August Extension Connection Magazine 2023

Extension Connection Sullivan County

Upcoming Events & Programs

Upcoming Events & Programs

Eat Healthy, Be Active Class Series

Virtual Family Caregiver Support Group

What Are You Made Of? Block Party

Growing Healthy Soil with Cover Crops

Sullivan County Youth Fair

Sullivan County 4-H Livestock and Ag

Product Auction

Farmer Mixer

See more events and opportunities on sullivancce.org/events.

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Issue Highlights

Issue Highlights ssue

Keep Your Cool During Summer Heat

Not Our Farm Toolkit

Stop the Spread of Spotted Lanternfly

Satisfied Customers Spend More Time in Beer Tasting Rooms

What’s Your Move: Physical Activity

It’s Almost Fair Time!

How to Measure Inclusion in the Workplace

Energy Efficiency

It’s Family Fun Month! Check out page 10 for fun events in August the entire family can attend!

4-H members and staff at the Livestock and Ag Products Auction in the 2022 Sullivan County Youth Fair.

Welcome to the Issue! Table of Contents

WelcometotheIssue!TableofContents

Welcome to the Issue! Table of Contents

Page 3 Message from the Executive Director: Sullivan County 4-H Livestock & Ag. Products Auction

Page 4 Keep Your Cool During Summer Heat

Page 6 Not Our Farm Toolkit

Page 7 CCE Spotlights!

Page 8 Stop the Spread of

Spotted Lanternfly!

Page 10 Fun Facts!

Page 12 Satisfied Customers Spend More in Beer Tasting Rooms

Page 14 What’s Your Move: Physical Activity

Page 16 Energy Efficiency

Page 17 It’s Almost Fair

Time!

Page 18 DHI Report

Page 15 How to Measure Inclusion in the Workplace

The Extension Connection (USPS-525-100) is published monthly for $25.00 enrollment by Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County, located at 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Suite 1, Liberty, NY 12754-2903. Entered at Liberty, New York, as a periodical class matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 412, Act of February 24, 1925. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Extension Connection, 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Suite 1, Liberty, NY 12754-2903.

OFFICE HOURS

Hours: Mon - Fri | 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Phone: 845-292-6180

E-mail: sullivan@cornell.edu

Website: www.sullivancce.org

Facebook.com/ccesullivanagfood

Instagram.com/ccesullivan

YouTube: bitly.com/ccesullivan

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dara Smith............................President

Denise Frangipane...............Secretary

Dawn Parsons.......................Treasurer

Nadia Rajsz.................Legislative Rep.

Adam Hughes..................Cornell Rep.

Alex Alorro

Freda Eisenberg

Amanda Langseder

Denise Luckman

Erika Malmgreen

Steve Marton

Gary Silver

Gary Silverman

Marcie Wild

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Heather Brown

Roberta Chambers

Robert Kaplan, Chairperson

Eugene Thalmann

Deborah Worden

EXTENSION CONNECTION

Produced by: Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County

Edited by: Erin Denman & Colleen Monaghan

Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with DisAbilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

NOTICE: Official endorsement of advertisers and their products is not intended by the acceptance of their sponsorships for the Extension Connection.

STAFF MEMBERS

Colleen Monaghan..............................................................................Executive Director

Taylor Adam.............................................................Beginner Farmer Program Manager

Monica Ponce-Agredano ...............................................................Ag. Program Assistant

Thomas Bosket....................................................................SALT/DFC Program Manager

SueAnn Boyd.........................................................Healthy Schools Program Coordinator

Fabio Campanati......................................................................Taste NY Market Manager

Luciana Carvo.............................................................Sullivan Fresh Market Coordinator

Lynn Colavito..............................................Community Cupboard Program Coordinator

Martin Colavito...........................................Community Cupboard Program Coordinator

Wanda V. Cruz...............................................Healthy Communities Program Coordinator

Erin Denman............................................................Association Operations Coordinator

Randi Dana Hazen.......................................................Sullivan Fresh Market Coordinator

Katie Gasior.................................................................Horticulture Program Coordinator

Christopher Jones..............................................................Taste NY Operations Manager Joy Leon.................................................................Nutrition & Physical Activity Educator

Katie Rose Lugauer...................................................................4-H Program Coordinator

