SUNY Cortland Sustainability Week 2012

Lots of great talks and films for this year’s Sustainability Week.  Some highlights include the positive film YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip, which follows a group of young people as they travel the 50 states sharing positive solutions.

Don’t miss Cortland County’s Earth Day Festival (Sunday, April 22) a great family learning event “the Cortland Blooms Festival” at the Cortland County Office Building.  Free workshops, music by Colleen Kattau and Some Guys, local BBQ sandwiches, local farmers market, CSA sign-up, a kids corner, and more!

Monday April 16^th

“Swaying Instability”

An art Exhibit by Scott Oldfield exploring the dialog between human life and the natural world

Open all week at the Beard Building on Main St.

CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations 1:50 to 2:40 pm Van Hoesen B0140 (Open to Campus Community)

Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Hazardous Waste Sites in New York State Nuclear Energy / Nuclear Wastes

“Saving Civilization: The Global Fight Against Devastating Climate Change”

Keynote Address 7:30 – 9:00 pm Sperry Center, Room 105

Dr. Steven Leibo, Professor of Modern International History & Politics at the Sage Colleges.

Green Rep: Swap Shop

7:30 – 9:00 pm

Corey Union Function Room

Join the Cortland Green Reps to help reduce our impact on the environment by recycling and re-using clothing.

Tuesday April 17th

STARS: Tracking SUNY Cortland’s Progress Towards Sustainability

12:00 – 1:00 pm The Colloquium Faculty Lounge (Old Main)

Nasrin Parvizi, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management

Tim Slack, Director of the Physical Plant

Doug Roll, Physical Plant Energy Manager 

Showing of “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold And A Land Ethic For Our Time”

1:40 – 3:00 pm The Colloquium Faculty Lounge (Old Main)

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.

Showing of “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip”

7:30 – 9:30 pm Sperry Center, Room 204

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.

Wednesday April 18th

Wellness Wednesday Farmer’s Market

11:00 am – 2:00 pm Neubig Hall

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.

Sponsored by the Student Affairs Sustainability Committee with assistance from ASC.

CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations 

1:50 to 2:40 pm Van Hoesen B0140 (Open to Campus Community)

Global Warming / Climate Change

Transformations Concurrent Session II

3:00 – 4:00 pm Sperry Center, Room 205

Moderator and Faculty Mentor: Kathy Russell, Professor and Chair, Philosophy

Hydrofracking around NY Waterways

David Colletti, Professional Writing

Wind Power: An Alternative Side to the Hydrofracking Debate

Kelly Caulfield, Adolescence Education - Spanish

Hydrofracking is Unethical

Allison Drasser, Childhood Education

Sport and Sustainability

3:00 – 4:00 pm Bowers Hall, Room 140

Dylan Gioia, Sport Management Sarah Schmidt Zipp, Instructor, Sport Management 

Thursday April 19th

Alumni House Cleanup Day

Lynn Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House on Tompkins Street

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

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!

Earth Week Sandwich Seminar

12:00 – 1:00 pm Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall)

“Eating Sustainably at SUNY Cortland and Across the County”

Michelle Brackin, Assistant Executive Director of Auxiliary Services Corporation

Beth Klein, Professor Childhood / Early Childhood Education

Christine Applegate, Cortland County Local Agricultural Promotions Subcommittee Co-chair

*** Free refreshments will be provided on a first come - first serve basis. ***

Foxey Brown and The Rise Of Natural Resource Conservation In NY State

Charles Yaple, Professor Emeritus, Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department

1:40 – 2:40 pm Bowers Hall, Room 140

Hoxie Gorge: An Outdoor Classroom for Sustainability

4:00 to 6:00 pm

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.

(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.)

Energy and Sustainability Talk

7:30 – 9:00 pm Sperry Center, Room 204

“Utility Scale Wind Power: Separating Fact from Fiction”

Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics

Friday April 20th

Alumni House Cleanup Day

Lynn Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House on Tompkins Street

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

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!

