Tomkins County Climate Protection Initiative Update – Summer 2010

The Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative(TCCPI) continues to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability on a regional basis in and around Ithaca, NY. With three ACUPCC signatory institutions – Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College – and a concentration of leading businesses, NGO’s, and government agencies, the coalition is developing and implementing innovative solutions.

Recent activities include:

• Co-sponsored with the Ithaca Downtown Alliance and the Park Foundation a public lecture in early May by David Orr on the Oberlin project – standing room only crowd at the county library!
• Co-Sponsored with the Cayuga Medical Center a luncheon the following day with about 3 dozen community leaders with David Orr to discuss how the lessons of Oberlin might apply to downtown redevelopment in Ithaca
• Collaborated with the Tompkins County Landlords Association to carry out a survey of landlords in the county about energy efficiency and barriers to more widespread investment in this area of property management. Results were presented at the July meeting.
• Co-sponsored the summer rollout of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tompkins County Energy Corps, which includes 15 students from Cornell and Ithaca College conducting energy audits and sharing information about energy efficiency as well as state and federal incentives.
• County planning officials presented a draft of the County’s 2020 Energy Action Plan at the May meeting and received feedback from the group. A very substantive discussion that helped refine the county’s thinking.
• Gary Stewart, assistant director of community relations for Cornell University, has taken leadership of newly formed TCCPI outreach working group which will seek to raise the profile of TCCPI in the community as well as outside it.
• Kicked off what will be an ongoing discussion of the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling on greenhouse gas emissions with outstanding presentations by Cornell professors Tony Ingraffea and Bob Howarth.
• New members of the coalition since February include HOLT Architects, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, and Tompkins County Solid Waste.
• The Park Foundation renewed TCCPI’s funding for another two years with a 20 percent increase beginning July 1

TCCPI is a program of Second Nature, coordinated by senior fellow Peter Bardaglio, former Provost of Ithaca College and co-author of Boldly Sustainable. For more information on the program, its history, and its goals, please visit:www.tccpi.org.