Erica Lynch..........................................................Catskills Kitchen Program Coordinator

John Mastrangelo............................................................................Assistant Ag Market Manager

Nancy McGraw....................................Caregiver Resource Center Program Coordinator

Melinda Meddaugh.......................................................Ag & Food Systems Issue Leader

Vivian Monsanto...............................................................................Finance Coordinator

Barbara Moran................................................4-H Youth Development Program Manager

Bee Moser............................................................................................Senior Nutritionist

Vanessa Petrossian...........................Program Director: Operations and Community Vitality

Abyssinia Pla El...................................................................................Finance Coordinator

Michelle Proscia..............................................Agriculture Production Program Manager

Ann-Marie Sidtis............................................Drug Free Communities Program Assistant

Tara VanHorn.........................................................................................Finance Manager

Malinda Ware........................................................................................Program Director

Sean Welsh...................................................................Energy Senior Resource Educator

John Wilcox..........................................................................................Facilities Manager

Judy Arpadi, Vinny Bonizzi, Kayla Evans.................................................Ag Market Coordinators

Connection

The Extension Connection (USPS525100)is published monthlyf or $2500 enrollment by CornellCooperative Extension Sullivan

Greetings!

The 4-H Ag Auction is right around the corner! Come out to the Sullivan County Youth Fair at the Grahamsville Little World’s Fair on Sunday, August 20th to support Sullivan County kids. Proceeds go to youth participants and the 4-H Scholarship Fund.

See you at the Fair!

Colleen Monaghan Executive Director, cm638@cornell.edu

Keep Your Cool During Summer Heat

Overheated?

Heat-related illnesses occur when the body is unable to cool itself. The most common heat-related illnesses are heat stroke (sun stroke), heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat rash. Here are the symptoms and first-aid responses.

IllnessSymptomsWhat to Do

Heat stroke (sun stroke)

This is an EMERGENCY! Act FAST!

What should I do before a heat wave?

•Know the symptoms of heat-related illnesses (see table, right).

•Make sure that you can open your windows and/or that your air conditioner is working properly.

•Find out where to cool down –ask local officials about cooling centers in your area. If there are none, identify air-conditioned buildings where you can go (such as libraries, malls, supermarkets, or friends’ homes).

•Choose someone that you can call for help or who can check on you.

•Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to learn more about medications that might make you sensitive to the sun or heat.

Heat exhaustion

•Hot, dry, red skin

•Rapid pulse

•High body temperature ≥ 105°F

•Loss of alertness

•Confusion

•Unconsciousness or coma

•Rapid and shallow breathing

•Heavy sweating

•Fainting

•Vomiting

•Cold, pale, clammy skin

•Dizziness

•Headache

•Nausea

•Weakness

•Call 911 immediately.

•Cool the person quickly.

•Bring to a cool place and use a cool bath or sponges, fans and AC. Or

•Wrap ice packs in cloth and place on neck, wrists, ankles and armpits. Or

•Remove clothing and wrap the person in cool, wet sheets.

•Heat exhaustion can quickly lead to heat stroke so if symptoms worsen or don’t improve get medical help.

•Move the person to a cool place.

•Loosen clothes and apply cool, wet cloths to the neck, face and arms.

•Have the person sip water slowly. Provide half a glass of water every 15 minutes up to about 1 quart. Stop giving water if vomiting occurs.

Heat cramps

•Muscle cramps in the abdominal area or extremities

•Heavy sweating

•Mild nausea

•Move the person to a cool place.

•Apply firm pressure to the cramping muscle.

•Gently stretch the cramped muscle and hold it for 20 seconds followed by gentle massage.

•Have the person drink some cool water.

Heat rash

•Skin irritation that looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters

•Move the person to a cool place.

•Keep the affected area dry.

•Have the person use talcum powder to increase comfort.

Summertime heat can be dangerous for anyone. Some people are at risk of serious health effects – even death –from getting overheated. Here’s what you need to know about the effects of hot weather and what you can do to keep cool.

What can I do during a heat wave?

• Use air conditioning to cool down or go to an air-conditioned building.

• If you don’t have air conditioning in your home, open windows and shades on the shady side and close them on the sunny side to try to cool it down.

• Drink plenty of fluids but avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks.

• Beat the heat with cool showers and baths.

• Take regular breaks from physical activity.

• Avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day (between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.).

• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing to help keep cool.

• Stay out of the sun as much as possible.

• Wear sunscreen and a ventilated hat (e.g., straw or mesh) when in the sun, even if it is cloudy.

• Never leave children, pets or those with special needs in a parked car, even briefly. Temperatures in the car can become dangerous within a few minutes.

• Check on your neighbors, family and friends, especially those who are elderly or have special needs.

Who is most at risk from the heat?

• Older adults

• Young children

• People who are overweight/obese

• People who do not perspire normally

• People with some chronic medical conditions such as history of dehydration, heart problems and respiratory or lung problems

• People who work outdoors or in hot settings

• People who take certain medications that cause sensitivity to the sun or interfere with the body’s ability to sweat and stay cool. Some medicines that affect the body’s cooling system include antihistamines, antidepressants, over-the-counter sleeping pills, anti-diarrhea pills, beta blockers, anti-Parkinson’s drugs and psychiatric drugs. Do not stop taking medication unless instructed to do so by your doctor.

Conserve water and power during heat waves

• Set your thermostat no lower than 78° F.

• Only use air conditioning in rooms that you are occupying.

• Turn off lights and non-essential appliances when they are not in use.

• Only run dishwashers and washing machines when they are full and during hours of low energy demand (between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.).

• Only water your lawn in the early morning or evening hours.

• Store drinking water in the refrigerator (so that you do not have to let the tap run while waiting for it to cool).

• Defrost food in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave (instead of running water to thaw it).

• Take short showers.

• Only fill the tub halfway when bathing.

• Turn off the tap while you are brushing your teeth.

For more information

New York State Department of Health Center for Environmental Health 800-458-1158

health.ny.gov

CDC’s Extreme Heat website www.cdc.gov/extremeheat/

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Aging Initiative epa.gov/

EPA’s Heat Island

National Weather Service’s Heat Index nws.noaa.gov/om/heat/index.shtml

Heat Wave Awareness Project isse.ucar.edu/heat/web.html

NOT OUR FARM TOOLKIT

Written and submitted by Taylor Adam, Beginner Farmer Program Manager

NOT OUR FARM (NOF) is a project and community of farmers who have chosen farming as a career but do not have their own farm business or land.

NOF are farm workers, farm employees, members of farm crews, farm managers, apprentices, and interns.

NOF strives to amplify these voices and work to support and celebrate career farmers working on farms that are not their own.

NOF also seeks to provide visibility to the abuses that can happen in the name of farming. Abuses that happen at operations, no matter the shape, size, or growing practices.

The NOT OUR FARM website, https:// notourfarm.org/, is a place for this community. There are stories, field notes, definitions of dream farms, and resources.

Recently NOT OUR FARM released their new toolkit Farming into the Future by Centering Farmworkers. This

resource is available on their website, https://notourfarm. org/, for free. You can also find some cool stickers they are currently selling to support this community.

Sources:

“10 Energy Saving Tips for Spring.” Energy.gov. Accessed April 16, 2021. https://www.energy.gov/articles/10energy-saving-tips-spring#:~:text=10 Energy Saving Tips for Spring.

CCE Sullivan Spotlights

Staff Spotlight

NANCY MCGRAW

in 202

field, leading

Nancy joined the CCE Sullivan team as the Program Coordinator for the Caregiver Resource Center in July 2023 after retiring from a successful career spanning 23 years of service in the public health field, leading Sullivan County through the COVID-19 pandemic as the Public Health Director. She has extensive experience in community health planning, expanding healthcare services through collaboration, coalition building, developing health improvement initiatives, and grant writing. Nancy worked in outpatient primary care as a clinical social worker for ten years early in her career, helping families access health care, home health and mental health services. She led the Sullivan County Rural Health Network for the past decade, and more recently collaborated with CCE Sullivan to expand the mobile farmer’s market to remote areas of the county to improve access to nutritious food for low income families and seniors.

Nancy holds master’s degrees in public health, business administration and social work, and a bachelor’s in psychology. She has her own consulting business and is also an adjunct clinical professor at Binghamton University, where she will be teaching public health courses in the Fall and Spring. Nancy serves on the board for the NYS Rural Health Association and is a lifetime member of the Allan Milk VFW Auxiliary Post #7276. Married to Kirk for 37 years, she is the proud mother of three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren. She lives in Long Eddy on five wooded acres along the Delaware River with her husband and two hilarious and mischievous miniature horses, Silver and Spirit, and their dog Bennie. She loves animals, nature, music, art, poetry and reading, and loves to crochet blankets for her grandchildren.

