With the Ithaca College campus observing Sustainability Week and the broader community coming together for Earth Day, it’s a time to reflect not just on environmental progress, but on the deeper meaning of sustainability itself. Beyond recycling drives and campus cleanups, true sustainability demands long-term, structural change that benefits both the planet and the people who live on it. In cities like Ithaca, which has positioned itself as a national leader in climate action, Earth Day serves as a reminder that ambitious environmental goals must go hand-in-hand with economic and social equity.
In 2019, Ithaca made national headlines as the first U.S. city to commit to full decarbonization by 2030. It was a bold step toward sustainability, one that signaled a shift in how local and broader governments could respond to the climate crisis. But, over five years later, many residents are still left wondering if they can afford to participate in this transition. As cities across the country consider similar climate goals, Ithaca offers a valuable case study on both the promise and pitfalls of pursuing sustainability at the local level.
The city’s Green New Deal set out to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, make Ithaca a model of sustainable living, and address economic and social inequalities through climate action. It introduced ambitious efforts to decarbonize buildings by replacing fossil fuel systems with renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency through updated infrastructure, green building materials and smart-grid technology.
But sustainability is not just a technological challenge — it’s a human one. Even the most well-intentioned climate plans can fall short if they don’t account for the social and economic realities of the communities they aim to serve.
One of the biggest obstacles to sustainable progress in Ithaca is the high cost of living, a problem compounded by the city’s unique tax structure. Nearly 60% of Ithaca’s land is tax-exempt due to the presence of Cornell University and Ithaca College. While these institutions contribute to the local economy in many ways, their tax-exempt status limits the city’s ability to raise revenue through property taxes, shifting more of the burden onto homeowners and renters. When sustainability initiatives require public investment, that strain only increases.
At the same time, housing costs continue to rise, driven in part by the large student populations that inflate demand for short-term rentals and raise market prices across the city. As electrification is introduced and buildings require costly upgrades, there is a growing concern that these costs will be passed on to tenants. Without safeguards in place renters — who make up the majority of Ithaca’s population — may bear the burden of the transition.
That’s why policies like Justice50 matter. The Justice50 program allocates 50% of Green New Deal funds to benefit marginalized communities, making it the first U.S. city to set a climate justice spending benchmark higher than the federal target. The unanimous approval of the policy by the Ithaca Common Council in June 2019 reflects the city’s commitment to address historical and current inequities while continuing to tackle the climate crisis. It’s recognition that climate justice and social justice are inseparable and a signal to other cities that equity must be built into the foundation of climate action.
But, Justice50 is not enough. With the introduction of electrification, some landlords may pass costs to renters, and Ithaca lacks the protections to prevent displacement of residents if they cannot afford raised costs. Upgrading infrastructure can also be costly for businesses, with owners hoping the possible financial gain offset costs.
True sustainability means more than reducing carbon emissions — it means building a future where clean energy, safe housing and climate resilience are accessible to everyone. As other cities look to Ithaca as a model, they should also learn from its growing pains. Climate action must be bold, but it must also be inclusive, thoughtful and just.