4th Annual Outdoor Gear Sale and Fender Blender: Bike Your Own Smoothie SUNY Cortland Recreation Association 1:00 – 5:00 pm

Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House

CHE 125 - Chemistry and the Environment Student Presentations 1:50 to 2:40 pm Van Hoesen B0140 (Open to Campus Community)

Pollution of the Oceans Alternatives to gasoline-powered cars Environmental impacts of food production

Sunday April 22nd (Earth Day)

Community Bike Project Bike-A-Thon: Ride for Earth Pride!

10:00 am Registration / 10:30 am Ride begins

Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House

Contact jennifer.miller@cortland.edu for details

Cortland Blooms 

11:00 am – 3:00 pm Cortland County Gymnasium (46 Greenbush St)

Interactive student and family festival featuring exhibits on topics such as recycling, composting, backyard gardening, and renewable energy.

Sponsored by Sustainable Cortland, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Local Agricultural Promotion Committee.

Earth Day Clean-up at the Lime Hollow Center for Environment & Culture 1:00 – 4:00 pm Lime Hollow Visitor Center, 338 McLean Rd

Help prepare trails for the spring and summer season. Projects include wetland restoration, invasive plant removal, and tree planting.

All Events Are Free and Open to the Public!

Sustainable Cortland Events

Sustainable Cortland has planned a winter reading discussion series "Soup and Sustenance".  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 Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, Inc.   Joel has been described as "America's Most Influential Farmer". Books are available at a discount from Mando Books in downtown Cortland.

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!

Have a Sustainable Holiday!

Courtesy of Jeannine Gettis

Remember to think "local" and "sustainable" this holiday season.

By buying local:
More of your money stays in our community
You support the development of local jobs
You reduce environmental impact
You are rewarded with better service!
You invest in our community (encourages new local businesses!)
You help build local economic resilience

Don't forget about locally made products like soaps and green cleaning supplies from Lime Hollow Naturals and lotions and shampoo from Cold Brook Farm. Great gift ideas of locally grown food or locally made products are also available in the area at shops like Oh My Goodness Health Food Store in Homer.  Or, how about some gift certificates to local services (like Hearts Content Healing and Pure and Simple Yoga)?

For more ways to help support your local businesses this season, check out the Cortland Historic Downtown Partnership newsletter for special events and ideas.

Senator Gillibrand meets with Cortland County Farmers and Residents

The Knapp Family with Senator Gillibrand

This past Friday morning, on a beautiful Central New York day, I had the pleasure of visiting Cobblestone Valley Farm 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 listening tour about agricultural issues that her citizens would like addressed in the next farm bill.  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.

Casey Knapp introducing Senator Gillibrand

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 husband said to the Senator "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 labeling of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) products.

The latter question was asked by Heather Hawkins, co-owner of Green Hills Market 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 Future of Food conference in DC and also watched (as did I) the TEDxManhattan conference in January on Changing the Way We Eat.

Senator Gillibrand and Commissioner Aubertine

I also bumped into Neil Brody Miller who developed the iPhone (iPad/iPod) app called Farmshed.  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.

Sustainability Week Events

Next 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!

Saturday April 16th from 8:30 to 11:00am:  

Sixth Annual Community Cleanup Day
Meet at the Chamber Parking lot at 37 Church St.
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

“Fresh from the Farm” Little York Farms at 5668 U.S. Route 11, Homer, NY. from 9:00am to 2:00pm
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.   
Organized by Healthy Now Cortland County (For more information call 607-591-9727)


Sunday April 17th From  9:30 to 1:30pm 

A Trip to the Seneca Meadows Landfill
Meet at the loading dock behind Bowers Hall
Organized by the SUNY Cortland Environmental Science Club


Monday April 18th  

SUNY Cortland Sustainability Week Keynote Address 7:30 - 9:00 pm Sperry Hall 205
“Pedaling Climate Change: A bike trip from Delaware to Oregon, talking about climate change”
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


Tuesday April 19th  Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus

1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155: The Environmental Impact of Tobacco: Working toward a Tobacco-Free Campus
The SUNY Cortland Tobacco Advisory Committee

3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155: A Not-So Temperate Environment and How it Affects Forests (and People, too)
Neil Pederson, Doherty Associate Research Scientist, Tree-Ring Laboratory, LDEO & Columbia University

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.
(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.)