Nancy is looking forward to helping to strengthen the services that the Caregiver Resource Center offers by connecting with residents, healthcare providers, community organizations, the Office for the Aging, the NYS Department of Health and the Alzheimer’s Association of the Hudson Valley.

IntegratedPestManagement Program CornellCooperativeExtension

StoptheSpreadofSpottedLanternfly byUsingThisChecklist

Ifyou’vespentanytimeinanareainfestedwithSpottedLanternflyitisimportantto check for egg masses, adults, and nymphs on your vehicle and, when applicable, any itemsyou may be transportinglisted on this page.

Spotted LanternflyHarborages

High Priority

anyplantmaterial:yardwaste, brush,nursery stock

Recreational and CampingGear

backpacks

bar-b-quegrillsandcoversbasketball backboards

boats and trailersbicycles

constructionwastecampers

firewoodincludinglogs&stumpscanopies

landscapetilesandstoneschildren’s playhouses

lawnmowersandmowingdecksice chests

mobilefirepitskiddiepools

motorhomesmotorcycles

outdoorfurnitureandcoversplaygroundequipment

recreationalvehiclessandboxes

Building Materials

OutdoorItems

bricks/cinder blocks backhoes

glass barrels

lumber

cardboard

metal dog houses, rabbit sheds, chicken coops

pipes

farmtractors&equipment

plastic fencing

roofingmaterial

skidsteers/forklifts

toolsandtoolboxes

workbenches

gardencarts

gardentillers

gardentools

plantcontainers

poles and stakes

tarpssnowmobilespropaneoroiltanks

trailerstents

woodencratesandboxes

shutters

signs and posts

storage sheds

trash cans

yarddecorations

Note: Businesses/truckers/common carriers moving items from a quarantine area must completea SpottedLanternfly trainingand obtain apermit.

Bugwood.or g

IfyoufindSpottedLanternflyinNewYork:

1. Takepicturesoftheinsect,eggmasses,orinfestations.

2. Ifpossible,collecttheinsect.Placeinabagandfreeze,orinajarwithrubbingalcoholorhandsanitizer.

3. Notethe location(street address andzip code, intersectingroads, landmarks, orGPScoordinates).

4. Emailpicturesandlocationto spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov, ORfillouttheformat:

5. Formoreinformation,visitthesewebsites:

•NYSIPMSpottedLanternfly: nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-species-exotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/

•ConfirmedSpottedLanternflyLocationsMap: https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-speciesexotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly-range-us/

Bysigningthischecklist,IamconfirmingthatIhaveinspectedmyvehicleandthoseitemsIam movingfromthe SpottedLanternflyquarantinearea,and donotseeany eggmassesorinsects inoronanything Iammoving.

SignatureAddress

DateKeepthis checklistin your vehiclewithyou –use iteach time youneed it.

ThischecklistwasbasedonworkdonebyPennsylvaniaStateUniversityandthe PennsylvaniaDepartmentofAgriculture.

Unlessotherwisenoted,allphotosbyTimWeigle,NYSIPM.AllNYSIPMphotosmaybe usedforeducationalpurposes,withthecreditline:Photo:NYSIPM.

Top Left: Early instar nymph

Left: Late instar nymph

Above: Adult Spotted Lanternfly

Photos: E. Swackhamer, Penn State Extension

Spotted Lanternfly adults covering egg masses

Spotted Lanternfly egg masses deposited on a folding canvas camp chair

August Focus: Fast Facts, Cool Tools, & News to Use

August is Family Fun Month!

From farmers’ markets to festivals and fairs, there’s so much for the whole family to do this month! Check out some of these local and state-wide ongoing events!

Check out one of the biggest events in New York, the State Fair happening August 23rd to September 4th!

Check out the Ulster County fair happening August 1st through 6th in New Paltz!

