Archive for February, 2010
SustainableTompkins Share Tompkins swap meet on Sunday!
From: McKenzie Jones-Rounds
Just a reminder to come to our February swap meet!
*Sunday, February 28
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cornell Cooperative Extension*, *Room B*
*615 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY*
Get ready for spring gardening with Share Tompkins! All goods and services are fair game for giving away and bartering, but we’re especially interested in hooking people up with gardening tools and information!
Here are some things to bring and look for:
Seeds, Plants
Hand tools, long tools
Large/expensive tools to be shared (like those huge soil-loosening forks) Trays, Watering Cans, Containers for growing in
Baskets, Buckets
Reading Material
Space for starting seedlings
Space for growing in the ground
Outlets for extra food
Consolidation/division of growing (then trading) for larger crops Advice, Consultation
Work parties, garden preparation and maintenance
Harvest help
Interest-specific contact info
and much more…
Information and activities will be available from the following experts:
CCE Master Composters
Ithaca Freeskool
High Point Farms CSA
Dancing Turtle Farm
Northern Light Roots and Shoots
Hope to see you there!
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
http://www.flxpermaculture.net
regional regenerative resources
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
HOMEGROWN movie/benefit postponed
The showing of the “Homegrown” movie at the Silver Spoon Cafe in Montour Falls has been postponed. Watch this list for news of its rescheduled showing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Support Microloans through “Team Permaculture” @ Kiva.org
http://www.kiva.org/team/team_permaculture
Reinvesting our surpluses in eco-social regeneration
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 3, Connecting the Dots, with Shaleshock and Sustainable Tompkins
| Please note that the “Connecting the Dots” event is Wednesday, March 3rd. Sorry about that, and hope to see you there. |
March 2nd, Connect the Dots, with Shaleshock and Sustainable Tompkins
| Dear Friends,
We’d like to invite you to join us for an evening of serious fun. Serious because the topic of Marcellus Shale drilling brings many grave concerns. Fun because working together to assert our independence from fossil carbon brings a rich array of benefits to all of us. Sustainable Tompkins and Shaleshock Action Alliance hope you will join us on the evening of Wednesday, March 3 to explore all of the connections between consumer patterns, drilling and mining, climate change, our local economy, and our highest values. We’ve got a full night of learning and sharing, taking a stand and supporting each other, as we walk our talk and live by our values. See below for all the details or go to www.sustainabletompkins.org to learn more. And please! Share this with your friends and colleagues and bring your families. We need to take personal responsibility, but it’s so much more effective when we do that together! For a better future, Gay Nicholson Lisa Wright Sustainable Tompkins Shaleshock Action Alliance |
Tonight’s “Intro to Vegetable Gardening” rescheduled for 3/5 due to snow
RESCHEDULED for Friday 3/5, 6:30-8:30 pm due to snow
Community Food Growing Series: Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening
Thursday, February 25, 6:30-8:30 pm
Learn where to site your garden, how to prepare the soil, how to start seeds, how to plant, when to mulch, which easy veggies to try first, and so on. Pat Curran, Horticulture Educator, will also discuss favorite varieties, container gardening, and harvesting tips. Pre-registration recommended. Fee: $5/class or $20 for the series. For additional information, call 272-2292 or email pc21.
Movie: “My Name is Allegany County” Wed, March 10, Elmira
From: Emily Rizzo
Meaningful Movies at Park Church, Elmira, NY – Wednesday, March 10th
My Name is Allegany County is the 1993 film of a rural county’s fight against nuclear waste (98 minutes). When New York’s Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Siting Commission picked ten possible sites across the state for the depository, three were in Allegany County. This is the true story of how ordinary people rallied, organized and worked for two years in a non-violent protest to protect their community, their health and their future. Discussion to follow.
7 p.m. film screening; 6 p.m. optional potluck (bring salads, side dishes, or desserts to complement the soup that’s provided)
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
http://www.flxpermaculture.net
regional regenerative resources
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Sugar Moon OPEN HOUSE, 2/28 at Sapsquatch.com
Here comes the sap….
