Connect and Collaborate: Climate Action and the Energy Transition in Ithaca, NY

Perspectives in Global Development: Spring 2024 Seminar Series

Abstract

This talk will focus on the effort to build an enduring and resilient coalition in Ithaca and Tompkins County, NY focused on climate action and the clean energy transition. The Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI) is a coalition of community activists and leaders from the education, business, local government, and nonprofit sectors committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy and water efficiency, and adopting renewable energy. Meeting monthly since 2008, TCCPI has served as an important community vehicle for addressing critical challenges and opportunities in these areas.

The fundamental premise of TCCPI is that the key to an enduring and resilient collective climate effort rests on a commitment to connecting and collaborating with community groups and organizations, creating a space within which they can build trust and mutual respect. Besides getting together regularly to discuss relevant issues and matters of concern, TCCPI advocates for crucial climate and energy policies in New York, working with several statewide organizations and campaigns. In addition, it oversees the work of the Ithaca 2030 District, part of a 24-city network in the U.S. and Canada working on improving the energy and water performance of commercial buildings in downtown areas.

About the speaker

Peter Bardaglio is the coordinator of the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative and executive director of the Ithaca 2030 District, part of a 24-city network in the U.S. and Canada working on energy and water conservation issues regarding commercial buildings. He served as a history professor, dean, and provost for 24 years combined at Goucher College and Ithaca College before shifting his focus to the sustainability and climate movements in 2007. Besides his scholarly writings on race and gender in U.S. history, he is co-author of Boldly Sustainable: Hope and Opportunity for Higher Education in the Age of Climate Change (2009) and has published numerous articles on climate change and sustainability. Locally, he currently serves on the boards of New Roots Charter School in Ithaca, the Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming, and EcoVillage at Ithaca, Inc., and he is a trustee emeritus at the Paleontological Research Institution/Museum of the Earth. He received his B.A. in History and English at Brown University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in History at Stanford University.

Perspectives in Global Development

The Perspectives in Global Development seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:20-1:20 p.m. eastern time during the semester. The series is presented in a hybrid format with some speakers on campus and others appearing via Zoom. All seminars are shown in Warren Hall 175. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend. The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science as part of courses GDEV 4961, AEM 4961, NTRES 4961, GDEV 6960, AEM 6960, and NTRES 6960