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS SPEND MORE IN BEER TASTING ROOMS

Written by Jie Li1, Sara M. Wagner, Miguel I. Gómez and Anna Katharine Mansfield Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University and Department of Food Science, Cornell AgriTech

*Corresponding author. Email: jl2522@cornell.edu

In 2020, the brewery industry provided almost 20,000 jobs to New Yorkers and $3.2 billion to the economy (Brewers Association 2022) from approximately 495 operating breweries (New York Craft Beer 2021). This is significant growth compared to an industry with only 207 breweries in 2013 (Insel 2015).

Despite this success and industry growth, most breweries in New York are small and owner-operated and distribute locally if at all. Consequently, these smaller breweries rely heavily on their tasting rooms for revenues and profits. Tasting rooms may sell brews in flights (3–5 oz), pints (16 oz), growlers (64 oz), and six packs to go (72 oz).

This article summarizes the results of the study, “Customer satisfaction and sale performance in New York State brewery tasting rooms” by the authors Jie Li, Sara M. Wagner, Miguel I. Gómez, and Anna Katharine Mansfield. The journal article can be found at: Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (2023), 1–19. doi:10.1017/ age.2022.28.

Previous research conducted on winery tasting rooms, restaurants, and retail stores have consistently shown that those with higher customer satisfaction have higher sales (Gómez et al. 2004; Gupta et al. 2007; Simon et al. 2009). A later study of New York winery tasting rooms associated higher customer satisfaction to a greater likelihood of purchases, unit volumes, and dollar spending (Shapiro

and Gómez 2014). Can we assume the same holds true about brewery tasting rooms? Wineries and breweries that offer tastings might share some similarities, but they also exhibit important differences. Winery tasting rooms tend to offer more luxurious and fancier tasting experiences, attracting more tourists than craft beer tasting rooms, while brewery tasting rooms generally provide a more casual drinking experience, attracting local visitors. Winery tasting room customers vary in genders and age, whereas craft breweries tend to attract more middle-aged males than females. Further, winery tasting rooms operate in their vineyards and are therefore more dependent on their location. In contrast, most breweries do not have this restriction. Considering these factors, it’s important to note that findings regarding customer satisfaction in winery tasting rooms may not fully apply to brewery tasting rooms.

The study:

Twenty-one craft brewery tasting rooms in New York participated in the project, and visitors who sampled or purchased a beer from the tasting rooms were asked

to complete a survey. In the survey, customers answered questions about their:

• overall experience with the tasting room (poor, fair, average, good, excellent),

• experience with customer satisfaction factors, including:

-5 questions about the interior

-3 questions about the quality of the server

-8 questions about the beers and tasting presentations

-5 questions about retail sales, presentation, and variety

-2 questions about the brewery location

• that day’s beer purchases

• general demographics

What were the results?

In the study, higher customer satisfaction levels measured by the “overall experience” increased visitors’ beer purchases, by volume (number of ounces) and value (dollar sales).

The study then looked at the links between the overall customer satisfaction and the factors influencing satisfaction. For ease of analysis, the 23 individual factors were grouped into the following 5 attributes: interior, server, beer tasting, retailing, location. Results show that all 5 attributes

significantly and positively influence the overall customer satisfaction. However, the brewery’s interior and quality of the server influence customer satisfaction the most. Beer tasting execution and the retail experience (which included prices and varieties of beer) were the next greatest influencers of satisfaction, and finally location.

What should a tasting room do with this information?

To improve overall customer satisfaction and ultimately increase sales, managers should strategically allocate resources to the attributes/ factors that matter the most to visitors. Making good quality beers are crucial; however, maintaining a clean bathroom, having nice lighting and pleasant ambience, and having a nice presentation of the beer flight paddle can contribute to improving customer satisfaction and sales. Regularly scheduled training for tasting room staff is also important to improve visitors’ experience. Tasting room staff directly interact with visitors; their demeanor and knowledge level could have a substantial impact on customers who visit tasting rooms. A program that tightly controls customer satisfaction could be a worthwhile investment for brewery tasting room managers. Such a program might

References:

Brewers Association. 2022. Economic Impact. Retrieved from https://www.brewersassociation. org/statistics-and-data/economic-impact-data/ (accessed 24 May 2022).

Gómez, M.I., E.W. McLaughlin, and D.R.Wittink. 2004.“Customer Satisfaction and Retail Sales Performance: An Empirical Investigation.” Journal of Retailing 80(4): 265–278.

