Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative
The TCCPI Newsletter


July-August 2014

In This Issue
Featured Article: Bike-Sharing in Ithaca Under Discussion
Ithaca Awarded "Emerging District" Status by Architecture 2030
Local Activists Flocking to People's Climate March in NYC
Think Second First: Secondhand Shopping in Tompkins County
"Hope is a Verb With Its Sleeves Rolled Up"
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Featured Article: 
New Bike-Sharing in Ithaca Under Discussion


Greetings!

 

Welcome to the July-August issue of the TCCPI Newsletter, an electronic update from the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI).
 
Photo by Barbara Friedman is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
TCCPI is a multisector collaboration seeking to leverage the climate action commitments made by Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and the Town of Ithaca to mobilize a countywide energy efficiency effort and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Launched in June 2008 and generously supported by the Park Foundation, TCCPI is a project of Second Nature, the lead supporting organization of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

 

We are committed to helping Tompkins County achieve a dynamic economy, healthy environment, and resilient community through a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

Ithaca Awarded "Emerging District" Status by Architecture 2030

by Peter Bardaglio, TCCPI Coordinator

 

Architecture 2030, a non-profit based in Santa Fe, NM that seeks to dramatically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the built environment, awarded Ithaca "emerging district" status in July. 

 

TCCPI members have been working on the establishment of a  2030 District in Ithaca for several months. Participants in this effort include representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, HOLT Architects, Taitem Engineering, the Tompkins County Planning Department, and Travis Hyde Properties.

 

Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh have formed these unique public/private partnerships that bring property owners and managers together with local governments, businesses, and community stakeholders to provide a business model for energy efficiency and the curtailment of carbon emissions through collaboration, leveraged financing, and shared resources. 

 

Ithaca will be the smallest city so far to establish a 2030 District. Other cities that achieved "emerging district" status in July are Albuquerque, Ann Arbor, Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio, San Francisco, Stamford, and Toronto. 

 

Together, as the program's website puts it, 2030 Districts "are developing and implementing creative strategies, best practices, and verification methods for measuring progress towards a common goal."

 

The Ithaca exploratory committee hopes to submit a charter application for full 2030 District status to Architecture 2030 by the end of 2014.

 

The ultimate goal of Architecture 2030, founded by internationally renowned architect Ed Mazria in 2002, is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new buildings and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50 percent before 2030. Mazria was the keynote speaker in February 2013 at HOLT Architects' 50th anniversary celebration.
 

Local Activists Flocking to People's Climate March in NYC

by Reed Steberger, Assistant TCCPI Coordinator

 

Hundreds of organizations are preparing for the People's Climate March in New York City on September 21. Organizers hope the march will be the largest demonstration for climate action in history. It is set to take place two days before world leaders gather for an emergency Climate Summit at the United Nations.

 

Preparations for the march have been underway for months now, with thousands of volunteers, daily phone banks and canvasses, and a major online effort to turn out marchers. Trains and hundreds of buses will bring people from across the country for the march, including many from the Ithaca area.

An ad hoc planning committee (with members of the Interfaith Climate Justice Group, TCCPI, Citizens Climate Lobby, and others) is organizing two buses from Ithaca to New York City for the march on September 21.

Ithaca's first bus sold out in four days but tickets for a second bus will be on sale August 28. Tickets are available on a first-come-first -serve basis at http://peoplesclimate.org/transportation.

 

The planning committee's goal is to make tickets accessible and affordable. Scholarship tickets (self-selection) are available on the ticket page and we encourage those who are able to make donations to support scholarships. For any questions, please email [email protected]

 

More than 45 labor unions have signed onto the march, pledging to turn out members in New York City and from surrounding areas. Groups are planning a major student recruitment push on college campuses as classes resume.

The New York City march will begin at Columbus Circle at 11:30 am, proceed over on 59th Street to 6th Avenue, down 6th Avenue to 42nd Street, then right on 42nd Street to 11th Avenue.

The march and the Climate Summit in New York mark the opening of 18 months of international negotiations.

