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Local Activist Receives Climate Leaders Award
Steeped in the waters of the Finger Lakes, and raised among their rolling hills, Yvonne Taylor knows just how precious the nature that surrounds her is. For her commitment to keeping titans of industry from changing that, she’s now been recognized as one of the most influential climate leaders in the country.
Taylor, the co-founder and vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian, was recently named to Grist’s List of National Climate Leaders, one of the most prominent environmental awards in the country.
Taylor was introduced to environmental advocacy during the anti-fracking movement, which led to New York State passing a moratorium to ban fracking in 2010. Seneca Lake Guardian was formed that same year in response to a proposed gas storage and transport hub in the Finger Lakes, which they were also instrumental in halting.
The storage facility was slated to be built across the lake from her family’s property, where she one day hopes to build a home.
“It was at that moment that I realized that you shouldn’t look for someone else to do what you know is right,” she said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. “You should do it yourself.”
After that, Seneca Lake Guardian also successfully opposed a proposed garbage incinerator facility in the town of Romulus, between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, Taylor said.
Most recently, Taylor and Seneca Lake Guardian have taken up opposition against cryptocurrency mining in the region. Over on Seneca Lake, the Greenidge Generation facility, a previously mothballed gas-fired power plant, was revived in order to fuel a cryptocurrency mining facility on site.
Grist noted that “it has been an uphill battle,” but with support from State Assemblyperson Anna Kelles, the group successfully pushed for a two-year moratorium on refiring fossil fuel power plants for cryptocurrency mining in 2022. The group also led the fight to get Greenidge’s air permit denied by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
Despite their efforts, the plant has continued to operate.
In 2022, Taylor also launched the National Coalition Against Cryptomining. The coalition is now helping 22 states across the country fight the development of data centers in their local communities.
The volatility in the cryptocurrency industry has forced companies involved in data center development to switch gears and use the existing infrastructure to develop artificial intelligence (AI). Similar to cryptocurrency mining facilities, AI data centers require massive amounts of energy and, usually, large sources of water to cool down their computers.
Taylor said the recent proposal to redevelop the Milliken Station power plant in Lansing into an AI data center is “a horrible idea.” She compared the situation at this site to what happened in Seneca Lake when the plan to redevelop Greenidge into a cryptocurrency mining facility was first proposed.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, Taylor attended the Clinton Global Initiative as part of New York Climate week to receive her award.
Other recipients of the recognition include Dan Zhu, the chief resilience officer for the City of Gainesville, Florida, Bonnetta Adeeb, a retired school teacher sowing the seeds of food sovereignty, and Nadezna Ortega, who’s helping Filipino immigrants in Hawaii recover from the deadly wildfires that burned through Maui in 2023.
“As a person who’s concerned about climate and the environment, you’re mired down in the negativity and all of the dire threats, and it seems so overwhelming,” Taylor said. “Well, here at this Clinton Global Initiative, I have been nothing but uplifted, inspired and motivated to continue to be committed, to continue to inspire others and to deliver on the goals that are so important to us.”
- Fernando Figueroa, Ithaca Voice9/30/25
Steeped in the waters of the Finger Lakes, and raised among their rolling hills, Yvonne Taylor knows just how precious the nature that surrounds her is. For her commitment to keeping titans of industry from changing that, she’s now been recognized as one of the most influential climate leaders in the country.
Taylor, the co-founder and vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian, was recently named to Grist’s List of National Climate Leaders, one of the most prominent environmental awards in the country.
Taylor was introduced to environmental advocacy during the anti-fracking movement, which led to New York State passing a moratorium to ban fracking in 2010. Seneca Lake Guardian was formed that same year in response to a proposed gas storage and transport hub in the Finger Lakes, which they were also instrumental in halting.
The storage facility was slated to be built across the lake from her family’s property, where she one day hopes to build a home.
“It was at that moment that I realized that you shouldn’t look for someone else to do what you know is right,” she said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. “You should do it yourself.”