Folks lucky enough to be out at the sugarbush yesterday (Wed 2/25) got their first taste of sap as the trees bubbled up the sweet sugar-water for just a few hours. A sign of what is to come…
SAPSQUATCH MAPLE PRODUCTS invites you to our open house this weekend, on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. (we probably won’t be sticking around to boil into the night, unless the weather really warms up)
Join us for a SUGARBUSH TOUR (12:00 and 2:00) where we’ll discuss the history and process of sugaring, and the forest ecology and management strategies we’ve employed to regenerate our woods.
Bring SLEDS & SKIs and enjoy the land with your friends and family.
We are located at 2247 Mecklenburg Rd (rt 79) in Enfield. From Ithaca, drive to Enfield and through the blinking light, part way up the hill, then turn LEFT as you cross a small bridge and see a large red barn. Parking in the driveway and follow the signs toward the forest.
Tour donations accepted. Orders can be placed at the Sugarbush for shares of the 2010 harvest.
Parking is LIMITED – please carpool.
MORE INFO: www.SAPSQUATCH.com or call 303.815.3535
ORDER SYRUP 24/7 ONLINE: www.Sapsquatch.com
Marcellus drilling creates new world
At 04:03 PM 2/24/2010, you wrote:
Don’t know which I find more disturbing, this article (nothing new there) or the slew of comments attacking it and praising gas drilling as a badly needed source of energy and jobs.
I have to admit, I’d feel more energized about opposing fracking (as I strongly do) if we had (a) strong, viable alternatives to natural gas — which for instance, heats the home I live in — and (b) alternative economic proposals for this region.
Dear Judy and Friends–One alternative is to reduce our energy consumptions such that we need less fossil fuel to start with. There are many ways of doing this. For some examples, see http://sustainabletompkins.org/programs/marcellus-challenge/ and
http://sustainabletompkins.org/st-events/save-on-home-energy-costs-and-shrink-your-carbon-footprint-%E2%80%93-free-energy-fair/
Have a wonderful day. Tom
Marcellus drilling creates new world
Unfortunately all viable alternatives are being buried by the very same companies who are profiting from fossil fuels. There are alternatives that are being developed right now, some which are ready and some which will be ready soon.
The electrolysis of water to create hydrogen and oxygen gas, which is then burned, is an amazing technology. There are also battery powered contraptions that generate more energy than you have to put into them (yes it’s free energy).
The new solar cells which generate energy from a much larger bandwidth of electromagnetic radiation are already available, and are many times more powerful than “traditional” cells (they work at night, when it’s cloudy, all the time).
It’s easy to be skeptical of such stories, but unless we are willing to entertain the possibility, where will we end up? Look at what Tesla did a century ago. It was fantastic, and he was shut down for it.
Do some research and you will surely find out about these alternatives. There are some very brilliant people working on amazing things these days, and the large corporations are slowly leaking out the technology that they’ve been hording for decades (electric cars, hydrogen power, etc.).
What do you need more, jobs and “economy”, or a healthy world to live in?
Anyway, that’s my two cents for what it’s worth.
Marcellus drilling creates new world
Don’t know which I find more disturbing, this article (nothing new there) or the slew of comments attacking it and praising gas drilling as a badly needed source of energy and jobs.
I have to admit, I’d feel more energized about opposing fracking (as I strongly do) if we had (a) strong, viable alternatives to natural gas — which for instance, heats the home I live in — and (b) alternative economic proposals for this region.
Marcellus drilling creates new world
Marcellus drilling creates new world
February 23, 2010
Much has been written, and will continue to be written, about the Marcellus shale; on one side about how much money and jobs it will bring, and on the other, about how much environmental damage may result. But this battle of words, being waged by gas development’s proponents and opponents, is mostly speculative. There is probably some truth as well as exaggeration coming from both sides, but the argument may be missing the point. Here in Susquehanna County we are beginning to experience the reality – and the reality is very disheartening.
