A new cartography venture called Green Goat Maps -- an offshoot of Saranac Lake-based business Adirondack Research -- is getting fired up about its first project. And ANCA's Ignite! program is helping get the map off the ground and into stores. 

Green Goat founder and ANCA member Ezra Schwartzberg is utilizing the new crowdfunding platform to connect with his own networks and reach new audiences. Investors who support the winter trails map project receive "rewards" for their pledges -- in this case, pre-order maps and stickers. The campaign's funds will help cover the upfront costs of printing 1,500 maps, which will be distributed to local stores later this month.  

Photo by Phil Brown, Adirondack Explorer.

Check out the Ignite! site to learn about other local projects. Your investment makes a substantial impact on the small businesses that are growing the region's New Economy.

This year marks the largest Adirondack Buyer Days in its 32-year history. This year's juried show will feature over 100 booths of items made by local artisans. 

Adirondack Buyer Days is a one-stop shop for retailers seeking high-quality housewares, fine art, jewelry, pet products, bath products and more.

Calling all retailers! Are you a store owner or distributor looking to stock your shelves with high-quality, locally made goods? 

Register today for this opportunity to shop local and meet the region's makers who are growing the New Economy. Buyer registration is FREE. 

A historic sewing factory in Glens Falls is again buzzing with the energy and creativity of makers. A collaborative collection of artists, shopkeepers and service providers now call The Shirt Factory home. 

North Country Public Radio and ANCA have partnered to tell The Shirt Factory's inspiring story. Listen to NCPR's latest "North Country at Work" piece about the factory's revitalization. ANCA's What's Up North video, produced by Josh Clement Productions, is also featured. 

Photo courtesy of The Shirt Factory.

Making it easier for farmers to get local food into schools is one of our priorities for our Farm to School programs. That's why we set funding aside from the Drive for 25 Farm to School Grant for the Farmer/Producer Mini Grant program.

This year three St. Lawrence County farms received grants to purchase equipment that will streamline the farm to school process. Learn more about Birdsfoot Farm, Fullers Farm and Martin's Farmstand and their funded projects in the Watertown Daily Times and North Country Now.

The mini grants are part of the broader “Drive for 25” Farm to School initiative, spearheaded by Assemblywoman Addie Jenne to increase local food options in Jefferson & St. Lawrence County schools.

Photo of farmer Kerstin "Dulli" Tengeler, courtesy of Birdsfoot Farm. 

Farmers and producers interested in learning more about the Drive for 25 Farm to School program and how they can get involved are invited to attend an informational meeting this month in Canton, NY. 

What:
Drive for 25 Farm to School Meeting for Farmers & Producers
When: 
Tuesday, January 23, 6-8 pm
Where: 
Cornell Cooperative Extension, Canton

Contact Farm to School Coordinator Renee Smith at (315) 869-1420 or resmith@hdcsk12.org to register.

Interested in creating a more equitable food system in the North Country? Join this important conversation at the first annual food summit, hosted by the North Country Food Justice Working Group.

What:
Food justice summit: "Feed back: growing and sharing the abundance"
When:
Thursday, March 1st, 8 am to 6 pm
Where:
The Wild Center, Tupper Lake

“All this ties in with the real character strength of the region: Independence, self-reliance, willingness to try new things."

Read ANCA Executive Director Kate Fish's take on the region's biomass industry as well as the perspectives of ANCA partners Curran Renewable Energy, The Wild Center and NYSERDA in a recent news article on the benefits of biomass.

The Town of Chester's new wood pellet boiler is using locally produced wood pellets to fuel a high-efficiency steam system -- a project that saves money and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

The project -- the first pellet-fed steam system of its kind in New York -- received 65% of its funding from a NYSERDA and the USDA. 

Town Supervisor Craig Leggett estimates that burning wood pellets will reduce the town's use of fuel oil by about 11,000 gallons each year. That's worth celebrating!

Photo of ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 29, 2017 by Nancy Bernstein

The ANCA community was saddened to learn of the passing of Arnie Talgo, a steadfast North Country advocate who served on ANCA’s Board of Directors for twelve years. We send our condolences to Arnie’s family and friends.

We'd love to have your support. Let's grow the New Economy together!