Archive: Around Town

Gerry and Caroline Cox have taken the adage, "Think globally, act locally," and put those words into practice by creating an environmental education fund at Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

The Coxes, who live in Ithaca, want the fund to support any organization that educates the public about ecological issues in the entire Cayuga Lake watershed. "This topic is not covered well in our educational system, but it's important to us," said Gerry, a former assistant dean at the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences. "Our concern is with the long-term health of this region's ecosystem and its inhabitants."

The Coxes established the fund through Community Foundation of Tompkins County, a nonprofit organization that supports philanthropy to address community needs. The fund, which will begin making grants in 2019, is designed to encourage multiple donors to contribute.

"The interest in environmental grantmaking to a wide variety of local nonprofits is very great," said George P. Ferrari, Jr., chief executive officer of Community Foundation. "We have a lot of grant seekers asking us about it. Yet we receive the fewest gifts with that designation."

In addition to the environment and sustainability, Community Foundation's grant areas include: community building, education, health and human services, and arts and culture.

Gerry said he became increasingly concerned about environmental education after he spent 10 years researching and writing a book about the ecology of hunting. "While working on my book, I realized that our common definition of ecology is inadequate," he said. "We need to enlarge it from the scientific study of organisms in an ecosystem to a broader definition that includes our experiences within it. Just as no man is an island, we are part of an ecological whole. I've been thinking about how to try to make this inclusive change come about, and education seems to be one of the best ways."

Caroline, who worked in development at Cornell and Ithaca College, said they turned to Community Foundation to create an environmental education fund because they wanted to encourage other donors to contribute as well.

"This is a way to say to others who have this interest, 'You too can help make this happen,' " said Caroline, a former Community Foundation board member. "It isn't about us; it's about the opportunity and the need."

Gerry said he hopes the fund will help residents develop a new perspective on their role in the environment surrounding Cayuga Lake. "Ultimately, we hope that this new fund will support the vital work of the regional organizations that educate the public about becoming stewards of our watershed," he said. "The fund can help influence what happens here if others learn more about the environment and realize their own stake in it."

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