As a farmer I've struggled for a decade trying to find an economical means of transporting my products to markets. Farmers' markets are not necessarily an economic or sustainable future for most farmers, unless rules of the market allow one farmer to sell on behalf of multiple farmers. After exploring numerous options and working with various organizations on alternatives, the solution to product distribution will come from a change in policies coupled with efforts to push products out of the country through cooperative efforts and to pull products into the urban markets via improved infrastructure and use of existing distribution systems. Getting all players at the table to create a mobility plan is a first start; something the folks in Tioga County are learning, as they try to move people about the rural countryside into urban areas for employment, education and entertainment.
Martha Goodsell Fallow Hollow Deer Farm, LLC 125 Williams Road Candor, NY 13743 607-659-4635 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ron Paul 2008 "Hope for America" http://www.ronpaul2008.com/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shari Landsman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 5:00 PM Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] the middle path > Well said. I think that there never is an absolutely clear solution. Being > one of those that prefer the country, I will want to stay there even more > if the cities start getting more and more densly populated. And it seems > that it since it is becoming increasingly more important to grow more > locally, someone is going to have to be the one living out in the country > growing the food. It will be up to the country people to find more > environmentally conscious ways to get the food to the city. > > > Shari Landsman > EcoProperties Group > Energy Efficiency ~ Sustainable Practices ~ Health & Well-being > > Licensed Real Estate Salesperson > EcoBroker Certified® > > RE/MAX In Motion > 531 Esty Street > Ithaca, NY 14850 > phone: 607-277-1500 > cell: 607-351-4800 > fax: 607-277-1550 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Website: www.sharilandsman.com > > Life Is a Journey...Enjoy the Ride! > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jesse Townsley 2 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv > <[email protected]> > Sent: Mon, 19 May 2008 4:39 pm > Subject: [SustainableTompkins] the middle path > > > > Seems to me that both sides of the density argument have worthwhile > oints. Getting more people who work in cities to live in or closer > o that city makes sense. There's less pollution, less need for cars > nd roads, it saves people time and money, etc. On the other hand, as > atie points out, local farming is going to be very important if we > an't rely on food from California, etc. to feed us anymore. So > aving people living in rural areas will be important too. > Something I haven't seen in the discussion so far is the demographic > hift toward people working at home. The internet in particular has > llowed people to create their own businesses or otherwise simply > ust work at home. A lot of people have started up businesses over > he internet while people who work for someone else can now, in some > ases, do their jobs at home. Many publishers these days, for > xample, have networks of writers, designers, typesetters, etc. who > ften live in different states and in some cases, different > ountries. There are people who trouble shoot for credit card > ompanies who field their calls at their homes (at hours of their own > hoosing.) I think working at home is a trend that will continue and > robably grow as companies continue to look for ways to cut costs and > eople take advantage of this opportunity. > For people who don't need Starbucks, lot of night life, etc., a > earby grocery store/drug store plus some local farms, and perhaps a > arden would take care of much of their commuting needs. Let's face > t, some people are more suited to city life and some are much > appier in the country. With better public transportation, EV > ehicles, bikes (electric and not), etc., people can live in the > ountry without making the dent that the average commuter of today > akes. > As important as it is that more people live in cities, I'm hoping > hat the people advocating this position can see that it isn't 100 > ercent of the solution. Stuffing everybody in cities could stress > oth the land that the cities are in as well as the people in them. > rime rates would probably increase significantly. Meanwhile, we will > eed people in the country to take care of the things that are in the > ountry--in addition to farms, large alternative energy producing > ites, some factories, etc. Otherwise, you end up having people > ommuting from cities to rural areas. > > egin forwarded message: >> From: Katie Quinn-Jacobs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: May 19, 2008 3:40:53 PM EDT > To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv > <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Density and Energy Descent > Reply-To: Sustainable Tompkins County listserv > <[email protected]> > > Planning for the future based on body counts/sq ft and with a mindset > focused on reducing GHG emissions reveals an assumption about our > population as consumers, rather than producers, as a liability to be > "managed" rather than a resource to tap into. This viewpoint also > continues to rely on large complex systems external to Tompkins County > and ignores the realities of energy descent. It won't get us where we > need to go to avoid depression era food shortages in the next 10-20 > years. > > How is Tompkins County planning to avoid widespread hunger when gas > and > food prices are out of reach for average households? Where will the > food come from? And how? > > In 1920, before the widespread use of petro-chemical fertilizers > and oil > powered tractors, an average American farm produced a diversity of > crops > and livestock, was self-sustaining and supported about 12 people; > today, > industrial petrol-farms are dependent on a single crop, federal > subsidies and a massive commodities market; they are not self- > sustaining > (most farmers don't even grow their own vegetables) and collectively > over 200 people/acre. Given