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!

Cortland County Sustainable Living Tour 10/8/11

Twin Oaks Dairy Tracking Solar PV System

Uttech Property

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.

For more info please go to: cortlandgreenhomes.wordpress.com  or contact Beth Klein (607-753-5682) solarbeth@gmail.com

TOUR 1: Businesses and Organizations

10:15-11:00 Cortland YWCA, Cortland  - solar PV system

11:30-12:30 SUNY Cortland Professional Studies Building, Cortland – Meets LEED Silver standards, geothermal heating and cooling, and more

1:00-2:00 Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture Visitor Center, Cortland – Geothermal, solar PV system, and other green building techniques.

Tour 2: Farms and Homes

9:15-10:00  Twin Oaks Dairy, Truxton – tracking ground mount solar panels

Klein garden and Solar PV system

10:30 – 11:30 – Klein home, 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  Green Sun Solar  will be on hand to talk about his solar thermal installation here.

12:00 – 1:30 –  Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown/Marathon
Karl and Jan North Home: Earth-berm construction and passive solar, and more.
Donn Hewes and MaryRose Livingston Home: Straw bale construction, passive Solar, and more.

2:00-3:00 – Uttech home, Lapeer – Solar PV, solar thermal hot water, wood stove and more

Uttech Solar PV controllers

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.

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).

North Country Sustainable Energy Fair

On Saturday, my husband and I trekked up to Canton, NY (in our Prius) for our third annual trip to the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair. This conference, hosted at SUNY Canton, has been going on for 14 years. It offers great exhibits and wonderful workshops and presentations in lots of topics including renewable energy, alternative transportation, homesteading, peak oil, bio-diesel, transition towns, alternative housing, climate change, etc.

Last year we were pleased to be able to meet keynote speaker Richard Heinberg. Heinberg is the author of 8 books including Powerdown and Peak Everything and is senior fellow of the Post Carbon Institute.

This year the conference included a presentation by noted peak oil blogger and author Sharon Astyk. Sharon conducted a presentation about the need for 100 million farmers based on her recent book with Aaron Newton called A Nation of Farmers: Defeating the Food Crisis on American Soil. I’m in the process of reading her book now. I find it informational and I enjoy the somewhat sarcastic tone. Sharon and her family live in the northern Catskills and are homesteading as much as possible.

Interestingly, at all sessions I attended this year, each presenter early in their presentation had a graphic or slide about Peak Oil. And each time they arrived at the slide asked if anyone in the audience didn’t understand Peak Oil. Each time, everyone – yes EVERYONE indicated they had a pretty good understanding. This is a significant change from even 2 years ago. Word does seem to be getting out, and many people are at different stages of working toward solutions to a post carbon world.

Potential Green Development for the Town of Solon

Earlier this evening I attended a Town of Solon Information meeting held at the Solon Sportsman’s Club. The topic of discussion was the proposed Hathaway Condo and Spa Resort. Brig Brown, a successful hotel developer originally from Germany, has proposed developing 150 acres surrounding “Tinelli’s Hathaway House” on Rt. 41 in the Town of Solon. At the meeting this evening, Ms. Brown showed a short video about her proposed project and answered questions from local residents.

You can go to the project website (http://hathawaycondoandspa.com/) to get specifics for yourself. Some of the aspects of the proposal include: construction of 304 condominiums in a gated community, a hotel, a conference center, a German-style barbeque restaurant and micro-brewery to be housed in a renovated Hathaway Barn, a German bakery and café, a jellorium (to sell jams, jellies, and syrups), a pool, recreation hall, and a full service spa including the what would be the nation’s only Himalyan Salt Floating Pool. Also according to the plans, Tinelli’s would become a full-service restaurant, still owned and run by the Tinelli family.

Some of the green aspects of the project include the use of renewable energy for the electrical and heating needs of the facilities. The condos are planned to incorporate passive solar design with green roofs, and tile wood stoves. The restaurants, jellorium, and bakery will be using locally grown organic foods. The plans for the grounds include walking paths, gardens, and edible landscaping.

When asked about how the project was going to interface with the local community, Ms. Brown indicated that all of the services including the restaurants, shops, walking trails, and spa, recreation hall would be open to the public. In addition, Ms. Brown’s vision is to provide a community gathering spot where local musicians can play, local artisans can sell their creations, and locally and sustainably grown products would be available to all community members not just the resort members. The project also proposes to have about 130 job opportunities when complete with first consideration going to qualified local individuals. She invited Solon residents to email her with any additional questions and suggestions for the project. Her contact information is available on the project website.

Members of the Town Planning Board indicated that additional information meetings would be held. One of the meetings will include the county tax assessor to discuss the questions about whether the project would raise taxes for community members (it does not appear to do that as it is proposed), and another would be with the county planner to address issues about the process.

As for a timeline, Ms. Brown is hoping to start as soon as all the approvals are set and complete the construction of all the components within 24 months.

Most of the individuals sitting around me seemed in favor of the proposal and said the benefits of the proposed project far out-weighed any negatives. And personally I agree with them. Some of the potential benefits I see with the project include: increased demand for local organic foods, “green” jobs and perhaps creating demand for green technology businesses to establish in Cortland County, increased opportunities for public transportation to this part of the county, and an opportunity for increased community connection. There is also the potential for growth of businesses in downtown McGraw and also in the City of Cortland to provide services to the visitors and new residents of the project.

Upstate Agri-Economic Development Summit

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the 7th Annual Free Upstate Agri-Economic Development Summit. It was wonderful to see so many Cortland area farmers as they discussed ways to promote local foods and local products.

Jerry Cosgrove, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, gave a great talk about how farmers can be a big part of the solution to climate change issues. They can be both local food providers (reducing the carbon footprint of food production and transport) and also use their property to provide localities with renewable energy (methane, biomass, solar, wind, etc.). He was very positive about the long-term future of farming in central New York, but did indicate that the next few years could be tough during the Country’s economic crisis. This to me indicates that we as Cortland residents need to be even more vigilant in buying local products to help keep our local food supply.

Mike McMahon, owner of E-Z Acres in Cortland County and board member of the Cortland County BDC/IDA made a presentation on the economic impact of agriculture in Cortland County. He shared some great statistics – such as the number of farms in the County – 567. He also shared information about how these farms and the support industries provide quite a bit of positive economic impact for the County, while using few tax supported services.

The most enthusiastic and interesting presentation for me, was when some members of the County Ag promotions committee (Kathie Arnold, Lisa Lickona, and Donn Hewes) each spoke about the ideas and progress of the second famer’s market that I wrote about in an earlier entry. Donn, co-owner of Northland Sheep Farm in Freetown, shared his dream of a Farmers' Store in the Cortland Foundations Building (the site of the new farmers' market) where Cortland County farmers could offer local foods, and local artisans could sell their products. The idea is for the consumers to get a great price for these locally grown and made products, and the famers and/or artists don’t have to spend a great deal of their time selling their products. The best news for the Cortland consumer is the “one-stop” local food shopping potential of the year-round farmer’s store. Lisa shared her dream of a Farmers' Market that is more of a destination/attraction where Cortland County residents gather to build community, chat with farmers and artisans about their products, connect with our neighbors, listen to great music and, and spend dollars locally. Keep in mind that each $1.00 spent on a local product will provide the community with $1.26 as it is re-spent in the area. All these ideas are exciting for Cortland County and again, I’d like to thank these individuals for all of their work to provide Cortland County residents with quality local products.