7:00pm in Sperry Hall 205:  Annual Connie Wilkins Bird Lecture
“The Surprising Behavior of Crows”
John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife - Habitat Relationships and Avian Social Ecology & Demography at the University of Washington in Seattle
Organized by the Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture and the SUNY Cortland Biology Club


Wednesday April 20th Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus

1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155
Doubt mongering in environmental issues A presentation by the ENS 486: Environmental Science Seminar class

3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155
Local Foods Movement: Learn about the local foods movement in our area and how you can get involved!
Beth Klein, SUNY Cortland; Christine Applegate, Co-Chair Cortland County Local Agricultural Promotions Committee ; Heather Birdsall, Cortland County Cornell Cooperative Extension; and more.

7:00-9:00 
Screening of “The Greenhorns” a documentary film exploring how young people are making a difference in America’s sustainable food movement. 
A discussion led by young, local farmers and beginning farmer mentors will follow the film.
Sperry Hall 105


Thursday April 21st Sustainability Week Sessions at SUNY Cortland Campus

12:00 – 1:00 pm Earth Week Sandwich Seminar 
“Sustainable Heating at SUNY Cortland Using Biomass and Geothermal Energy”
Matthew Rankin, Senior in Biological Science
Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall) 

1:40-2:40 pm in Bowers 155
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)

3:00-4:00 pm in Bowers 155
The Technical and Economic Success of Renewable Energy in Central New York
Melissa Kemp, Director of Halco Renewable Energy

7:30 - 9:00 pm:  Energy and Sustainability
“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
Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics and author of Insurmountable Risks: The Dangers of Using Nuclear Power to Combat Global Climate Change


Friday April 22nd
Student/Staff Events in Honor of the 41st Anniversary of Earth Day
Build Your Own Wind Turbine Physics & Engineering Club 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls
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
Earth Café 2050 Environmental Science Club (C-SAVE) 12:00 - 3:00 pm Under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers and Sperry Halls
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
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

4:30 – 7:00 pm   Earth Day Open House
Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS), Environmental Justice Committee and the Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County community group (GDACC)
Beard Building 9 Main Street Cortland, NY 13045
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.
The program will also highlight the need for greater activism to promote the use of clean, safe, and affordable energy.

SPRING THINGS

Has 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:

First,  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 http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/

Second, 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.

Third, Fresh From The Farm! 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!

• Local pasture-raised beef - CNY Beef
• Herb plants - Frosty Morning Farm
• Baked goods - Chris Applegate
• Free range eggs - Barbara Clark
• Semi-soft cheese - Kelley McGarr
• Homemade beef soups - Kory’s Place
• Sweet baked goods - Fleurette Clough
• Real maple syrup - Delavan Farms
• Honey - various vendors
• Adding more vendors weekly!

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 Lone Birch Stables and enjoy some refreshments. Another initiative by Healthy Now Cortland County. For more information call 607-591-9727.

Spring is on the way - someday:)

October Updates from the Homestead

New York Asters in the Garden

Some of the 2010 squash and pumpkin harvest

Swiss chard and purple kohlrabi

Potatoes in the bin and shelving unit.

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.

Our solar thermal system being installed.

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).

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 Farmshed blog 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).

Strawberries!

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 Cobblestone Valley Farm 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 article to see how strawberries are listed among the "dirty dozen" of fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residue if conventionally grown.

Cortland County Farmers Market Tour: Virgil Market

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 Virgil Farmers Market page

Local Produce Season begins in Cortland County

It 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 Fiest Mix) will help keep our garden more rodent free.

Last weekend we received our first share from the Rising Moon, Setting Sun CSA 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!

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 East End Farmers Market (Cortland's local only market) will also be on Wednesday evenings at the Homer Green.

