News from SUNY Cortland

For more information contact: Jean Palmer, 607-753-2232

SUNY Cortland To Hold Community Roundtable

Focus To Be On Living Healthy In Today's Environment

CORTLAND, NY (02/26/2008; 1501)(readMedia)-- A Cortland county environmental health representative and a local organic farmer will discuss the importance of living healthy in today’s environment at a community roundtable on Thursday, March 6, at SUNY Cortland.

Titled “Healthful Living in Today’s Environment,” the roundtable takes place between 8-9 a.m. at Main Street SUNY Cortland, an extension facility the College operates at 9 Main St. in downtown Cortland. Sponsored by the President’s Office and the College’s Center for Educational Exchange, the event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 7:45 a.m.

Panelists for the discussion include Audrey Lewis, director of environmental health in Cortland County; and Robert Perry, a local organic farmer and organic farm inspector, who operates Maple Slope Farm on Route 41 in Homer, N.Y. Amy Twiss, safety specialist in the SUNY Cortland Environmental Health and Safety Office, will moderate the discussion.

The speakers will engage the audience in a discussion about what’s happening in our community to maintain a healthful environment. Participants will learn how SUNY Cortland is generating less waste, putting fewer and less toxic chemicals down the drain and recycling more materials. The roundtable will also address organic foods as part of a sustainable, regional food system that is ecologically sound and economically viable. The panelists will relate how to prevent foodborne and waterborne illnesses, maintain adequate septic systems and reduce radon exposure.

“I will discuss the inspection process and how food becomes certified organic,” Perry said. “Food safety is a very timely topic, so I will also talk about the consumer end of the industry, for example, why people are looking toward local and regional markets. Consumers want to know where their food is coming from.”

Perry, who received an associate’s degree in horticulture from SUNY Delhi, is a life-long resident of Cortland County. An organic farmer for 25 years, he is a founding member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) in New York, and has served the organization as a certified organic farm inspector for 11 years. Perry also educates farmers transitioning into organic farming.

Lewis, a 1980 SUNY Cortland graduate, will focus her talk on environmental problems in Cortland County and how that environment can affect health.

“Environmental health is not rocket science,” said Lewis, who has served as director of environmental health in the county since 2000. “There are simple things people can do that will help them live a more healthy life.”

For more information on the Community Roundtable series, contact the Center for Educational Exchange at (607) 753-4214 or visit the Web site at www.cortland.edu/cee.

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