Gupta, S., E. McLaughlin, and M.I. Gómez. 2007. “Guest Satisfaction and Restaurant Performance.” Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 48(3): 284–298.

Insel, B. 2015. The Economic Impact of Craft Beer on the New York Economy, 2013. St. Helena, CA: Stonebridge Research Group. Retrieved from https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/ files/ atoms/files/NYCraft_Beer_2013_Impact_ Study_FINAL4.15.15.pdf.

Shapiro, M., and M.I. Gómez. 2014.“Customer Satisfaction and Sales Performance in Wine Tasting Rooms.” International Journal of Wine Business Research 26(1): 45–60.

Simon, D.H., M.I. G´omez, E.W. McLaughlin, and D.R.Wittink. 2009.“Employee Attitudes, Customer Satisfaction, and Sales Performance: Assessing the Linkages in US Grocery Stores.” Managerial and Decision Economics 30(1): 27–41. https://doi. org/10.1002/mde.1433.

“Smart Marketing” is a marketing newsletter for extension publication in local newsletters and for placement in local media. It reviews elements critical to successful marketing in the food and agricultural industry. Please cite or acknowledge when using this material.

include eliciting customer feedback, active complaint management, and the ability to meet and exceed new needs and desires as they arise.

How much activity do I need?

Physical activity can help manage many health problems.

Reduce symptoms of arthritis, Help keep diabetes and high blood pressure under control

Just getting started?

No problem — start slow and do what you can. Even a 5-minute walk has real health Build up to more activity over time.

and help lower your risk of falls.

And all sorts of activities count. Even things you have to do anyway

You can get more active. No matter your age, you can

health.gov/MoveYourWay/Activity-Planner

Move your way.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Submitted

by Sean

Welsh, Energy Senior Resource Educator

Energy Efficiency is a term I have tended to use loosely over the last couple of years. Taking time to define what energy efficiency is important in relation to consumer decision making. Most consumers wish to make smart choices about their homes and buildings to improve comfort, health and safety, and to provide long term cost savings.

according to United States Department of Energy, energy efficiency is the use of less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. This broad definition has a big impact on our day to day lives when we apply it to all aspects of our buildings. Looking at how well insulated and air sealed buildings are can be a great starting point to helping occupants live in a more energy efficient building. HVAC systems, lighting, doors, windows, appliances, computers and more can all be energy efficient. Look for the energy star label to ensure it meets energy efficiency standards. Meeting the energy star label standards will often be associated with costs savings, but also give the consumer additional

information about the product.

Energy Efficiency can have a big impact on communities whose energy burden is higher as well. Low-income communities facing other environmental impacts like high air pollution rates, often face a higher energy burden. An energy burden is the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs. Energy efficiency implementation strategies can help lessen the household energy burden. The crossroads of energy efficiency and building science implemented by energy efficiency contractors can have multiple other effects, like cleaning up and ensuring the indoor air quality in the home is at its highest standard. Energy efficiency contractors also look for other health and safety concerns around the home, like gas leaks and combustion appliance safety. Reach out to Sean Welsh at sw288@cornell. edu or call 845 292-6180 ext. 127 to discuss an energy audit program that may be right for your home or other buildings.

Energy Efficiency can be an ongoing battle in buildings. A building in need of retrofit

work is a chance to upgrade for energy efficiency, alongside building retrofit improvements, and can present an opportunity for building owners. Ongoing building maintenance also presents an opportunity for occupants to continue to address and improve the efficiency of their buildings. As appliances fail over time, and technology advancements continually improve, new energy efficient technologies offer consumers many choices. Ensuring you are purchasing correctly for each application will come down to the specifications on the label for each.

To learn more about the energy efficiency home improvement tax credit, please visit the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit webpage on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website at: https:// www.irs.gov/creditsdeductions/energy-efficienthome-improvement-credit.

Sources:

“Credits for Energy Efficient Home Improvements.” retrieved on 7.19.23. www.irs.gov/creditsdeductions/energy-efficient-home-improvementcredit retrieved on 7.19.23.

“Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Industry.” retrieved on 7.19.23. www.energy.gov/eere/ energy-efficiency-buildings-and-industry.

IT’S ALMOST FAIR TIME!