Speaking of Homer - the new Homer Community Garden project is taking shape. Check out the Homer Community Gardens Blog to keep up with their progress.

A 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!

Sunday April 18th at 3:00
Public Forum: Gas Drilling Impacts on Drinking Water Dusty Horwitt, Senior Counsel for the Environmental Working Group and author of “Drilling Around the Law”
3:00 to 4:00pm at the Beard Building (9 Main Street)
Organized by Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County (GDACC)

April 4th through 28th
Earth Stewards Coalition: Artists Respond to Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale
SUNY Cortland Memorial Library
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.

Tuesday April 20th at 7:00
Showing of “Food Inc.” the Academy Award nominated documentary film
This film will be followed by a local foods panel discussion. 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).
7:00 pm in Brown Auditorium in Old Main on the SUNY Cortland Campus

Wednesday April 21st
Sustainability Conference All Day on the SUNY Cortland Campus
All Concurrent Sessions will be held in Bowers Hall Rooms 146, 155, and 161

First Concurrent Session (9:00 - 10:00 am)

1. A Culture of Sustainability in an Academic Department
Lynn Anderson, Professor and Chair, RPLS Department
Eddie Hill, Assistant Professor, RPLS Department
Amy Shellman, Assistant Professor, RPLS Department
Sharon Todd, Associate Professor, RPLS Department

2. Green Parenting: Baby Steps Toward a Green Planet
Aaron Zipp, Instructor and International Coordinator, Sport Management Department
Sarah Zipp, Instructor, Sport ManagementDepartment


Second Concurrent Session (10:30 - 11:30 am)

1. Energy Conservation Measures for the Campus
Nasrin Parvizi, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
Jeffrey Lallas, Director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction
Timothy Slack, Director of Physical Plant
Lisa Kahle, Director of Academic Computing and Classroom Media Services

2. A Consumer Society’s Effects on the Environment
Alyssa Neely, student in Social Philosophy
Krystle Caggiano, student in Social Philosophy

3. Cortland Community Sustainability Efforts
Members of Cortland community groups working on sustainability projects in the town and county

FREE Sustainable Lunch (12:00 - 1:00 pm)
Talk by Bill McNamara, Director of ASC Dining Services
Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall) (Note: Lunch is limited to the first 80 attendees.)

Third Concurrent Session (1:30 - 2:30 pm)

1. Formula For A Successful Bike Share Program
Lindsey Brown, Graduate Assistant for the Community Bike Project
Lynn Anderson, Professor and Chair in the RPLS Department
Eddie Hill, Assistant Professor in the RPLS Department

2. Can a World of More than Seven Billion Persons Sustain the Eating of Meat?
Scott Anderson, Associate Professor and Chair, Geography and GIS Department
Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, Associate Professor, Philosophy Department
Lisi Krall, Professor, Economics Department

3. Student Actions for Sustainability
C-SAVE (Cortland Students Advocating for a Valuable Environment)
Green Reps Program
NYPIRG (New York Public Research Interest Group)

Fourth Concurrent Session (3:00 - 4:00 pm)

1. Renewable energy for homes, businesses, and schools
Melissa Kemp, Halco Renewable Energy
Duncan Cooper, Renovus Energy

2. Urban Forestry and Tree Campus USA
Steven Broyles, Professor, Biological Sciences Department

3. The Environmental Impacts of Tobacco
Katelyn Upcraft, Public Health Educator with the Onondaga County Health Department


Keynote Address (7:00 - 8:30 pm)
Dr. Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
“Carbon Free - Nuclear Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy”
Sperry Hall 105 on the SUNY Cortland Campus


Thursday April 22nd (40th Anniversary of Earth Day)
Sandwich Seminar (12:00 - 1:00 pm)
“The Cortland County Relocalization and Resilience Initiative: Building Community Sustainability”
Beth Klein, Professor of Science Education and Chair of the Community Forum Sustainability Track, and
Brice Smith, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics and Co-Chair of the Community Forum Sustainability Track
Jacobus Lounge (Brockway Hall on the SUNY Cortland Campus)

Saturday April 24th 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Cortland Blooms
Cortland County Gymnasium (46 Greenbush Street)
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.

