Archive: Around Town

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) and a broad coalition including Cornell, Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland, Tompkins County Chamber, Sustainable Tompkins, Sustainable Cortland, businesses, youth groups, and local governments, announced today a major regional conference, “Climate Smart & Climate Ready,” to be held from Thursday April 18 - Sunday April 21 in Ithaca and Cortland.

The conference, coordinated by Sustainable Tompkins, will kick off on Thursday evening (4/18) with a keynote address by Mark Hertsgaard, one of our country’s leading environmental journalists and author of HOT – Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth. His speech – focusing on how communities nationwide are responding to climate change - will be at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca and free of charge. On Saturday April 20, the climate change topic gets “local” with a panel discussing the major impacts on our region, followed by workshops tailored to four main audiences – business, community, youth and local government.

“The citizens of our region have a proud history of adapting to change and being good stewards of the land and water resources we depend upon for our health and sustenance. This conference will advance the regional discussion on how all the stakeholders in our community can help make our communities more climate friendly and resilient.” Assemblywoman Lifton said.

With more than 16 workshops and 75 presenters, it will address questions such as: What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? In addition, participants will learn about resources available and some of the exciting projects already happening at the local level.

Gay Nicholson, President of Sustainable Tompkins stated, “Many in our community have been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to renewable energy for several years now.  We've made great progress, but now we have to engage everyone in this work while also preparing our communities for multiple impacts of climate change that are already underway and intensifying. This means our investments need to be made very wisely and we have to search for solutions that are effective at both slowing climate change and making us resilient to climate disruption.”

Frank Kelly, Co-Chair, City of Cortland Environmental Advisory Committee said, “We’re consuming energy in ways that contribute to climate change just as we consume food in ways that contribute to obesity.  In both cases the risks are initially undetectable but accumulate over time until, at some point they become irreversible and life threatening." 

Marian Brown, Special Assistant for Campus and Community Sustainability, Office of Civic Engagement at Ithaca College added, “Ithaca College is very pleased to host the youth-oriented programming associated with the "Climate Smart & Climate Ready" conference, which will be open to all young people throughout the region. The shared intelligence and passion of the eager young minds in our schools and educational institutions is truly our most powerful "renewable resource". Their generation will most certainly reap the impacts of past unsustainable decision-making - they deserve to be fully engaged actors in co-creating more socially just and sustainable communities for themselves and their peers.”

Jean McPheeters, President of Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce commented, “Thanks to the committee, and especially to Assemblywoman Lifton, for organizing the CS&CR conference. Businesses need to be prepared for every kind of change including economic, societal and environmental. Climate changes will affect all of us and this conference will help us get ready.”

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