By Barbara Moran, 4-H Youth Development Program Manager

The countdown is on for the Sullivan County Youth Fair, to be held August 18-20, 2023, at the Grahamsville Little World’s Fair! The backbone of any fair is the exhibits. It’s a great reason to attend the fair to see all the animal science, horticulture, floriculture, honey, agronomic crops, photography, arts, crafts… the list goes on. All these exhibits are entered by youth from across Sullivan County. The Youth Fair also offers a live auction featuring items raised or produced by youth participants. Please consider making your way to the fair to support the hard work of our Sullivan County kids!

DHI Report: June

HOW TO MEASURE INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE

Written by by Lauren Romansky, Mia Garrod, Katie Brown, and Kartik Deo

Submitted by Erin Denman, Association Operations Coordinator, and Malinda Ware, Program Director

Summary:

In an era where companies are paying more and more attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), inclusion remains the most difficult metric to track. From new research, Gartner developed the Gartner Inclusion Index to measure what true inclusion looks like across an organization. The authors outline how to use the Gartner Inclusion Index to measure employee perceptions of inclusion, what effective action looks like from leaders, and common pitfalls to avoid.

to a growing number of stakeholders.

More than 1,600 CEOs have signed onto the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge, and 40% of companies discussed diversity and inclusion in their Q2 2020 earnings calls versus only 4% the same quarter a year prior. According to Gartner research, the number of HR leaders identifying DEI efforts as a top priority was 1.8 times higher in 2020 than in 2019. Gartner analysis reveals an almost 800% increase in job postings for dedicated diversity recruiters.

There’s no doubt that companies will continue to devote more attention and resources to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Unfortunately, many organizations still struggle to measure the impact of their strategies and communicate that impact

While a recent Gartner survey reveals DEI leaders indicated that “setting goals and tracking DEI progress through metrics” was one of their two top priorities for 2021, measuring workforce representation is a challenge unto itself, particularly for global organizations that need to manage selfidentification and define their underrepresented talent segments across geographies. Even once you have that demographic information, it’s hard to know what mark you’re trying to hit: What does “good” look like, in terms of representation?

But inclusion, and a work environment where all people feel respected, accepted, supported and valued, allowing all employees to fully participate in decisionmaking processes and development opportunities within an organization, is even more of a challenge to measure. Most leaders understand that it is inclusion that unlocks the potential in a diverse workforce. But although organizations have found ways to successfully measure and track diversity, they haven’t been able to do the same for inclusion. This shortcoming has obstructed efforts to develop a unified and coherent metric that tracks overall DEI progress over time. To effectively track inclusion, organizations must measure employee sentiment with a considered definition of inclusion, ensuring the organization can act fast on the results. New Gartner research outlines how to put numbers to the concept, what meaningful action looks like from leaders, and potential pitfalls to avoid in the process.

Capturing Employee Perceptions of Inclusion

In today’s uncertain and

rapidly changing work environment, employee feedback is an important input to any talent decision. As employees react to disruptions at work, at home, and in the world around them, feelings and opinions can change faster than an annual engagement survey can detect. Many organizations are still navigating a relatively new hybrid work environment as well.

Employee feedback is also the most useful data source for measuring inclusion, especially when leaders can use a “pulse,” a quick survey, to check in with employees without adding to distractions. The challenge, however, is in first establishing the right metrics and then asking the right questions.

Gartner set out to address this challenge by building a model of inclusion based on qualitative interviews with more than 30 DEI executives and an extensive review of the academic literature and existing indices. This research identified seven key dimensions of inclusion: fair treatment, integrating differences, decisionmaking, psychological safety, trust, belonging, and diversity.

We then conducted a

survey of nearly 10,000 employees around the world, asking them to rate their level of agreement with 45 statements related to these seven elements, and distilled the responses to determine the one statement for each element that best represents that element of inclusion. This analysis allows organizations to confidently ask just seven questions to get a holistic view of inclusion from their workforce. These are the statements that form the basis of the Gartner Inclusion Index:

• Fair treatment: Employees at my organization who help the organization achieve its strategic objectives are rewarded and recognized fairly.

• Integrating differences: Employees at my organization respect and value each other’s opinions.

• Decision making: Members of my team fairly consider ideas and suggestions offered by other team members.

• Psychological safety: I feel welcome to express my true feelings at work.

