Sustainable Tompkins honors local organizations

Sustainable Tompkins recognized 140 organizations, enterprises, and initiatives with "Signs of Sustainability" awards tonight.

Ithaca's Food Web was honored to receive an award at the ceremony.

Many of this year's recipients are connected with Ithaca's local food scene, including:

Farmer Ground Flour, for grinding locally-grown grains

High Point Farms, for their meat CSA

Felicia's Atomic Lounge, for their locavore cocktails

Ithaca Bakery, for hosting a farmers market in their parking lot

Cayuga Sunrise Holistic Haven, for offering guests vegan and raw cuisine

Growing Hope Together, for linking the Newfield School District with a village in Kenya, a project that includes school gardens

Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team, for energy conservation strategies for farmers

The Sustainable Chicken Project, for their food scrap collection project

Wegmans, for using compostable utensils and hosting an organic fair

Simply Red bistro and Sheldrake Point Vineyard, for using fair-trade, local, and organic foods

Emmy's Organics, for vegan and gluten-free desserts in biodegradable packaging

Life's So Sweet Chocolates, for using local ingredients

Sapsquatch Pure Maple Products, for its CSA and elementary school education program

Xeo's Cafe, a Vietnamese restaurants exclusively using local ingredients

Ithaca's Farmers Market, for expanding to include an indoor winter market

The Whole Community Project, for improving the local food system with policy and environmental changes

Short Stop Deli, for composting food waste and recycling efforts

Cooperative Extension, for their Kitchen Garden Tours and online map of gardens and farms

Tompkins County Office for the Aging, for their farmers market coupon books

Earlier this year, Sustainable Tompkins awarded Mini Grants to small-scale initiatives that encourage local self-reliance, strengthen neighborhood connections, and promote long-term community well-being. Two of the five awards were given to food-related programs: $200 to IthaCan for Web site support and materials to teach food preservation and $100 to Utica Street Gardens to purchase seeds and soil amendments for a multi-family shared vegetable garden in the Fall Creek neighborhood.

Sustainable Tompkins aims to promote the long-term well-being of the region by integrating social equity, economic vitality, ecological stewardship, and personal and civic responsibility.