Cornell University
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

1. Over the past three years, Professor Rebecca Schneider’s lab in Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources has studied how roadside ditches contribute to flooding, droughts, and degraded water quality in downstream waters. Her research lab has documented that roadside ditches are a significant, rapid conduit of E. coli, a fecal indicator bacteria, from different land uses, particularly from manure-amended agriculture, to streams and drinking water sources. The relevant stakeholders include town planners, local town government officials, and highway department staff. The results have been conveyed via in-person presentations and workshops with local (village, town and county) highway and public works supervisors and other local officials. Many of these workshops were hosted by the Cornell Local Roads Program. 2. The New York State Invasive Species Research Institute (ISRI), hosted by Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources, and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Invasive Species Outreach Program provide state-wide programming on invasive species of concern to New York State. Research results are disseminated more broadly and readily through the ISRI and multi-county collaborations of natural resource professionals (PRISMs) are served by the Invasive Species Outreach Program. For example, the Department of Natural Resources conducted more than 20 workshops across the state in 2010 on the emerald ash borer, including information on life cycle, detection, monitoring, and control. Audiences served included professional foresters, public natural resources managers, landowners, not-for-profits, and farmers. A Web site (nyis.info) provides detailed species descriptions, print on demand handouts, and partner information and contacts. Cornell Cooperative Extension educators are active in the PRISMs. 3. The Cornell Division of Nutritional Sciences is taking an ecological approach to obesity prevention. Traditional approaches focus on education and individual behavior change, which may be hampered by environment, such as presence of vending machines in schools, family eating habits, or lack of access to exercise opportunities. An ecological approach includes changing food and activity environments to support and enable healthy eating and active living. Extension educators receive professional development and have access to materials and other support from researchers and Extension faculty. The ecological approach to preventing childhood obesity is supported by Farm to School and 4-H Youth Development programs on healthy eating. 4. The concept “local foods” refers to foods produced close to the point of consumption. Cornell Cooperative Extension promotes local foods in its nutrition, agriculture, and community development programs, connecting producers, consumers, and local economic developers, supporting farmers markets, producing guides to local foods, and educating consumers on preparation of fresh foods. Expansion of local foods has implications for local economic development and sustainability in addition to potential nutritional benefits. 5. Greening of Nassau Project. Due to the large area of land that they hold, schools are perfect sites for the sustainable replanting of trees, which serves as a means for providing opportunities for students to become stewards of the environment. 6. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tompkins County Energy and Workforce Development. The Energy Corps leadership education program has trained 53 student interns in the past two years, including training in partnership with local Building Performance Institute-accredited contractors in building science, energy diagnostics, home energy assessments, and communication. Energy Corps members gain leadership skills and practical experience in home energy efficiency that leads to jobs after graduation. 7. Agroforestry Resource Center, Greene County. The Agroforestry Resource Center provides educational programs, supports research, and promotes collaboration among organizations concerned with sustaining the forest dominated landscape of the Catskill Mountain/Hudson Valley Region. Agroforestry is the art and science of integrating timber production with other crops and forest related income opportunities. 8. Rural Learning Network of Western and Central NY. Six conferences focused on community and economic development issues important to rural central and western New York offered in 2007-2009. The topic of the first 2009 conference was ‘Promoting Regional Assets for Community and Economic Development’. The conference highlighted the regional assets of western/central New York for community and economic development; articulated the comparative advantages of the region; encouraged communities to build unique niches in a regional context; explored symbiotic relationships among assets and their multiplier effects, and explored the relationship between community capacity building and the development and promotion of assets. The second 2009 conference, ‘Engaging Partnerships and Leveraging Opportunities’ focused on community leadership, consensus building, social networking and related skills to enable Upstate New York communities to survive and thrive during these difficult economic times. The conference stressed opportunities for community actors to work together in a spirit of cooperation and strong leadership to promote healthy communities and regional collaborations. 9. Southern Finger Lakes Region Land Use Leadership Training. In 2010, CCE Schuyler County worked with Cornell's Community and Regional Planning Development Institute (CaRDI) and the Cooperative Extension Associations and Planning Departments in Tompkins, Tioga, Chemung and Steuben counties to bring Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training to the five-county region. 10. Complete Street Initiative. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties worked 2 communities to pass "complete streets" policies around schools, low-income housing and housing for the elderly. "Complete streets" are designed to be safe and accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users and transit users.