You're invited! Explore equity, energy and ownership.

New Economy News | August 2020

September events explore equity, energy and ownership. And you're invited!

Annual Meeting focuses on racial equity

Please join ANCA's board and staff virtually for our 2020 Annual Meeting, where we'll focus on how racial justice and equity need to be part of rebuilding post-pandemic local economies.

Guest presenters will help us examine how diversity and inclusion are critical ingredients to a New Economy in the Adirondack North Country.

What: ANCA Annual Meeting: Racial Equity
When: Friday, September 18, 2020, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Cost: Choose your own fee ($10-$100)

Help build our clean transportation future at the Adirondack ON-RAMP

ANCA's virtual Clean Transportation Summit will convene organizers of the 2023 World University Games with community stakeholders, policymakers, financial institutions and others with the goal of ensuring a low-carbon transportation system for the Games and beyond.

What: Clean Transportation: the Adirondack ON-RAMP
When: September 29-30 and October 1, 2 & 5 (for session times, see the agenda)
Where: Virtual
Cost: $95; $75 for ANCA members

For student discounts, please contact Membership & Events Coordinator Alexis Subra at asubra@adirondack.org.

Special community needs session presented by Clarkson University

As part of ON-RAMP, Clarkson University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Institute for a Sustainable Environment want to learn about the transportation challenges you face and the solutions you envision. Clarkson faculty will be leading two "Understanding Community Needs" sessions, which are free and open to the public:

• Tuesday, September 29, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
• Friday, October 5, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

We especially want to hear from community members who might have felt left out of community conversation in the past. Do you feel your voice isn’t heard? Is it hard to make time to speak out about your needs? Do you have a contrarian point of view from that of others you have spoken to? If so, we hope you can join us!

In light of the COVID pandemic, we are making special accommodations for your participation. For those who are not able to log in via internet, a phone option will be available. If that is not feasible, contact ANCA, and we will connect to you through other means.

Fulfilling the next generation

How do we attract and retain the next generation of Adirondack North Country residents?

In this month's What's Up North blog, Connor Smith, one of ANCA's Graduate Fellows, examines demographic data, as well as his own experiences living in the Adirondacks, to explore how and why our region can be more welcoming for young people.

Thank you Connor, for your insight into this important regional issue!

Read the blog

Tools and opportunities for small businesses

Interested in worker ownership?

The Center for Businesses in Transition, Democracy At Work Institute, Onondaga SBDC and the Cooperative Development Institute will present a two-day workshop that provides information and training on cooperatives and worker ownership.

What: Worker Ownership Training Series
When: Wednesday, September 2, 1:00-3:30 p.m. & Thursday, September 3, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Please join us for one or all of the sessions. Each workshop is free and open to the public.

Center for Businesses in Transition workshop series set for Fall 2020

The Center will host its second annual workshop series that addresses topics relevant for transitioning businesses. These six morning workshops, hosted by partner organizations throughout the region, are scheduled from October 1-27, 2020. Each workshop will take place from 8:00-9:15 a.m.

October 1: Utilizing all of Your Transition Resources: Overcoming Common Obstacles
October 8: Your Best Possible Successor is Already Working for You
October 14: Business Transitions Overview: Where Do You Start?
October 15: Marketing Your Available Business
October 21: Determining Value: Perspectives from Buyers and Sellers
October 27: Not Just a Sale: The Role of Realtors in a Business Transition

Stay tuned to register

Point Positive 101 workshops continue

Build your branding skills with the final workshop in this series designed for entrepreneurs by Point Positive and the North Country Innovation Hotspot Program at Clarkson’s Shipley Center.

• Beyond Online Branding: Sept. 2, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Sessions are free to attend, but registration is required.

Learn more & register

Accessing capital in rural communities

Connect with investors and entrepreneurs and learn about accessing capital in rural areas at Rural Access to Capital, an online event focused on the topics of innovation and succession planning in the context of Upstate New York’s rural communities.

What: Rural Access to Capital webinar
When: Thursday, September 10
Where: Virtual

This event is hosted by Upstate Capital Association of NY and will feature ANCA's Business Transitions Program Coordinator Dani Delaini as a panelist.

Build a better business plan

The Adirondack Economic Development Corporation's annual fall entrepreneurship course is going virtual. The online sessions will be lead by regional experts and focus on business plan development. This course is for anyone considering launching a business on a full-time or part-time basis and owners of existing businesses.

• Weekly online sessions on Wednesdays, September 9 to December 16, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Small group or one-on-one virtual “homework” and counseling/Q&A from 7:00-8:00 p.m.
• Video recordings will be available
• Cost is only $25!

For more information on the class or to sign up, contact Stephanie Donaldson at sdonaldson@aedconline.com.

Learn more

ADI in the community, in the news

Tune in and stay tuned for ADI programs

We hope you've been tuning into the multiple summer series offered by the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and partners including ANCA, Adirondack Experience, North Country Community College and John Brown Lives!:

• Antiracism 101
• The Black Experience in the Adirondacks
• Black History in the Adirondacks

If you've missed these virtual series, you can view them on ADI's YouTube channel. Photo by Mark Kurtz.