the fact that we are now living this side > of the energy descent curve, it is estimated that between 25-40% of > our > population will need to be farming in post-peak oil America; > currently, > 1-2% of the national population is farming. > > After doing the math...Tompkins County needs between 12,500 - 40,000 > farmers. See Richard Heinberg's paper, "Fifty Million Farmers", on > the > subject: http://www.richardheinberg.com/museletter/175 > > Few people today remember the Great Depression, when unemployment > rates > were over 24%. Many people lost their land and homes and food was > scarce. But imagine a world with $10/gallon oil and a return to those > circumstances doesn't seem out of the reach of reality. Living in the > city without a job or trying to run a conventional farm in the country > (when you don't have the know-how or infrastructure necessary to run a > farm without machines and/or commercially produced fertilizer) is a > very > likely scenario in the decade ahead, if we don't plan appropriately. > > We need our both our rural and urban populations to be building > basement > root cellars, rain catchment systems, kitchens capable of preserving > food in a variety of forms, alternative energy systems and gardening > whatever land is available. > > It would also be helpful if we supported those who are pursuing an > agricultural interest wherever they live in Tompkins County. We need > guidelines for rural homesteads, not just urban dwellings, that are > constructive. For example, models of 5, 10, 25, 50 acre farms > could be > developed with both an eye to energy descent and climate disruption > that > are specific to our soil, water and temperature conditions. Like the > alternative energy open house, rural residences putting these ideas > into > practice could be opened to the public once a year. > > A more realistic idea about what it's going to take to construct a > local > foodshed and how to encourage land use to support it is essential. > > /Indeed, we need perhaps to redefine the term //farmer. We have > come to > think of a farmer as someone with 500 acres and a big tractor and > other > expensive machinery. But this is not what farmers looked like a > hundred > years ago, and it's not an accurate picture of most current farmers in > less-industrialized countries. Nor does it coincide with what will be > needed in the coming decades. We should perhaps start thinking of a > farmer as someone with 3 to 50 acres, who uses mostly hand labor and > twice a year borrows a small tractor which she or he fuels with > ethanol > or biodiesel produced on-site. > /Source: http://www.richardheinberg.com/museletter/175 > > -- Katie Quinn-Jacobs > > > > > Jan Quarles wrote: >> Hi George, >> >> You have some good points about the inefficiency of sprawl, and I >> think we should take those points seriously for any new >> developments. But as far as destroying existing homes goes, I have >> some questions: >> >> You wrote,"Imagine all the homes sprawled up West Hill, East Hill >> South Hill, and Snyder Hill, all of the Village of Cayuga Heights >> and Village of Lansing and all of the Big-Box development along >> Meadow street and Elmira Road replaced by farms, forest and meadow." >> >> So I did imagine this. But then some major obtacles appeared when >> I thought about how to carry out this vision, given our current >> economic system. People won't simply abandon their mortgaged >> homes. They're going to sell them to other people. Those >> neighborhoods would then be inhabited by the new buyers (many of >> whom would probably be fleeing big flooded coastal cities). >> >> Even if, at some point in the future, the government mandated >> evacuation of the suburbs, and somehow paid people to abandon >> their suburban homes and move into Ithaca townhouses, wouldn't it >> require lots of energy, and cause lots of waste, to destroy all >> those existing homes and roads? And how economically feasible is >> that assumed mandate anyway? >> >> I think it's more realistic to accept what has developed so far, >> but to try to transform it instead of destroying it. Some >> solutions (with which I'm sure you're familiar) include creating >> more bike lanes and Park 'n Rides, extending public transportation >> (buses, light rail), and promoting more backyard food production >> and renewable energy systems through education and outreach. >> >> It would have been wonderful if our county had developed the way >> your describe. But it didn't. Insisting on something unrealistic >> doesn't move us forward, and can even reduce the impact of your >> argument. Or can you explain realistically how your vision of >> surburban destruction would be carried out, in practical terms? >> >> I do agree with your model of townhouses and density for Ithaca >> proper, as the population increases. But I am questioning your >> vision of destroying the surrounding neighborhoods because you >> don't explain how that could happen. A home is an American's >> primary financial investment. >> >> If you are unable to resolve these questions, then the >> 'destruction aspect' of your vision will remain pure theory and >> will not be embraced. >> >> Jan Quarles >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "George Frantz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" >> <[email protected]> >> Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 2:45 PM >> Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] Density, continued >> >> >> >>> Marlo, >>> >>> I just read your e-mail about your new carriage house. >>> >>> Congratulations! By adding a second dwelling in the manner that >>> you are doing, you are doubling the density of your lot! In a >>> neighborhood such as the Northside, with an existing residential >>> density of about 9 dwellings per acre, it would not take much >>> more to reach that magic 12-15 dwellings per acre threshold. >>> >>> This is one of the many, many ways in whch we can densify our >>> cities and avoid the Orwellian/1984/Frantzville (yes, F-R-A-N-T- >>> as-in-Tea, Z) nightmare scenarios I've apparently triggered in >>> the minds of some of the list serve members. (No apologies, by >>> the way, to all I've traumatized.) >>> >>> It's an example of the evolution, not revolution, that I >>> mentioned in my earlier e-mail. >>> >>> Another