Tag Archives: ithaca

LISTEN: Empowered on the Radio

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Producer Suzanne McMannis, Director Shira Evergreen, Art Weaver of Renovus Energy (featured in the film), and Guillermo Metz, Coordinator of the Green Building and Renewable Energy Program with Cornell Cooperative Extension, were on Ithaca Community Radio 88.1 WRFI, on Tuesday morning, February 12th discussing Empowered, Renovus Energy, Solar Tour Dryden and Solarize Tompkins SE. You can listen to the show in two parts:

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Cooler Weather Means Energy Efficiency is Essential

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As the weather cools down here in Ithaca, NY, energy efficiency is at the forefront in our minds. Now is the time of year that proper insulation and venting can make a huge difference in your energy bill. Or if you’re someone like Cal Walker, who tells the story of battling a huge ice dam on his house in Empowered, it can be a matter of life or death.

In this video clip, you’ll hear Cal Walker of Village at Ithaca and Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins discussing the very real effects of energy inefficiency in our community.

Applying the Lessons of Empowered to Our Home

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Since the premiere of Empowered almost a year ago, my wife Ari (who made the animations) and I have been working on applying the lessons we learned in making the film to our own house. In addition to insulating, sealing, and upgrading appliances, we are now using 20% biodiesel in our furnace and have solar panels installed on our roof. You can learn all about our journey and find out about programs that make these renovations accessible to all through the article I wrote for Tompkins Weekly’s “Signs of Sustainability” series.

Tompkins Weekly, August 20-26, 2012
PDF version: A Model for Creating that ‘Green’ Home, scroll to page 8

PRESS: We’re in the Ithaca Times!

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There’s a full-page piece about Empowered: Power from the People with quite a bit of back story about Shira’s prior filmmaking experience and why Ithaca is such a great place to make movies. Here’s an excerpt and you can read the full article: Do-It-Yourself Film Ethic Empowers Ithaca

Evergreen and her partner moved upstate from the city for both professional and personal reasons. “All the physical spaces gave us the financial and emotional space to tackle film making,” she said. “We started out in Ithaca and set up a graphics business, and we now live in Dryden. It’s less than an acre, but it seems like so much coming from the city.” She has been applying the energy efficiency lessons that she learned while making Empowered to her own house.

What advantages are there to making films out in the hinterlands? “Well, the overall pace of life is a relief,” Evergreen said. “It promotes creativity and collaboration. There’s a big word-of-mouth community, and everyone is eager to tell a story that reflects pride in the community. Empowered quickly became more about the people than about the [alternative energy] systems.”

Haven’t seen the film yet? You can get the dvd or watch it online for $4.99.

PRESS: We’re in the GreenLeaf

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There’s a great article by Kristie Snyder about Empowered in this month’s issue of the GreenLeaf, Greenstar coop’s newspaper.

Here’s an excerpt…

You’re sure to recognize friends and neighbors, or maybe those folks up the street you’ve been meaning to introduce yourself to — the ones with all those solar panels on their garage. The people profiled come from all walks of life. “We’re hoping everyone sees someone in the film that they can relate to,” says Evergreen.

Upcoming Screenings: Town of Danby, FLEFF and Cornell University

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Building on the momentum from recent screenings at Kendal at Ithaca and SUNY Cortland we are excited to announce three free upcoming events, including our first film festival! Details below…

Want to bring Empowered to your community? Get the DVD and organize a screening!

3/20/12, Danby, NY: Screening and Community Discussion
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012, 6:30pm
Danby Town Hall
1830 Danby Road, Danby, NY 14850
FREE

4/1/12, Ithaca, NY: Screening and Q&A at FLEFF (Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival)
Co-presented by Finger Lakes Bioneers
Sunday, April 1st, 2012, Noon
Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY
FREE
“The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival at Ithaca College embraces and interrogates sustainability across all of its forms: economic, social, ecological, political, cultural, technological, and aesthetic. The festival is in the spirit of UNESCO’s initiative on sustainable development.”
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4/4/12, Ithaca, NY: Screening and Discussion at Cornell University
Co-presented by Mann Library, Finger Lakes Bioneers, KyotoNOW!, Cornell Wind Power, and Engineers for a Sustainable World Cornell
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012, 5:30pm
Mann Library
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
FREE
Cornell alums Director Shira Evergreen and Dominic Frongillo from the Town of Caroline (featured in the film) will participate in the post-film discussion.
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Join our email list to get updates about future screenings.

VIDEO: Ithaca Biodiesel

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In this video clip from Empowered, you’ll learn about the evolving Ithaca Biodiesel Cooperative and their goals to turn waste veggie oil into environmentally-friendly fuel for the community.

Click here for more clips from the film, or buy the DVD to see the whole film.

12/7: Encore Community Screening at Cinemapolis with “Women Power” Panel

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Wednesday, December 7, 7-9pm
Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY
Tickets are $10, $8 for IGBA and Sustainable Tompkins members

Join us for an encore Ithaca screening featuring tabling by local sustainability groups and renewable energy installers. Since our community sneak peek screening at the end of September, we have refined the film and added lots of animations so even you’ve seen it, there’s lot’s of new stuff to check out!

The screening will be followed by a special “Women Power” panel discussion including director Shira Golding Evergreen and some of the local innovators featured in the film – Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins, McKenzie Jones Rounds of Ithaca Biodiesel, Gwendolyn Barr of Weaver Wind Energy, Annie Koreman of Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group and Lexie Hain of Enfield Energy and Snug Planet.

This event is co-presented by Finger Lakes Bioneers, Ithaca Green Building Alliance, Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group and Sustainable Tompkins.

The screening kicks off a NY state tour co-sponsored by Finger Lakes Bioneers and Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group.

We hope you’ll join us!

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