The conference table in the Sustainable Tompkins office has seen a lot of action over the years.  Its residue of invisible fingerprints of shared ideas, strategic organizing, renewed commitments, and challenges to the status quo can be seen out in our community as new infrastructure, policies, enterprises, and social norms pushing us forward to new systems of living and working together.

The most effective social change comes when both decision makers and the grassroots are fully engaged.  Since 2004, Sustainable Tompkins has been bringing people together to build a more sustainable community.  Our local movement has grown significantly over the past decade, and new sustainability initiatives have blossomed.  But there is much work ahead and we must continue the process of engagement.  For that, our movement needs a “homeroom,” a base, a place to gather and debate and develop our ideas and campaigns.

Just in the past few months, the Sustainability Table has hosted meetings with elected officials and local developers to learn about clean energy technologies to replace fossil fuel dependency, along with a series of meetings to develop a concept paper on how our local social justice and climate activists can work together to connect the dots between equity and energy issues.  The Table has been used to sort out certificates for the Peoples’ Choice Signs of Sustainability awards, and for the deliberations of the Mini-Grants Council as they assess proposals from grassroots leaders for diverse and exciting community projects.  Lately, staff and volunteers have been working hard on a campaign to help lower-income households participate in a clean energy future through the Finger Lakes Climate Fund.

We ask our supporters, our friends and colleagues in our movement, to help us reach our goal of $5,400 to make sure the Sustainability Table is available in the coming year to those working for change.  The office at 309 N. Aurora is a convenient place to gather, close to downtown and big enough to host large committees.  Sustainable Tompkins is glad to have the Green Resource Hub and Tompkins County Climate Initiative continue as our officemates at this new location.  

But we need your support to pay for rent and utilities to maintain this “homeroom” for the local sustainability movement.  Your generous donation during this campaign will make sure the fingerprints of the Sustainability Table continue to work their magic on our community.