example here in Ithaca is the new two-family townhouse >>> on Lincoln St. between Aurora and Lake. It has two very light >>> and airy 1,750 sq-ft, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath dwellings each with a >>> one-car garage. It's a townhouse, just rotated 90 degress and >>> featuring a roof-top deck off the 3rd floor master bedroom >>> suite. It is also the equivalent of 18 dwelling units per acre. >>> >>> Then there is the Fairview Heights Apartments, inconspicuously >>> located at the corner of Dryden, Ithaca, Cornell and Maple Avenue >>> above Collegetown. It features 140 units in a garden-like >>> setting that includes a combination of 2-story townhouse units 7- >>> story mid-rise building that nobody seems to even notice. At 28 >>> unites per acre is is probably the densest area of Ithaca outside >>> Collegetown, and not cheap housing either. It may not be >>> everybody's cup of tea, but it is an example of attractive urban >>> living that would likley better serve the living needs of young >>> professionals and older empty-nesters than a McMansion in the >>> suburbs or psuedo-homestead in the country would. >>> >>> There are a number of other urban design concepts, such as those >>> used at Sunnyside, Radburn and the Greenbelt cities. These >>> include arranging the homes around a jointly owned interior lawn >>> or greensward and orienting their interior spaces inward. >>> Children thus have a safe place to play, off the street and >>> within sight of many community eyes. >>> >>> There can be a variety of tenure arrangements in addition to the >>> traditional fee-simple/home mortgage or rental options: housing >>> cooperative, condominium, co-housing, elder cottage or life- >>> rights, for example. >>> >>> By all means rest assured that a compact Ithaca covering just 3 >>> square miles instead of 11 square miles would definitely NOT >>> limit access to rural areas. In fact it would do the exact >>> opposite. >>> >>> Density would draw the countryside into the city. Instead of a >>> 1 to 3 mile wide belt of suburban wasteland surrounding Ithaca, >>> the countryside could start at the base of West Hill, just beyond >>> Six Mile Creek to the south, just beyond College Avenue on East >>> Hill and at the north edge of Fall Creek gorge. Imagine all the >>> homes sprawled up West Hill, East Hill South Hill, and Snyder >>> Hill, all of the Village of Cayuga Heights and Village of Lansing >>> and all of the Big-Box development along Meadow street and Elmira >>> Road replaced by farms, forest and meadow. >>> >>> All the city parkland that exists now would still exist, except >>> that outlying parks like McDaniels, Bryant, Strawberry Fields and >>> others would be integrated into a tight system within a five- >>> minute walking distance of all residents. Stewart Park and Cass >>> Park are not disappearing either. >>> >>> Not only will there be fields to walk alone with the moon in, >>> you won't have to get in the car to drive to them. And without >>> the two hundred plus miles of streets and roads needed to support >>> the suburban wastelands, and without the need for huge shopping >>> center parking lots lit to prison yard intensities, thousands of >>> streetlights and parking lot lights can disappear and with them a >>> major source of light pollution. We will be able to see the >>> stars again from our downtown homes. >>> >>> Nor will life be nearly as boring as feared. Actually anybody >>> who lives knows life is far from boring. Actually the primary >>> catalyst for the past 50 to 100 years of White Flight to the >>> suburbs and now the countryside is that the diversity of race and >>> class within the city is just too damn unnerving to the average >>> white middle class American. >>> >>> As for me, my 140-year old, 1,200 square foot cottage on my >>> 4,500 square foot lot keeps me well occupied. Of course the lawn >>> only takes 20 minutes to mow if I take my time, so I lose out of >>> the hours and hours of recreational mowing my suburban and rural >>> friends enjoy, and I can't pump nearly as much greenhouse gasses >>> into the atmosphere with a reel mower either. But I have lots of >>> trees, flowers and shrubs, and a stone retaining wall to finish. >>> >>> There are also things like taking my turn to mow my neighbor's >>> lawn (free) for her, because we all know that she had to move >>> away temporarily to care for her mother, and take my turn >>> shoveling a couple of elderly neighhbors' sidewalks, because we >>> all know they can't do it and can't afford to hire somebody to do >>> it. Cass Park is a five minute walk down the public footpath >>> from Cliff Street. >>> >>> There never really is a dull moment, and I don't even have to >>> resort to TV to fill the time. >>> >>> Then there is that $1,400 per month my wife and I save because >>> we don't have to drive to work. >>> >>> There are a thousand different way in which we can let our >>> cities evolve into more compact, and more environmentally, >>> economically and socially sustainable communities in the coming >>> decades. It will just take imagination and creativity, an open >>> mind, and a critical questioning of the fears, prejudices and >>> attitudes we carry, toward both the environment and our fellow >>> human beings. >>> >>> By moving back and densifying our cities, however, we will not >>> only be able to move toward a more sustainable society, people >>> might start asking themselves how they could have been so stupid >>> as to not to embrace the concept earlier. >>> >>> George Frantz >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County >> area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ >> >> RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: >> [email protected] >> http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins >> free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org >> >> >> > > -- > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County > area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > _______________________________________________ > or more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please > isit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ttp://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > ree hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
