Archive: Around Town

For those looking to practice a more sustainable lifestyle while attending the annual Ithaca Festival, event organizers have made it easier to walk the walk.  Presented on the summer solstice, June 19 to 22, this years’ event not only features four days of live music, local food, fine art and outdoor recreation, the festival will also become a lively venue for eco-education by way of the newly inaugurated Gorges Green Expo.

Hosted simultaneously at Stewart Park on Cayuga Lake, DeWitt Park downtown and on The Commons as a key component of festival weekend, the Gorges Green Expo will give visitors a chance to immerse themselves in sustainable living.  From enjoying 100% organic cotton and non toxic festival T-shirts to composting their food waste, festival goers will be steeped in eco-awareness.

A few hallmark contributions of note include a donation of 5 megawatt-hours of wind-generated Renewable Energy Credits by Community Energy, Inc.  This generous gift will zero-out the carbon dioxide emissions of the 2008 Ithaca Festival by offsetting 5 metric ton of carbon dioxide which has an estimated environmental benefit equivalent to not driving over 7,500 miles.

In addition to balancing the festivals carbon footprint with clean energy, patrons are being asked to abandon their cars and walk, bike or take the bus around Ithaca during festival weekend.  A “Cyclovia” bike path has been established to guide bicyclists and pedestrians between venues, which includes a free bike valet at Dewitt and Stewart Parks. 

To help bolster support for our public transit system and encourage group transport, those wearing their $5.00 I-Fest button can ride any TCAT route all weekend at no additional charge. Guests can even purchase or adopt rapid growth-rate trees provided by RPM Ecosystems to help re-forest Ithaca and simultaneously offset the carbon footprint of the TCAT bus circulator.

Many additional sustainability features will be highlighted during festival weekend, such as Cornell Cooperative Extension’s education series on composting, conserving energy, and eating local. CCE's Small Dairy Program, led by Fay Benson, will have a test for visitors to see how much they know about their dairy consumption. Also, Sustainable Tompkins will inform people on the “Green Collar” job market while Alternatives Federal Credit Union shows how sustainable practices create financial incentives.

EcoVillage representatives will be on hand to discuss their environmentally conscious community as well as new projects in the making. Assistant to the Director of EcoVillage, Stephanie Greenwood reports, "We are developing an expanded education program which will include the building of an EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education, with plans for a sustainable secondary school, a farm training program, a conference and retreat center and a sustainable business incubator." 

The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Project will depart from the Farmer's Market and, as the boat glides along the water, lead instructor and program manager Bill Foster will discuss the health of the Finger Lakes' largest lake. An Ithaca native and Cornell grad, Foster returned to his hometown after 15 years with the Environmental Protection Agency. "I returned to Ithaca, wishing to work to ensure the sustainability of the Lake and streams I grew up with," Foster explains about the creation of the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Project. "Ithaca Festival as a natural way to express my love for this community--next year we have a plan to be in the parade!"

In addition to the many demonstrations from organizations as diverse as Habitat for Humanity and the Level Green Institute, Gorges Green Expo coordinators Ross Hamilton and MacKenzie Ryan also developed a “locavore” Chef's Challenge, starring Pete Cowin of John Thomas Steakhouse, Jesse Darrow of Gimme! Coffee and Jen Destefano. The three chefs will offer live cooking demonstration that features ingredients from seven local producers. 

From the juiciest fresh strawberries, to meats and cheeses produced from animals whose privileged care equals that of royalty, the most delicious in-season veggies, and even wine pairings from Six Mile Creek Winery, this localvore exhibit will show festival guests the delicious meals they can create with all the products from right here in Tompkins county.  There will also be a live demonstration of how to make and cook fresh sausage from Brad Marshall and Heather Stanford of The Piggery in Trumansburg.

So why is an arts and cultural festival making such a commitment to the green movement?  Enterprise Director of Ithaca Festival, Scott Hamilton, a UPenn grad who studied social enterprise, makes the point that to be culturally wealthy, we must also achieve a healthy social and environmental balance.  Hamilton says, “When I left an academic environment bent on finance and business innovation, I found myself starry-eyed on the concept called ‘social wealth creation’ and the subject of community inspiration. I had to find a career opportunity that embraced them equally, and the Ithaca Festival is where it’s at!”

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