[SustainableTompkins] Earth Day Update

[Joey Gates]

Hello everyone,
  My apologies for the recent radio silence.  The good news though is that folks seem to be over the flu, my shoulder is mending, and Earth Day/Week is rocking along.  Below is an update on the many exciting pieces that are coming together.  If you did not receive them, the notes from the first meeting are added on the bottom of this note.
  Intern and list serve:  As you may already know, we have a wonderful intern, Kendall Rose Brunette helping us this year.  So far she has been instrumental in setting up our list serve, along with Eric Banford.  If you would like to join the list, send either an email at krb45 at cornell.edu or brew_bird at yahoo.com respectively.  The list will be used solely for Earth Day planning and coordination emails.  Kendall’s next task will be getting the food vendors lined up.  
  Earth Huggers Ball-The Earth Huggers Ball is coming along fantastically.  The tickets, which were designed by Crow, Magic Barrett and me, have been printed and are ready to go.  If you would like to buy or sell them please let me know.  The will be sold at Ithaca Guitar Works, Home Green Home and at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. We have a sharp, energetic volunteer Sharon Heller, helping our sharp and energetic media coordinator Wendy Skinner.  Sharon will be focusing on getting out the radio public service announcements. Crow Weaver has produced the spot.  I will bring it to the meeting for all to sample.  Additionally we have lined up 2 newspaper articles so far-one in Cornell’s Pawprint and one in the Tompkins Weekly.  
  Below is the blurb about this event so you can spread the word:
  The CES proudly presents the 1st Annual Earth Huggers Ball, Saturday April 26th at the Holiday Inn Ballroom in Downtown Ithaca.  This all ages come as your favorite Earthling masquerade ball will feature the Burns Sisters, the Native Earthling Band and all the way from Vermont, Rick Redington and the Luv all playing on a solar powered stage.  
  Tickets are $15 or 2 for $25, family rates are available.  Price includes music and dance, hors d’oeuvres, face painting and prize drawings.  Cash juice and soda bar available.  Doors open at 6:30, Music Starts at 7:00 PM.  
  Tickets are on sale now at Ithaca Guitar Works, Home Green Home and (soon) at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market.
  Website-The CES board has chosen a webmaster, Max Henderson.  Max is a Cornell student who also maintains the website for the Alumni Affairs Annual Fund.  We will keep you posted as the site progresses.
  Ithaca Festival collaboration-I had a great meeting with Jake Roberts, new director of the Ithaca Festival.  We are working on finding ways to collaborate to, in Jake’s words, “infuse sustainability into the festival” and other ways to work together.  They will be tabling at Earth Day this year-a first!  This is truly a great sign of the times!
  Missing meeting-The second meeting was split in 2 due to confusion about location-apologies again.  Nonetheless, the 2 groups – 1. Wally, Debaurah and Adam and 2. Wendy and Joey had productive sessions.  Group 1 is talked about plans for the opening ceremonies and group 2 began hammering out details on budgeting for the New Tourism Initiative Grant we received.  The opening ceremony will be held in the center of the pavilion, featuring songs from the Fingerlakes Unschool Network (FUN) group, Mayor Peterson remarks, a participatory welcoming ceremony and the kick-off parade.
  Next meetings- The next meeting will be Wednesday March 12th, 2008 in the Old Jail House Conf. Rm. From 7-9 PM.  Subsequent meetings are April 9th, same time and location, and April 21st at the Market Pavilion at 6PM.
  See you soon!
   
      MINUTES
  Center for Environmental Sustainability/Earth Day Planning Meeting
  January 17, 2008
   
   
   
  Present:  Joey Gates, Wally Woods, Debaura Dahl, Adam Michaelides, Wendy Skinner, Sean Reeves, Kathleen Banford, Eric Banford, Gabe Banford, Patricia Haines
   
  Convened:   7:10 pm, Hyman Conference Room, Old Jail Building
   
  Introductions & Background
  Following round-table introductions of those present, 
    
   Joey explained CES’ expanded vision for ’08, from Earth Day to Earth Week, and introduced the Earth Huggers Ball for Saturday night.   
   A Cornell intern is working on identifying and contacting food vendors  
   Patricia reviewed plans for the Greening the Arts Symposium.   
   In addition to a new CES website, Earth Week Ithaca will have a presence on a national Earth Day networking site.   
   Steamboat Landing has 120 booths available; 80 were used in ’07. Given increasing interest from musicians in performing, here may be two stages this year.
   
  Thoughts for ‘08
  Kathleen: consider a theme of CONNECTIONS?
  Adam: his Cooperative Extension Debbie Teeter is considering bringing her annual CSAFair to be part of Earth Day-Sunday
  Wendy: SewGreen’s reuse design contest invitation is already out. Some photos of last year’s Eco-Fashion Show are available but it would be good to arrange for more photo-documentation of the full event.
  Debaura: would like to begin Sunday with the Parade. 
    
   Wendy: people could come early to create costumes and masks to be part of the Parade, or to wear their Earth Huggers Ball costumes.   
   The Parade could begin at noon, and lead people to where by Mayor will speak at 12:15.  
   Need to include the Parade song in the program and teach a small group to sing it ahead of time. Kathleen and Erik offered to work with Debaura to contact the VOICES Multicultural Chorus and/or home-schooling group, which could practice ahead of time.
  Debaura: Last year’s ‘talk space’ got pre-empted by Primitive Pursuits. 
    
   Would be good to have a space at a small distance from the larger pavilion, perhaps the small covered picnic space.   
   Important to post topics with times.  
   Kathleen: this space could also be used for children’s songs and story-telling  
   Debaura will contact Sue Hershberger about possibilities for using her tipi. Using this would require a truck and set-up crew, and a way to anchor it down.
  Patricia: Could contact Hotel School students interested in ‘green’ cuisine, to provide food
  Eric: Suggested a workshop for the weekend before Earth Day, to view the Joanna Macy Work that Reconnects DVD. 
    
   Possible spaces for such a workshop include Eco-Village, Henry St. John’s, setting up the tipi at DeWitt Park or Tupelo Park.   
   Participants would do the exercises during the week and offer their experience in some way on Sunday. For example, since Macy talks about the Council of All Beings, participants could dress as animals and talk with Sunday visitors about how they, as animals, feel about what’s happening with the Planet.  
   Wendy: could include animal images in the PR
  Debaura: booth assignments could be laid out according to connection with the elements of earth, fire, water and air
   
  Questions to address
  ? can the CES website have a Wiki function so that visitors can add their thoughts, comments and suggestions?
  ? what’s the most effective way to recruit volunteers?
  ? how involve the schools?
  ? How involve the Native American community?
  ? create something for Earth Day at Pyramid Mall?
  ? way to count participants, and log where they come from? (in connection with Tourism grant)
    
   Count cars as they drive in? check license plates?  
   Guest book, sign-ups to receive future invitations?
  ? evaluation process involving visitors, to identify interests and gather suggestions for the future?
   
  Next Open Planning Meetings
  Wednesday, February 13, Old Jail
  Old Jail House Conf Rm. for March 12, April 9. April 21st meeting will be at Steamboat Landing
   
  Submitted by Patricia Haines 
  Secretary, Center for Environmental Sustainability
  (sent via email to all participants and CES Board Members)
   

       
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