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=== Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle ===
=== Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle ===


Finger Lakes ReUse Center
'''Finger Lakes ReUse Center'''


The [http://ithacareuse.org/ Finger Lakes ReUse Center] is an impressive organization that simultaneously reduces waste and conserves community wealth through its programs. Most visibly, ReUse diverts donated goods from the landfill by either re-selling them, stripping them into usable parts, and by deconstructing entire houses so that the materials can be reused.
The [http://ithacareuse.org/ Finger Lakes ReUse Center] is an impressive organization that simultaneously reduces waste and conserves community wealth through its programs. Most visibly, ReUse diverts donated goods from the landfill by either re-selling them, stripping them into usable parts, and by deconstructing entire houses so that the materials can be reused.

Revision as of 16:23, 16 September 2017

Ithaca Commons.JPG

Ithaca is a city in the Southern Tier-Finger Lakes region of New York State. It is the seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area. This area contains the municipalities of the Town of Ithaca, the village of Cayuga Heights, and other towns and villages in Tompkins County. The city of Ithaca is located on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, in Central New York. W

Like many small college towns, Ithaca has received accolades for having a high overall quality of life. W

Sustainability initiatives

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Ecovillages

EcoVillage Ithaca

In 1990, while environmentalist Joan Bokaer was on a symbolic walk across the U.S. and giving lectures on sustainability, she developed the idea for an eco-village, which she eventually started as EcoVillage Ithaca (EVI). EVI was one of the first in the world. It is now a thriving model of what an ecologically-sound future could look like, with well over multigenerational 200 residents, with cohousing and communal living options as well as energy efficient neighborhoods.

EVI residents make decisions collaboratively and volunteer a few hours each week to maintain the health of the village. [1]

Initiatives by topic

Community currencies activism

Ithacash is not the first to innovate in the community currency realm here, or to use it as a tool to build a spirit of shared wealth. In 1991, the Ithaca HOURS W program was started by community organizer Paul Glover. Ithaca HOURS are among the best-known community currencies globally. HOURS were at one time accepted for donations by all three mayoral candidates in Ithaca and the program inspired countless localities to create their own regional currencies.

In a similar vein, the organization Tompkins Time Traders (T3) started a few years ago. T3 is a time bank — it keeps track of accounts for people who spend and earn hours of time rather than dollars, which effectively makes the system operate like a pro-social currency. [2]

Food activism

The Ithaca Farmers Market, a cooperative with 150 vendors who live within 30 miles of Ithaca, first opened for business on Saturdays in 1973. It is located at Steamboat Landing, where steamboats from Cayuga Lake used to dock. W

EcoVillage Ithaca has a 10-acre organic farm, another five-acre CSA berry farm, and the Groundswell Incubator Farm, which supports and hosts for low-income farmers or people from vulnerable populations who are just starting out in farming. [3]

Free stuff

At the heart of Downtown Ithaca is a three-block area known as The Ithaca Commons. Once a street accessible to cars and other motor vehicles, it's now been transformed into a walkable brick-paved area with a playground at its center and planters with flowers and vegetation around it. There's also ample public seating.

If you are on the Ithaca Commons, you may notice a series of red boxes scattered throughout. These are "Pay It Forward" boxes, where anyone can donate money or personal checks, which are directed to low-income residents. These boxes are part of a new program, run by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and developing the community, culture, and economic vitality of downtown Ithaca. [4]

Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Finger Lakes ReUse Center

The Finger Lakes ReUse Center is an impressive organization that simultaneously reduces waste and conserves community wealth through its programs. Most visibly, ReUse diverts donated goods from the landfill by either re-selling them, stripping them into usable parts, and by deconstructing entire houses so that the materials can be reused.

Each Saturday at the ReUse Center, the Fixers Collective gets together to fix broken goods and share knowledge on how to repair items. The center also pays a living wage to all employees and offers mentorship and skills training to those who seek it. Their ReSET program trains underserved community members in technology and construction. The center also repairs electronics at a lower cost or can refurbish, resell, and recycle them. [5]

Sharing

Twenty years ago, a piece on Utne Reader praised Ithaca, New York, as one of the "most enlightened" places in America. Today, Ithaca is still a hub of the kinds of sharing that earned it that recognition decades ago. This culture of community stewardship came about largely due to the city's agricultural surroundings and its back-to-the-land movement. Groups began self-organizing and experimenting with different ways of generating shared community wealth. That tendency has grown rapidly over the years. Though the list is far from exhaustive, throughout this article are ten reasons why Ithaca is an incredible Sharing City. [6]

Maps: []

News and comment

2017

10 Reasons Why Ithaca is a Great Sharing City, Aug 29 [7]

Interwiki links

Wikipedia: Ithaca, New York

External links


References

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