If you own land to which you are not particularly attached, or which represents only an investment – something to log, or quarry, or exploit in some other way – the Marcellus is just another opportunity. But if you live in the country because you love the rural aesthetic, because you seek solitude, or the joy of experiencing the natural world, you are in for a very unpleasant surprise. You are going to be living in the middle of an industrial zone.
In Dimock over the past year, gas well pads have been installed or are being planned at a rate of one for every 80 acres or so, meaning roughly eight gas well pads per square mile. You will inevitably be within eyesight and ear shot of at least one gas well, and will have numerous well sites in and around your community. Each well pad is a prominent graveled work yard of three to five gated acres, including large pits, tanks, pipes, valves, generators and exhaust stacks. Each has a heavy-duty gravel access road, and each has a 30- to 40-foot-wide pipeline swathe going to the next well pad in a continuous network across the countryside. Your rural landscape will be transformed by bulldozers into an industrial complex. Everywhere you look you will see their handiwork.
Once you and your neighbors sign leases, you will no longer be the masters of your lands. The gas exploration companies will take over, first with miles of wire and small dynamite charges every 100 yards to map the rock below, then with road building, pad development, pipeline clearing and drilling. Gas company employees will be polite, but firm about their rights to your land.
While the process of development and drilling goes on, you will be subject to the noise and vibration of a major industrial operation. The coming and going of work crews and the trucking of millions of gallons of frack water, waste water and miles of piping will dominate your roadways. When they flame off the new gas wells, the light from the huge roaring torches will brighten the night sky for miles around. You will feel like you are living in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Mordor.
Your world will not return to normal for many, many years to come. They will not simply sweep through an area and then be gone. The gas companies will cap the wells, re-open the wells, re-drill the wells in different directions, add more wells at the same site, or build new sites around you for many years and perhaps decades to come, depending on the market and their own timetable. They will be here until the gas runs out.
Natural gas may be a great benefit to our local economy – and will make a lot of people a lot of money – but for the majority of us who revere the natural world, it represents the loss of the beauty and tranquility that brought us to the countryside in the first place. And for those who live on small rural lots or are tenants, there isn’t even any compensation for their loss.
We can argue forever about the pros and cons, but the reality is that our lives, our communities and our natural environment will never be the same.
Keith Oberg lives in Brackney, Pa.
Copyright ©2010 Press & Sun-Bulletin
###
3/6: Winter Worm Composting Class
Winter Worm Composting Class
Saturday, March 6, 10:00 12:00 Noon
Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
This hands-on class teaches all you’ll need to know about vermi-composting, an indoor composting system that is easy and produces particularly rich compost for your garden and houseplants. Fee: $10 per household. Each paying household will go home with a working worm bin. Register early, space is limited. Call 272-2292 with questions or email acm1.
Local, Farmer Grown Flour
Tompkins grown: Farmer Grown Flour Farmers reinvent local grain- growing, milling to create artisan flours
By Aaron Munzer •Correspondent • February 22, 2010, 6:50 pm
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100222/NEWS01/2220326/Tompkins+grown++Farmer+Grown+Flour
TRUMANSBURG — Back in the 1800s, it wouldn’t be at all unusual for Tompkins County to have a new flour mill.
“This was the grain belt,” said Thor Oechsner, an organic grain grower who cultivates about 500 acres of wheat and corn in Newfield, which used to be a center for wheat farming. Even now, remnants of old grist mills dot the area.
But, he said, farmers gradually depleted the soil by using poor methods, and the wheat eventually moved west where the topsoil was measured in feet, not inches. And with them went the mills, until almost all that was left here were farmers growing grain to feed livestock.
Now there’s a new mill in town, in a historic mill building in Trumansburg. As the popularity of local organic foods grew, Oechsner and his farming partners Erick Smith and Dan Lathwell at Cayuga Pure Organics in Brooktondale saw a chance to bring local grains back into style.
They started Farmer Ground Flour in 2009 to sell their locally grown and milled flour to customers who value their methods and their quality products.
“What we’re trying to do is shorten the loop between the consumer and the farmer,” Oechsner said. “The more local food gets, less (energy) goes into the product in terms of transport.”
The result: fresh, gourmet wheat, buckwheat and spelt flours, as well as corn meal and polenta. What’s more, Oechsner and company are working with Cornell University to debut heirloom wheat varieties with great flavor, nutrient density and adaptability that has been lost in the modern quest for super-sized yields.
Farmer Ground Flour was a recipient of one of Sustainable Tompkins’ 2009 Signs of Sustainability Awards.
Unlike big milling operations, which process with metal mills in about six hours what FGF does in a month, it’s all ground in the traditional style, with a Carolina granite millstone that no self-respecting pioneer flour mill would have been without.
It’s that same grindstone that Greg Mol, the mill’s manager and a partner in the venture, has been putting his nose to in order to get the business up and running. Mol, who seems to live in a pair of taped-
up coveralls rimed with flour, has the dubious distinction of being the guy who gets to haul to the hopper every speck of the 10,000 pounds of grains a month that will become the flour shipped to New York City farmers’ markets. Once there, it will command a premium price from the city fooderati, whose zeal for a regional diet is vast.
The flour is also available at the Greenstar Natural Foods Market in Ithaca, and Regional Access and Garden Gate Delivery offer it as well. Flours come in 2-pound bag and range in price from $3 for whole wheat to $4.75 for spelt flour.
“It’s exciting to see how into it people are,” Mol said. “People really want to know how it’s grown, and how it all works, how we’re rebuilding the food system.”
There’s also a tacit sense from these farmers that they’re filling a niche in the local foods market that has been largely overlooked, while local vegetable operations, which have smaller start-up costs and relatively fewer risks, have flourished in the area.
“Vegetables have been local, but no one’s tried to bring this type of quality wheat back,” Oechsner said. “People need their bread — it’s a big deal.”
But, just so no one forgets it, it’s a risky business to be in, said Tycho Dan, the group’s marketing guru and New York distributor and salesman, who’s got a green tongue like some people have a green thumb. He said going up against the titans of monoculture requires a completely different business model which relies on customers who purchase based on their values and the exacting level of quality in the product.
“If you’re in the (food) industry, the level of scale for the people who run this on a national and global scale, you can’t even wrap your head around the number and the scale of this all,” he said.
So Dan’s most important job is to educate the flour-buying public, the artisan bakers, and the gourmet bread-lovers how important local and organic products are in the long run. And, because of their freshness — their flours are usually less than two weeks old — and flavor, why they’re important in the short term. It’s also about returning some equity to a system that he sees as having too many middlemen and too many compromises on quality.
“We’re the farmers, the millers, and we’re distributing and marketing, all in one organization,” he said. “It’s about paying a living wage, incentive-izing other farmers to do what we’re doing, and there’re so many other trickle-down effects of this.”
It’s certainly given enthusiasm to some already. At a tour of the mill several weeks ago, Katie Quinn-Jacobs, a leader of IthaCan, a recently formed home-preserving group, was excited about the existence of a new local food processor in the area to supplement her group’s local foods training.
“The way we’re looking at it, we need to rework the whole (local) food shed, and we’re sort of missing the middle, the processors,” she said. “As times get tougher, we think more and more people are going to go that route.”
She said processing and preserving for winter are big hurdles not only for home gardeners like herself, but for the area’s farmers.
“You know, after you’ve got it, what are you going to do with it?” she said.
Strangely, the most satisfying thing for everyone involved might just be praise for the product that comes their way. There never really was much in the way of a customer approval survey for Oechsner when all his crops went to feed cattle.
