[SustainableTompkins] City of Ithaca pursues sustainability

Thu Nov 16 16:44:49 PST 2006

Thanks, Gay, for forwarding this message from Carolyn.

Be sure to read to the bottom. These two committees (on the Local Action 
Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and on transportation demand 
management) will be important in guiding the City's actions on these 
topics. I'd like to express my strong thanks and support to Mayor 
Carolyn for moving forward with these kinds of concrete steps with 
community involvement.

I've certainly seen a wide variety of ways the City could benefit from 
these steps (both internally in operations and externally in relating to 
City residents, property owners, and other community members).

Jennifer Dotson
City Board of Public Works & Planning Board & Bike/Pedestrian Advisory 
Council

GayNicholson at aol.com wrote:
> 'Dancing' with the mayors 
> By: Mayor Carolyn Peterson  
> 11/15/2006
>
> In July 2005, I attended a Mayors Gathering on Climate  Protection, by 
> invitation of Robert Redford, Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake  City, and ICLEI 
> (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) -  Local Governments 
> for Sustainability, held at the Sundance Preserve in Utah. It  was at the 2005 
> gathering of 46 mayors that Al Gore presented, with passion,  scientific 
> evidence and research on the evidence of climate change and global  warning. That 
> presentation became the film An Inconvenient Truth, a message that  has been 
> shown and told hundreds and hundreds of times throughout the United  States and 
> internationally. Since the 2005 gathering, the city of Ithaca has  passed a 
> Local Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions for City of Ithaca  
> Government Operations. The plan's objectives will be implemented in order to  reduce 
> pollution, reduce energy costs and encourage private investment in  reduction 
> efforts. Since the 2005 gathering, the city has made a commitment to  wind 
> power purchases, has replaced traffic lights with LEDs, has begun  alternative 
> fuel vehicle purchases and county-wide discussions on alternative  fuel depots, 
> has made a fiscal commitment to restructure public works to  emphasize 
> pedestrian amenities, and is about to enter into the next phase of  energy 
> performance contracting with Johnson Controls. (Note: During the 2007  budget process, 
> the superintendent of Public works highlighted a lower expense  line that 
> already indicates immediate payback for the LED lights.)
> Cities  large and small across the United States are making such commitments, 
> as Federal  policies have not been at all adequate in this area. Even with 
> the recent  elections, there is such an overwhelming amount of work to be 
> (un)done to  protect the environment that controls on greenhouse gas emissions may 
> still be a  long time coming. 
> Fortunately, Ithaca has been invited back to Sundance,  Nov. 12 to 14. New 
> tools for mayors have been prepared by ICLEI that will  include a communications 
> guidebook and PowerPoint presentations. Sessions with  mayors from across the 
> United States - San Francisco, Anchorage, Austin, Fargo,  and Minneapolis to 
> name a few - will focus on sharing innovative solutions and  plans that have 
> worked in their communities. 
> The three-day, intensive  gathering will once again feature a review of the 
> science, especially for those  mayors who may not have seen such a 
> presentation. The facts, photos (such as  glacier melt in Greenland or on Kilimanjaro), 
> and potential sea level change  that will affect millions of people create a 
> very sobering effect in a room of  listeners. Sometimes a listener may joke that 
> places like Ithaca could use a  little warmer temperatures, not realizing the 
> intricate balance of nature: the  types of trees, soil conditions, insect life 
> changes and major agricultural  damage that can occur. 
> The city of Ithaca/Tompkins County has much to share  and offer at this 
> meeting. As we are taking steps forward and learning, I can  also provide 
> information on how we are leaders in some areas. Surprisingly, many  communities do not 
> mandate recycling. Ithaca excels in its urban forestry  program. 
> We have one of the highest walk to work ratios in the country. But  we also 
> know that other communities have much to offer us; some ideas that we  can 
> copy, some that would be more difficult. I am pleased that we have a very  active 
> and dedicated group of individuals working toward a carsharing program in  
> Ithaca. Sustainable Tompkins is a leader in community discussions on  
> sustainability. Recent opportunities have arisen to collaborate with our  municipality 
> and local educational institutions. Host Robert Redford in his  invitation 
> states, "I believe that collective action by mayors and the citizens  of your 
> respective municipalities is our best hope for real, long-term solutions  that will 
> enable the kind of future we all want for generations to come." It is  this 
> hope that translates into action. 
> Besides the tools that I will be  bringing back to Ithaca from this meeting, 
> I am recruiting people to join me and  city staff in two committees focused on 
> these efforts: First, the revitalized  transportation demand management 
> committee, which will examine issues, such as  park-and-ride facilities, transit 
> subsidy, carpools and bicycling facilities.  Secondly, the Local Action Plan 
> needs a focus on methodologies to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions by the City of 
> Ithaca - as a municipal government. I  also appreciate the number of articles 
> and ideas that citizens send to my office  for consideration-for this is the 
> best way to accomplish these goals, as a  partnership with the government and 
> strong citizen participation. 
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Gay  Nicholson, Ph.D. 
>
> 607-533-7312 (home office)
> 607-279-6618  (cell)
>
> 1 Maple Avenue
> Lansing, NY  14882
> gaynicholson at aol.com
>
> Sustainable Tompkins 
> Program  Coordinator 
> w_ww.sustainabletompkins.org_ (http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/) 
>
> Southern Tier Energy$mart Communities
> Regional  Coordinator
> Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
> 615 Willow  Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850
> agn1 at cornell.edu
>
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