Help Shape Ithaca’s Green New Deal Climate Action Plan

Since its launch in 2019, the Ithaca Green New Deal has grown and adapted with our community’s needs. Now, City staff and the Sustainability & Climate Justice Commission are asking for your input to guide the next chapter.  

In late 2024, the Commission recommended a new approach to local climate action—one that puts Ithacans’ everyday struggles and opportunities at the center while staying aligned with City legislative and development priorities. The goals of the Green New Deal remain the same, but this updated Climate Action Plan offers a more robust roadmap to ensure we don’t reinforce existing vulnerabilities, displace residents, or overlook urgent threats to our social and physical infrastructure.  

To reflect this new direction, the plan is organized into six key sectors:  

• Housing 
• Labor  
• Public Health  
• Equity  
• Emergency Response  
• Power Reliability  

This strategy—Dignity Toward Decarbonization—flips the traditional model by prioritizing housing, jobs, and health first, with climate action as the natural outcome of strong, just planning.  

Now that research and expert interviews are complete, we need your feedback. Surveys will be released in three parts: Housing & Labor; Public Health & Equity; and Power Reliability & Emergency Response. Share your input through the OpenGov platform and help shape Ithaca’s path toward a just, sustainable future.  

The Sustainability & Climate Justice Commission will be hosting a drop-in event to receive your feedback and answer questions on Thursday, August 28th, 5:30-7:30. Please join us in the Borg Warner Room of the Tompkins County Public Library.  

You can also find the first survey link here: communityfeedback.opengov.com/portals/ithacany/Issue_14610