The Only Way to Have a Cow and Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants

Two authors I respect a great deal are Bill McKibben and Michael Pollan. Both have advocated for what I consider a reasonable response to issues of climate change, animal abuse, and other associated problems with our diet.

McKibben has recently authored an article in Orion Magazine, “The Only Way to Have a Cow”, 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.

Michael Pollan’s saying “Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants” is also representative of a similar position as McKibben. In this New York Times Magazine article, he also discusses issues of “nutritionism”, bad nutrition science, and of course the issues of processed foods.

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 earlier post , 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.

Local Foods - Red and White Cafe

I few weeks ago I attended the Cortland Women Working Together (WWT) luncheon. The focus was on buying and eating local foods and included keynote speaker Lisa Lickona, co-founder of the East End Farmers Market. While there I was introduced by Chris Applegate to Chris Glave, co-owner of Red and White Cafe 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 borscht became the menu special (and she said she sold out!) Chris has also been bringing in local musicians to the Cafe, including Colleen Kattau and Mark Zane. In addition to the cafe, Chris has designated an area as a local products showcase, selling handmade items, local soaps and creams from Frosty Morning Farm in Truxton, and other items.

Eat Local, Buy Local, Be Local

This afternoon I had the pleasure of attending my first Cortland Women Working Together (WWT) luncheon. The theme of this month’s luncheon was “Eat Local, Buy Local, Be Local”. The luncheon was held at Linani’s in Homer where they took care to use many local foods in their preparation of our meal. Lisa Lickona, co-founder of the East End Farmers Market located in Cortland, was the guest speaker. Lisa focused her talk around some of the many reasons she has become a local foods advocate. The ideas Lisa shared in her thought provoking presentation initiated many discussions and encouraged several individuals to stay and chat afterwards.

One of the ideas that came to light was the idea of local women sharing their knowledge about growing, purchasing, and preserving local food. Several questions (some shared below) were asked by different attendees during these discussions. I have had (and are still asking) many of these same questions. Some, I have addressed in previous blog entries and other resources that I have provided on this blog. However I, too, would enjoy hearing additional responses to these and other questions. I haven't been gardening in Cortland County for very long. I am still learning quite a bit about what grows well in my very wet clay soil on top of a windy hill. I am continually experimenting to find out what varieties of vegetables to grow, how many to grow (oh - I guess 12 zucchini plants might have been a few too many) and what soil additives (like compost, and SAND - LOTS OF SAND) I need to add to help things grow well (like straight rather than crooked carrots). The questions I share below are meant to encourage further discussion and to elicit responses, comments, and additional questions posted here on this blog. This way we can all learn together.

To get us started, some questions include:

- What varieties of vegetables that grow well in different parts of Cortland County?
- How do I know what soil conditions I have?
- What planting zone am I?
- Where should I buy seeds?
- What kind of plant seeds should I buy?
- How many seeds do you plant to feed your own family?
- Where are the local farmers markets and farm stands located?
- How can I find and sign on with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)?

Then once we gather the local produce other questions arise such as:

- How do I cook new types of vegetables?
- How can I preserve my produce?
- How do I can, freeze, dry, and pickle produce?
- Do I need a root cellar to store vegetables long term?
- Where can I go to learn these skills?
- What books and resources are there to help me?


Luckily for our community, there are plenty of women in Cortland County who have expertise in these areas. For example, Heather Birdsall, of the Cortland County Cooperative Extension shared at the luncheon that they have a staff member who has gone through extensive training on proper techniques of food preservation and their office will be providing workshops.

As i said before, I’d like to also offer up this blog as a mechanism for sharing success stories, failures (like the late blight that took so many of our tomatoes this year), ideas, expertise, and a device for offering up encouragement to each other as we each work to better our community. Along the right side of the blog I have been listing local food sources as I locate them. I would encourage anyone to write that has additional resources and local food sources. Also please post things in the comment section of this and any other entry and feel free to - ask questions, post answers, and add comments.