• Trust: Communication we receive from the organization is honest and open.

• Belonging: People in my

organization care about me.

• Diversity: Managers at my organization are as diverse as the broader workforce.

To put it simply: The greater the degree to which employees agree with these statements, the more inclusive the organization.

The Gartner Inclusion Index utilizes a broad and multi-faceted definition of inclusion and addresses the related concept of diversity by devoting one category to employee perceptions of representation. While diversity and inclusion are distinct concept — and can be powerful on their own — only when combined can organizations achieve desired outcomes. By including diversity in the index, organizations can take action by understanding how employees perceive diversity alongside the other facets of inclusion.

With these survey results, leaders can create a baseline measure of employee perceptions and look for pockets of inconsistency, both in variability within teams or more broadly between parts of the organization. They can also look at how demographics within their

own workforce compare. While it’s always good news to have more positive perceptions, measuring consistency is also critical to determine whether the organization is inclusive throughout, or whether there are pockets of toxicity and exclusion hiding in the averages.

Taking Action

In addition to serving as an overall metric to report to stakeholders and set a baseline, pulse surveys help organizations take action on the results to bolster inclusion, starting with employees’ day-to-day experiences, or inclusion “in context.” While there may be takeaways for people processes or the organization as a whole, at the leader and business unit level, meaningful action often looks like the following:

Listening: Armed with this data, leaders can conduct listening sessions or focus groups with subsets of employees to understand the differences in talent processes, leadership, and culture among high-scoring and low-scoring parts of the organization. Then they can confidently craft a plan for change and use the Gartner Inclusion Index again to measure success.

Self-reflection: Leaders should consider their own management style and approach, looking for ways to demonstrate behaviors known to increase inclusion, such as supporting team growth, managing the team’s networks, fostering team accountability, effectively resolving team conflict, and displaying interpersonal integrity.

Vigilance: Business unit leaders have an opportunity to alter the employee experience at scale beyond their teams. For instance, leaders may implement mechanisms to report exclusionary behaviors as they happen. Leaders are also well-positioned to spot microaggressions (within a team or across the organization) or cultural violations, and bear responsibility to do so.

Process changes: Additionally, leaders can influence HR to ensure processes such as recruiting, performance, and succession are regularly audited for equity.

Potential Pitfalls

While employee sentiment is hugely important to advancing inclusion, the exercise of

collecting and acting on it has its own challenges. We see organizations struggle with these common pitfalls: Taking too much time to get to an action plan. If leaders receive results several weeks or months after the survey, then report back action plans months after that, the timeline becomes too long to be helpful. Gartner advises using a shorter, just-in-time pulse approach. HR leaders can create a sample report in advance and use it to train their partners in different regions and/or business units on how to interpret and present the results.

Assuming results will fully guide an action plan. Utilizing a framework, like the Gartner Inclusion Index, can provide some hugely helpful insights and serve as a benchmark across time. However, there will be other inputs to the process. First, leaders should spend time interviewing areas of the organization that scored relatively well, not just hotspots. These areas may have suggestions for further improvement as well. Also, before the survey, leadership teams may have already spotted challenges, for instance, consistent conflict resolution. Efforts against that challenge should certainly be a part of

the inclusion action plan as well.

Neglecting to share the actions taken as a result of employee surveys. Employees want to know their opinions lead to real change in their organizations. To that end, leaders must create a plan to communicate aggregated survey results and intended next actions following a survey. When employees see firsthand the impact the survey has had, they will be more likely to share their honest opinion in the future.

Gartner research shows organizations that confidently measure DEI,

create accountability, and embed inclusion into talent decisions and processes report up to 20% more organizational inclusion compared to their peers without those approaches.

So many decisions about how to manage teams and talent processes are in flux right now, changing to accommodate a hybrid workforce or new business approaches emerging in a post-pandemic environment. While tackling these challenges, leaders must ensure measuring and managing inclusion stay on the to-do list as well.

Adapted from:

Shuman, Eric, Eric Knowles, and Amit Goldenberg. “To Overcome Resistance to Dei, Understand What’s Driving It.” Harvard Business Review, March 1, 2023. https://hbr.org/2023/03/to-overcomeresistance-to-dei-understand-whatsdriving-it.

Photo by HBR Staff/BigJoker/Unsplash/Getty Images

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