Watch

Stay tuned for more information about more opportunities with ADI:

• The ADI 100 Dialog Facilitator Recruitment & Training, starting November 1.
• Queer of Color Voices Virtual Series: BIPOC Queer communities speak to the North Country; a collaboration with the Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance; planned for October & November 2020.
• BIPOC in the Outdoors Virtual Series: This series will explore the precarity of being Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color in our Public Parks. The series will culminate in a BIPOC Equity & Inclusion Symposium. Planned for December 2020.

To get involved in ADI and its programs, sign up at www.diversityadk.org.

ADI in the news

The education, mobilization and advocacy efforts of ADI and its director, Nicky Hylton-Patterson, have garnered attention from local, regional and national media outlets this summer. In case you missed this coverage, here is a short list of recent stories:

• "Being Black in the Adirondacks: Why the drive to boost diversity is complex, and personal," USA Today
• "Off-duty cop’s 911 call about Black youths raises questions," Washington Post via the AP
• "Diversity director to ‘double down’ on fighting racism since graffiti," Adirondack Daily Enterprise
• "A place for all," Adirondack Explorer (photo credit)

More press coverage

Cultivating local food security

Growing for good

2020 Local Food System Security grant recipient Pitney Meadows Community Farm has already donated 6,700 pounds of produce this season to six Saratoga County food pantries and other local organizations addressing food insecurity. The farm utilized grant funds to purchase seeds for crops destined for donation. Pitney Meadows' goal is to donate a whopping 15,000 pounds of produce this year! A mighty and big-hearted effort!

Healthy Food Connections for seniors

The Hamilton Healthy Food Connections program offers ten $2 certificates — for a season's total of $20 — to Hamilton County senior citizens who currently receive delivered meals from the Warren/Hamilton County Office of the Aging meal sites and Hamilton County Community Action food pantry.

Thank you to the multiple partners who are making this happen. This program is part of the Hamilton Helps Project.

Learn more

Transitioning to a clean energy economy

Adirondack ON-RAMP will advance clean transportation for the region

In seven not-too-long sessions spread out over five days — September 29-October 5 — ANCA's virtual Clean Transportation Summit will give attendees and presenters ample opportunity to connect over the region's transportation plans for the 2023 World University Games in Lake Placid.

Take a look at the event prospectus to learn more and view the summit agenda, which includes two free public sessions hosted by Clarkson University.

Learn more & register

Who will be there?

We invite you to join the conversation with ON-RAMP participants and presenters including:

• EV Manufacturers
• Policymakers
• Utilities
• Financing institutions
• Businesses
• Municipal leaders
• Community members
• Clean energy suppliers
• Public transportation organizers
• Nonprofit organizations

Pathways to Energy Efficiency

Cornell Cooperative Extension and ANCA invite you to tune into "Pathways to Energy Efficiency" — a Facebook Live video series about increasing energy efficiency and reducing utility costs with renewable energy options.

The series can be viewed live every Tuesday through October 27 at 12:15 p.m. on CCE of Jefferson County and ANCA's Facebook pages. Up next:

• Sept. 1: NYSERDA Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star Program
• Sept. 8: Small Steps Can Make a Difference (DIY)
• Sept. 15: Net-Zero Home and How to Achieve It
• Sept. 22: How Do I Know If My Home is Energy Efficient?

Watch: Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m.

Equity and inclusion in the energy sector

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is the first energy company in the nation to join the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Energy Equity campaign in order to increase the representation of African Americans in employment, leadership, business contracting, and workforce development in the energy industry.

Thank you to both organizations for taking the lead in this effort and for setting real and tangible goals to increase diversity in the industry.

"Renewable energy is a growing force in the Adirondacks."

So writes Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwendolyn Craig in the latest issue of the regional magazine.

Featured in the story are two ANCA members — Saranac Lake Community Solar and Northern Power & Light — as well as other regional clean energy partners who are making renewable power more accessible and affordable throughout the North Country.

Photo of Emmett Smith of NP&L by Gwendolyn Craig.

Read the story

Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, moving along

This month, the NY DEC proposed regulations that establish statewide emission limits on naturally occurring and man-made gases. These policies are critical to achieving goals set out in the State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which strives for a carbon-free electricity system by 2040 and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 85% by 2050.

ANCA and our Clean Energy Program are proud to support the CLCPA and New York State's transition to a clean energy economy.

The DEC has scheduled two virtual public hearings on the proposal on October 20, and will accept written comments until October 27 at 5:00 p.m.

Save the date!

Black History in the Adirondacks

When: Thursday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Learn more & register

Worker Ownership Training Series

When: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1-3:30 p.m. & Thursday, Sept. 3, 1-5:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

ANCA Annual Meeting:
Racial Equity

When: Friday, Sept. 18, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Learn more & register

Clean Transportation: the Adirondack ON-RAMP

When: September 29 to October 5 (seven 1-2 hour sessions over five days)
Where: Virtual

Learn more & register

Center for Businesses in Transition Workshop Series

When: October 1-27, 2020 (six morning workshops)
Where: Virtual

Stay tuned to register

Take the Census and challenge others too

As of today, the 21st Congressional District has only a 51.8% self-response rate for the 2020 Census. We need to increase that rate! Having an accurate Census count is critical for securing adequate federal representation and funding for our region.

You can complete the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail until the extended deadline of October 31.

Check in with friends, family, neighbors and community members and challenge them to fill out the Census too!

Learn how you can help spread the word, dispel misinformation and increase our region's reponse rate.

Take the Census today!