Monica’s Scones and other East End Farmers Market Goodies

My friend Marcia, visiting from PA and neighbor Dottie found quite a few things at the market last weekend. We chatted with Karl Frost of Frosty Morning Farm and purchased a couple of perennials for our yards, I picked up some lettuce and Japanese cucumbers from Buried Treasures, picked up some young lettuce from Sean Duffy, I also checked in with Kristin of Lime Hollow Naturals where my friends picked up some of her furniture polish. They’ll let me know how it works. I also have tried her dish soap and laundry soap. The laundry soap goes a long way – I can do 64 loads with one bag of soap using my front loader machine. I also purchased some gardeners soap from Tom Quinn of Quinn’s Irish Farm. His wife, Pat, makes the soap. I had purchased their mechanics soap last visit, and it worked great getting varnish off of my husband's hands. I also purchased another beautiful fresh flower bouquet from Lisa Lickona of Red Rose Farm. It is nice to have some locally and sustainably grown flowers to brighten up my house. Tammie Whitson of Coldbrook Farm was doing her free wool workshops and we also purchased some of her products - like coconut lip balm!

Edgewood bakery had the macaroons again (quite a weakness for me – reminds me of visiting the Jersey shore with my Granddad when I was little). And something new I tried that will become a regular purchase: Monica’s scones. Monica is the daughter of Lisa Lickona and is selling buttermilk and chocolate chip scones at the Red Rose Farm booth. If you haven’t tried Monica’s scones, make sure you do. Two weeks ago my neighbor, Dave, picked up a few of her scones and highly recommended them to me. This past Saturday I purchased some of her buttermilk scones, and was Dave right. They are very good. In addition to Monica’s scones, neighbor Dottie tried some of Gladtime Market’s fresh corn and said it was the best she’d had all season.

So if you haven’t ventured out to any of the Cortland County farmers markets, make sure you do. And get their early - as I'll be hitting Red Rose farm for those scones first thing!

Mid-August Garden Update and the Deadly Late Blight

Well, we thought we had been struck by the late blight on our potatoes. But after talking with a few farmers at the East End farmers market last Saturday, we may just be experiencing an early die-back of the potatoes – meaning they are already ready for harvest. Once it dries out a bit from all our rain, we’ll be digging those potatoes up. The early blight and septoria seem to be doing a job on our tomatoes –but we don’t think they have the deadly late blight as of yet either. Cherries and yellow pear tomatoes are coming in – a couple of handfuls a day now, and a few romas are ripening. The larger tomatoes – I’m not sure those will ripen before we get the Late Blight. It has been confirmed in a few locations in Cortland County – so it is only a matter of time. If you haven’t heard about the late blight, here is a fact sheet put out by Cornell Cooperative Extension. Another good resource is the Vegetable MD Online, also from Cornell Cooperative Extension which lists fact sheets and photos for other vegetable diseases.

Cucumbers have finally begun to come in – hopefully they will continue to produce. Winter Squash is having a hard time, but I have learned that apparently I’m not the only one from talking with other gardeners around the area. The zucchini is beginning to hit its stride, meaning I end up with giant ones before I get a chance to harvest them. Celery is looking good, although the slugs and snails are starting to get to it – so another round of iron pellet slug bait will be needed.

Beans are doing well and we’ll be canning some this evening. I’m excited as I finally purchased a bean frencher, to make French style green beans – I hope it works well (OK – so I get excited about odd things). Fall plantings of carrots, beets, turnips, lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, and peas are all up and growing well in some new raised beds.

In addition to harvesting potatoes for storage, the garlic tops are dying back – so it is time to harvest that for storage also. A few of the “giant” onions tops are also starting to fall over, indicating it is near harvest time them as well.

We are still getting a few raspberries, blueberries, and mulberries. We ate our 1 plum – yes giant harvest on those this year she says oh so sarcastically – thank you DEER. It was really sweet though. Unbelievably, our everbearing strawberries are giving us giant berries still – so they must be liking the unusual summer weather this year. Now, do I make a pie, strawberry shortcake, or . . .

