Community
We work with local, national, and international groups to support social justice and a better world for all people. Our current projects and partner group projects:
Sustainable Energy and Environmental Justice
New York State lies at the epicenter of global environmental justice activism. Thousands of New Yorkers have mobilized to resist high volume hydraulic fracture gas drilling ("hydrofracking"), a method of natural gas extraction that imperils water supplies, wildlife habitats, and the quality of life of millions of residents in New York State and the entire U.S. Northeast region. Around the world, hundreds of millions (if not billions) of humans, and uncounted wildlife species, stand in harm's way as powerful fossil fuel-based energy companies lobby governments and cajole communities to cede complete control and oversight over natural resource use to private interests.
Haiti Relief and Solidarity
Although the earthquake in Haiti is last season's news, the people of Haiti will be suffering for many months and years to come. Medical supplies, food, and clothing are still urgently needed and are being collected by ¡Pa'lante! for distribution to Haitian people. The supplies collected in Ithaca will reach medical facilities in Haiti by means of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace (IFCO, http://www.ifconews.org/) and Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees (HWHR, http://haitianwomen.wordpress.com/) in New York City. Once we deliver our supply collections to IFCO and HWHR, they will deliver this aid to Haiti by two means: 1) boat and air freight; and 2) with individual travelers boarding commercial flights to Haiti. Pending port availablility in Haiti, some aid may be sent through the Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, IFCO and HWHR work with the Movement of Dominican-Haitian Women (MUDHA, Movimiento de Mujeres Dominicano- Haitiano, http://www.mudha.org/). MUDHA staff and volunteers deliver aid to Haiti by land transportation. The IFCO-Haiti Medical Service is a project of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace (IFCO). The collection drive in Ithaca is sponsored by ¡Pa'lante! (Proyecto Palante and Salsa en Rueda Dance Troupe Palante), Ithaca Friends of Cuba and the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR).