut, few spaghetti, and thanks to some "volunteers" several acorn squash. The leeks are still sitting in the raised bed, waiting for a frost before I pick them for storage. And I probably need to yank up the celery and get it into some sand for storage soon, too. Despite the late blight which hit most people's tomatoes and potatoes, we managed to get some potatoes and enough plum and cherry tomatoes to can enough juice and sauce for us. <br /><br />It will be time soon for us to get the garlic planted and to also plant several daffodil bulbs around our apple trees. We are trying a permaculture technique that Paul Knapp (<a href="http://cobblestonevalley.com/">Cobblestone Valley Farm</a> in Preble) told us about. An <a href="http://www.organicvalley.coop/our-story/meet-the-farmers/heartland/shepard/page-1/">organic farmer friend</a> of his from Wisconsin has planted <a href="http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:mTIc6RcP3bsJ:www.nfs.unl.edu/documents/SpecialtyForest/Shepard.pdf+New+Forest+Farm&hl=en&gl=us">daffodils, mint and comfrey around his apple trees</a> and is seeing some real benefits - so we also decided to give it a try. We were able to get some comfrey from Karl Frost (<a href="http://www.greenpeople.org/searchResults.cfm?memid=16228">Frosty Morning Farm</a> in Truxton) and have that planted. We are hoping it helps out our struggling apple trees which are having a hard time in our horrid soil and windy location. <br /><br />Sunday we are looking forward to gathering with some other Cortland County gardeners to talk about our successes and failures this gardening season and what we might need to consider with the late blight for next summer.solarbethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763563842423650834noreply@blogger.com0