Food, Inc.

As the news covers yet another food recall, food safety issues again come to mind. To learn more about these issues, we traveled over to Ithaca to the Cinemopolis Theater on the Ithaca Commons to see the movie Food, Inc. If you get a chance, I strongly recommend that you see this movie. It is a documentary about the industrialized food system we have created. There are only a few large agricultural companies that pretty much control our food supply. The movie covers issues of food safety, food nutrition, and animal cruelty. In addition, they offer some solutions and share what some are working on to improve and change the system.

One main message from the movie is that we can make quite a difference by simply making careful food choices. This includes growing a garden, no matter how small (maybe even on a truck bed?) as well as continuing to support our local small farmers. Purchase your meat from small, local farms that take care to treat their animals with the respect they deserve. When you go to local grocery stores, continually request local foods and ask that they clearly label the ones that they have. For example, I was pleased to see at the P & C in Cortland they are now carrying Windy Ridge Farm cheese made in Cazenovia. It was hidden in with all the Wisconsin specialty cheeses, but I was able to find it. As a former resident of Wisconsin, I find that our local NY cheese is just as tasty, and hasn't had to travel as many miles to get to us.

If you go to the Food, Inc website they have links to other advocacy opportunities including improving school lunch nutrition. Also, please contact your politicians to let them know that food quality and food safety are a concern for you and you want them to work on these issues.

Saturday Market Visit

My stop at the East End Farmers Market was a quick one as we had company on the way yesterday. I did manage to touch base with Tammie Whitson of Cold Brook Farm, one of the market organizers. She has been quite busy adopting 3 children from Russia. Beginning next Saturday, she'll be teaching short wool workshops at the market, introducing people to the process of turning a sheep's coat into someone's sweater.

Since I was short of time, It is was especially helpful to have all of these venders in one place. With one stop, I was able to get great looking steaks and ground beef, a variety of fresh veggies, a fresh loaf of whole grain bread, cookies, and potted herbs; all grown/made within 30 miles of Cortland! By the way, the East End Farmers' Market is able to take the EBT card for customers on food stamps, so pass the word!

To help you see the variety of products available at the market, here are my purchased from this week:
- Finally it is corn season in Central NY, so I was able to get a dozen ears of corn from Gladtime Farm Market located in Little York, NY. I also picked up a head of buttercrunch lettuce.
- More delicious organic carrots were on my list from Buried Treasures Organic Farm.
- I noticed that Tom Quinn of Quinns Irish Farm in Freetown had some nice looking blueberries – tempting, but we have plans to do our own picking at a friend’s place next weekend.
- From Sean Duffy of Rising Moon/Setting Sun, a new CSA in East Freetown, I purchased up some young leaf lettuce and mixed new potatoes (included white, red and blue potatoes). Sean has plans to put in a renewable power system to eventually power a walk-in cooler for all his produce.
- From the Coombs family of Shiloh Valley Farm, I picked up some peanut butter cookies. Their son was a great sales person, encouraging folks to try their samples.
- From Edgewood Bakery and Farm, I purchased a loaf of fresh whole grain Oatmeal bread.
- From Dayspring I picked up cucumbers. They also had a ton of great looking yellow squash and zucchini.
- From Karl Frost of Frosty Morning Farm, I picked up Elderberry Syrup (might come in handy this fall during flu season) and the herb Tansy which I’ve read is a great companion plant for potatoes (repelling potato beetles), can be dried and used to repel all those cluster flies I get in the fall and spring in my windowsills, and has pretty yellow button flowers, too!
- I also had time to meet Danielle Upton of Upton Farm in Cincinnatus. They raise pasture fed dairy beef that are at least 90% lean, with no antibiotics, hormones or steroids. I decided to try a couple of their steaks and some ground chuck. According to their website, they have a variety of ordering options from whole to split halves; to small, medium, and large bundles of meat that range from 15 to 40 lbs; and you can choose the time of year you would like your meat ready for pick-up.