<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Michael Koplinka-Loehr <<a href="mailto:mak11@cornell.edu">mak11@cornell.edu</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">October 20, 2011 4:03:08 PM EDT</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:mak11@cornell.edu">mak11@cornell.edu</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Volunteers sought for largest energy efficiency home-distribution in NYS history</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Michael Koplinka-Loehr <<a href="mailto:mak11@cornell.edu">mak11@cornell.edu</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </div><div>“How many Tompkins County residents does it take to screw in a compact florescent light-bulb? EVERYONE!”<br><br>Saving Green by Going Green: A Win-Win for County Residents:<br><br>12,000 Tompkins Households to Receive Free Energy Efficiency Products and Resources on Sat. 10/29 via 600 Cornell "Into-The-Streets Volunteers.<br>* Volunteers sought for advance educational materials packet stuffing Sun. 10/23 - Fri. 10/28. *<br><br>_______________________________________________________________________<br><br>For Immediate Release:<br> (Contact: Mike Koplinka-Loehr, 592-7650, or Shawn Lindabury <<a href="mailto:shawn.lindabury@gmail.com">shawn.lindabury@gmail.com</a>>, 272-2292 to schedule volunteers)<br><br>On Saturday, October 29th, 600 student volunteers from Cornell University will visit 7,000 households in the City of Ithaca to hand deliver free bags containing a compact florescent light-bulb and information on ways to save money on energy across four sectors: Local Foods, Transportation, Waste reduction and Heating/Electricity. The students are participants of the 20th anniversary of ‘Into the Streets,’ Cornell’s annual day of community service - sponsored by the Cornell Public Service Center. The energy savings bags are part of an upcoming county-wide campaign, ‘Get Your GreenBack Tompkins,’ which will launch this coming January, 2012.<br><br>An additional 5,000 residents in rural areas of the county will receive the energy savings bags through their local town and village halls. Educational materials in the bag include low and no-cost energy-efficiency measures residents can take to save money, an application for a home energy assessment (worth over $400; available at no-cost or reduced cost for households with incomes under $291,200), alternative transportation options, how to buy more local food, and reduce the cost of waste disposal.<br><br>Additionally, the educational bags will include information on the ‘Get Your GreenBack Tompkins’ campaign, including an entry ticket for a raffle for a chance to win over $2,000 in prizes from local energy efficiency retail product providers.<br><br>** From Sunday, Oct. 23rd (5-9PM at Anabel Taylor Hall, Edwards room) through Friday, Oct. 28 (every day at Cooperative Extension offices, 615 Willow Ave.) volunteers are sought to assist with advance stuffing of materials for delivery into the 12,000 educational bags. **<br><br>The ‘Get Your GreenBack Tompkins’ campaign is sponsored by a coalition of over 60 local organizations (visit getyourgreenbacktompkins.org for a full list) and aims to inspire every household and business in the county to take at least one new energy and money-saving step in their transportation, energy, waste, and food choices in the next year, which can save money and create jobs for Tompkins residents, and bring the county closer to its goal of reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050.<br><br>According to campaign logistics co-coordinator, Shawn Lindabury of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, “The ‘Get Your Green Back Tompkins’ campaign is a great way to get families talking about energy use and saving money. Many people don’t realize how easy it is to make simple changes in their home that can lead to real savings. By handing out these bags and interacting with Tompkins residents, we hope to inform people of all the funding resources that are available to make home energy upgrades."<br><br>As the winter season approaches, home energy demand is set to rise, resulting in higher utility bills for Tompkins families along with the release of more climate-change causing gases. With families facing many economic hardships, there has never been a better time to make choices that benefit both their wallets and the environment.<br><br>The potential economic and environmental impacts of the campaign could be huge. If 80% of income-eligible county homeowners complete home energy upgrades after getting a free energy assessment, it would result in $34.3 million in energy savings, as well as 850 new jobs to complete the upgrades. In addition, according to Mike Koplinka-Loehr, co-coordinator of the Get Your GreenBack Tompkins effort and Town of Lansing resident, ‘If every household uses the free energy-efficient light bulb included in the bag, it will result in $667,000 in savings for county residents, and also will prevent the emission of 8.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of taking 553 cars off the road. And that’s only from screwing in a free light bulb. If every Tompkins resident takes just one more energy and money saving step, we could all see huge benefits.”<br><br>Ideas for energy and money-saving steps can be found on the ‘Get Your GreenBack Tompkins’ interactive website (getyourgreenbacktompkins.org), which allows residents to see what other people in their community are doing to contribute to the campaign goals.<br><br>The campaign’s organizers plan to distribute 12,000 energy savings bags, and need additional volunteers to assist with stuffing the<br><br>bags during the week of October 24th (Items can be delivered to sites for stuffing.) If you or an organization or group you are involved with would like to help, please contact Shawn Lindabury at <a href="mailto:scl36@cornell.edu">scl36@cornell.edu</a>, or Mike Koplinka-Loehr at <a href="mailto:mak11@cornell.edu">mak11@cornell.edu</a>, or call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at 607-272-2292.<br><br><br>More:<br>Will Distribute During Normal Business Hours AND on the 29th, (12Noon to 3PM):<br>Town of Ulysees<br>Town of Lansing<br>Town of Ithaca<br><br>Will Only Distribute During Business Hours (NOT on the 29th):<br>Town of Groton<br>Village of Groton<br>Town of Newfield<br>Town of Caroline<br>Town of Enfield<br>Town of Dryden<br>Town of Danby<br>Village of Cayuga Heights<br>Village of Dryden<br>Village of Trumansburg<br>Village of Freeville<br>Village of Lansing<br><br>Thanks To Our Key Campaign Sponsors:<br><br>Cargill DeIcing Technologies<br><br>Cargill International<br><br>Cornell University Public Service Center<br><br>Eagle Envelope<br><br>Home Depot<br><br>ReLight NY<br><br>Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative<br><br>Tompkins County Planning Department<br><br><br>Refreshment partners for Volunteers:<br>Wegman’s<br>TOPS/P&C<br>Cornell Catering<br>Cornell Orchards<br>Regional Access<br>F&T Distributing<br>Greenstar Cooperative Market<br>Ithaca Bakery<br>Ludgate’s Farm Market<br>Ithaca Soda<br>Gimme! Coffee<br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>