Climate negotiators will head to Lima, Peru, in December to work on a global climate deal. In September 2015 world leaders will return to New York to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals, the global post-2015 development agenda. Three months later, leaders will gather in Paris to try to sign a new international climate treaty.

Next TCCPI Meeting:

Friday, August 29, 2014

9 to 11 am

Borg Warner Room

Tompkins County Public Library
101 East Green Street

Ithaca, NY 14850

Think Second First: Secondhand Shopping in Tompkins County
By Karim Beers, Get Your GreenBack Campaign Coordinator
 

Get Your Greenback Tompkins, the campaign to show Tompkins County residents how to shrink their carbon footprint and reduce their spending, is excited to launch an online Reuse Directory featuring all businesses currently selling secondhand and used items in Tompkins County.

Significant elements is one of forty stores included in the Reuse Directory. Photo credit: Significant Elements.


This directory was created to

showcase the wealth of reuse, resale and thrift stores in Ithaca and Tompkins County. We found that most people had heard of some of the stores, but everybody was surprised by the number and variety of secondhand stores that we have available.
 
 

From clothing and accessories to antiques and collectibles, from sports and outdoor equipment to home and furnishing, search through 40 local stores where you can buy, sell, trade, consign, donate, and more!

 

Buying used or secondhand is a healthy choice for your wallet as well as our local economy and community. Purchasing secondhand items uses no additional natural resources and keeps material out of landfills.

 

According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, $200 billion dollars of revenue is being generated from reuse stores in the US. This money creates jobs, and contributes to maintaining a healthy local economy. Secondhand shopping also reduces our carbon footprint, as manufacturing new goods is very energy and pollution intensive.
 


GYGB Logo
  

 

 

Take a step to save money and energy.

 

 

 

 

Visit getyourgreenbacktompkins.org

  

 

One Last Thing: "Hope is a Verb With Its Sleeves Rolled Up"

Since its founding six years ago, TCCPI has advanced the notion that the only effective way for communities to fight climate change is by working together. The many challenges we face in dealing with climate mitigation and adaptation can only be met if we break out of our silos and work across sectors.


The achievement of "emerging district" status for Ithaca is a good example of what can be

accomplished when we collaborate. Made up of business, local government, and nonprofit leaders who are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their buildings, the Ithaca 2030 District seeks to foster the establishment of performance benchmarks, the collecting and sharing of data, and the dissemination of best practices in the areas of energy conservation and energy efficiency.

 

Through the collaboration of diverse stakeholders, leveraging existing and developing new incentives and financing mechanisms, and creating and sharing joint resources, the Ithaca 2030 District will demonstrate the business case for healthy and high performing buildings.
 

Solar Tompkins is another terrific example of what can happen when we work together toward a common goal. Director Melissa Kemp recently announced that the program has exceeded its target, 

enrolling nearly 1,300 families in the program. The initiative aims to double the amount of solar-panel electricity generated in the county. The deadline for enrollees to decide if they want to go solar is October 1, and already 120 have done so. In order to stimulate the growth of solar adoption in the County, Solar Tompkins is selling photovoltaic (PV) solar panel arrays at well below market rate. A typical residential 7,000-watt system could cost only $6,216 through the program once all of the tax credits and rebates are taken into account, according to Kemp. 


"Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up," David Orr, professor of environmental studies at Oberlin College, often likes to say. The continuing news about the onset of significant climate disruption could easily lead to despair and paralysis. But by local citizens and institutions coming together on projects such as the Ithaca 2030 District and Solar Tompkins, and rolling up our sleeves for the long haul, we make it possible to build a more sustainable future for Tompkins County.


Peter Bardaglio

TCCPI Coordinator
Upgrade Upstate

Visit upgradeupstate.org to get a no-cost or reduced-cost energy assessment. Learn which rebates, tax credits, and loans you qualify for to help pay for work. Check out how-to videos for low-cost/no-cost improvements and testimonial videos of Tompkins County residents who have made upgrades. Upgrade Upstate is a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.