“Cows don’t give good feedback,” he said, “but people talk about its great flavor, how it’s great in baking. I’m learning so much about milling and baking, and I’m meeting so many interesting people, and teaching so many about the crops.”
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100222/NEWS01/2220326/Tompkins+grown++Farmer+Grown+Flour
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
http://www.flxpermaculture.net
regional regenerative resources
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Shape Our Future at the 3rd NY Small Farms Summit, 3/4/2010
NEWS FROM THE SMALL FARMS PROGRAM AT CORNELL
TOPIC: Shape Our Future at the 3rd NY Small Farms Summit
DATE: For immediate release, February 22, 2010
CONTACT: Violet Stone, 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu
ONLINE NEWSROOM: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/news/
The Cornell Small Farms Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension invite you to join us for the 3rd NYS Small Farms Summit on Thursday, March 4th, from 9:30am – 3pm. We will be gathering at 4 locations around NYS: Voorheesville (Albany County), Canton (St Lawrence County), East Aurora (Erie County), and Ithaca, NY (Tompkins County). A video connection will allow us to communicate across the state while minimizing travel times and fuel use and allow you to get to know other local small farmers and small farm supporters.
What is the Summit About?
The Summit is a VERY interactive meeting for farmers, educators, farm agency and anyone else concerned or invested in a vibrant and thriving small farm sector in New York. At a previous meeting in 2006, participants identified the most promising opportunities and critical barriers affecting small farmers. In response, the Cornell Small Farms Program launched 5 Statewide Work Teams/Initiatives in the areas of: Local Market Access; Livestock Processing Issues; Expanded Use of Grasslands; Farm Energy Issues and Beginning Farmer Support. These work teams conducted extensive research and hosted workshops, produced handbooks, and organized meetings with policy makers to prepare specific recommendations necessary to advance progress in these areas.
Why Should I Attend?
Your opinions and creative thinking are needed to help us shape future efforts supporting NY Small Farms. At the upcoming NY Small Farm Summit, you, along with other farmers, agency representatives and farming advocates will prioritize what needs to happen in the next two years to enhance the viability of NY small farms. These priorities will have both local and statewide impacts on research, extension and policy efforts. The Cornell Small Farms Program will provide funding to support selected activities and help other groups secure funding to execute the plan.
Your feedback "from the field" is very important in determining how investments are made in the immediate future. Come out and help shape your future.
The Summit is free to attend and lunch will be provided. For more information or to register, contact your regional host site.
Eastern NY (Albany County): Tom Gallagher tjg3 or 518-765-3500
Northern NY (St Lawrence County): Bernadette Logozar bel7 518-483-7403
Western NY (Erie County): Lynn Bliven: lao3 or 585-268-7644
Central NY (Ithaca): Violet Stone vws7 or 607-255-9227
2/26 – The Impact of “Green” Energy Development on Rural Community Sustainability
From: Linda L Warner <llw2@cornell.edu>
Please join us
on Friday, February 26th
from 2:30-4:30
in Warren Hall B32
for CaRDI’s Future of Rural New York Seminar,
a panel discussion entitled:
The Impact of “Green” Energy Development on Rural Community Sustainability.
Please see attached poster for details on speakers.
We hope to see you there!
************************************************
Robin M. Blakely
Senior Extension Associate
Community & Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) www.cardi.cornell.edu
Department of Development Sociology
39 Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850 http://devsoc.cals.cornell.edu
Phone: 607-254-6795
Fax: 607-255-2231
Email: rmb18@cornell.edu
Community Food Growers Series 2010, Ithaca, NY
From: “Sandra Repp”
Spring is approaching! Gardens for Humanity and Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension are offering a new gardening training series to help people learn to grow more of their own food. These trainings are aimed at new gardeners, community leaders and those interested in volunteering as garden mentors.
All workshops will be held at the CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY 14850 except April 27 (see below).
Cost is $5/class or $20 for the series or $5 per class.
Pre-Registration is required. Scholarships are available.
For information, contact: Josh Dolan at sapsquatch7@gmail.com or call CCE-Tompkins 607-272-2292 to register.
Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening
Thursday, February 25, 6:30-8:30pm
Learn where to site your garden, how to prepare the soil, how to start seeds, how to plant, when to mulch, which easy veggies to try first, and so on. Pat Curran, Horticulture Educator, will also discuss favorite varieties, container gardening, and harvesting tips.
Soils and Site Prep Techniques
Monday, March 8, 6-8pm
Healthy soil is the basic building block of healthy vegetables. This session will cover organic soil management and a selection of techniques used to prepare your soil for
gardening. Instructors: Pat Curran and Josh Dolan.
Advanced Vegetable Gardening Panel
Wednesday, March 10, 6:30-8:30pm
Hear from a panel of experienced gardeners on a broad range of topics.
Composting Techniques
Monday, March 15, 6-8pm
Master Composter volunteers will present a variety of small to medium scale composting methods and a Q&A session.
Seed Starting
Monday, March 22, 6-8pm
In this session we finally get our hands dirty! We will be sowing the first seeds of the season such as tomatoes and cabbage and learning about how to make your own potting soil. Instructors: Pat Curran and Josh Dolan.
Training for Garden Mentors and Site Coordinators
Monday, March 29, 6-8pm
For gardeners who would like to help their community grow more food, this session will orient new Community Food Growers into our Garden Mentor program and explore the many resources and considerations for managing existing gardens and establishing new ones. Instructor: Josh Dolan.
Pests and Diseases
Tuesday, April 6, 7-8:30pm
Learn how to keep your plants healthy by recognizing the early warning signs of plant damage as well as some preventative measures you can take to keep the bugs away. Instructor: Monika Roth
Season Extension
Tuesday, April 27, 4:30-6pm,
Ithaca Children’s Garden at Cass Park
In our cold climate, serious food growers have developed many ways to protect their plants during the cold spring, fall and winter months. We will join the Ithaca Children’s Garden learning about basic cold frame construction and use, floating row covers, hoop houses and cold season crop selection. Instructor: Josh Dolan
2/23: Health Risks of Shale Gas Drilling @ TC3
From: “Sandra Repp”
NATURAL GAS WITH UN-NATURAL CONSEQUENCES:
THE HEALTH RISKS OF SHALE GAS DRILLING
Tuesday, February 23, 6:30-8:30 pm
at The Forum Room, Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), 170 North St, Dryden, NY
A FREE presentation on the chemicals used in hydrofracking and their potential impact on human health, followed by a question-answer period.
Presenters are: Ron Bishop, lecturer in Chemistry at SUNY
Oneonta; Thomas Shelly, chemical safety & hazardous materials specialist, Dr. Adam Law, Endocrinologist; introduced by Dr. William Klepack, Medical Director of the Tompkins County Health
Department.
For more information contact Shaleshock08@yahoo.com or
call Sharon Anderson at Tompkins County Cooperative Extension 607-272-2292.
Sponsored by Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance, with
the Center for Transformative Action, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Gas Drilling Awareness of Cortland County, TC3 Sustainability Council, Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition, Sustainable Otsego, Sustainable Tompkins, and Marcellus
Accountability Project.
Upstate Permaculture Gathering Afterparty Fundraiser, Syracuse March 13, 2010
From: Frank Cetera <frcetera>
A fundraising show with musical entertainment, book fair, and food and drink will follow the Permaculture Gathering from 5:00pm to 12 midnight at the same location (The Gear Factory, Saturday March 13).
Music starts at 5:00 pm and suggested donation is $7 at the door. Attendees of the Gathering will be asked for a discounted $5 donation. A used book fair will offer many volumes for sale from a variety of topics.
The evenings fund-raising show will feature performances from Barley Wine, Colleen Kattau, Black Earth, Utility Life, Celebration of Man, Pilot Lies, and The Magnetic Pull.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Earn your permaculture design certificate.
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
offers affordable local classes.
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