After that, Seneca Lake Guardian also successfully opposed a proposed garbage incinerator facility in the town of Romulus, between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, Taylor said.
Most recently, Taylor and Seneca Lake Guardian have taken up opposition against cryptocurrency mining in the region. Over on Seneca Lake, the Greenidge Generation facility, a previously mothballed gas-fired power plant, was revived in order to fuel a cryptocurrency mining facility on site.
Grist noted that “it has been an uphill battle,” but with support from State Assemblyperson Anna Kelles, the group successfully pushed for a two-year moratorium on refiring fossil fuel power plants for cryptocurrency mining in 2022. The group also led the fight to get Greenidge’s air permit denied by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
Despite their efforts, the plant has continued to operate.
In 2022, Taylor also launched the National Coalition Against Cryptomining. The coalition is now helping 22 states across the country fight the development of data centers in their local communities.
The volatility in the cryptocurrency industry has forced companies involved in data center development to switch gears and use the existing infrastructure to develop artificial intelligence (AI). Similar to cryptocurrency mining facilities, AI data centers require massive amounts of energy and, usually, large sources of water to cool down their computers.
Taylor said the recent proposal to redevelop the Milliken Station power plant in Lansing into an AI data center is “a horrible idea.” She compared the situation at this site to what happened in Seneca Lake when the plan to redevelop Greenidge into a cryptocurrency mining facility was first proposed.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, Taylor attended the Clinton Global Initiative as part of New York Climate week to receive her award.
Other recipients of the recognition include Dan Zhu, the chief resilience officer for the City of Gainesville, Florida, Bonnetta Adeeb, a retired school teacher sowing the seeds of food sovereignty, and Nadezna Ortega, who’s helping Filipino immigrants in Hawaii recover from the deadly wildfires that burned through Maui in 2023.
“As a person who’s concerned about climate and the environment, you’re mired down in the negativity and all of the dire threats, and it seems so overwhelming,” Taylor said. “Well, here at this Clinton Global Initiative, I have been nothing but uplifted, inspired and motivated to continue to be committed, to continue to inspire others and to deliver on the goals that are so important to us.”
- Fernando Figueroa, Ithaca Voice9/30/25
News and Events
Free Energy Workshop on Nov. 4
Join Community Energy Advisors from Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County for a free workshop about home energy efficiency.
Take home a free home energy kit and learn DIY ways to save energy and money in your home! Find out about grants and rebates for home weatherization, heat pumps, and solar. Our CEAs will be available to answer your energy questions.
For more information about the Smart Energy Choices program or to speak with a Community Energy Advisor (CEA) visit SmartEnergyChoices.org.
When: Tuesday, November 4, 6-7:30 pm
Where: Groton Public Library, 112 E. Cortland St, Groton, NY 13073
Please register for this free event here.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, December 12, 2025
9:00 - 11:00 am
The monthly TCCPI meetings have moved online. For Zoom info, contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.
If you have any issues you would like to bring to the TCCPI monthly meetings, please e-mail us at info@tccpi.org. General meetings are on the last Friday of every month, except for November and December. Because of the holidays, the November-December meeting is held on the second Friday of December.
The Ithaca 2030 District
Visit TCCPI's latest project, the Ithaca 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private collaboration working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in Downtown Ithaca.
Join Community Energy Advisors from Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County for a free workshop about home energy efficiency.
Take home a free home energy kit and learn DIY ways to save energy and money in your home! Find out about grants and rebates for home weatherization, heat pumps, and solar. Our CEAs will be available to answer your energy questions.
For more information about the Smart Energy Choices program or to speak with a Community Energy Advisor (CEA) visit SmartEnergyChoices.org.
When: Tuesday, November 4, 6-7:30 pm
Where: Groton Public Library, 112 E. Cortland St, Groton, NY 13073
Please register for this free event here.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, December 12, 2025
9:00 - 11:00 am
The monthly TCCPI meetings have moved online. For Zoom info, contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.
If you have any issues you would like to bring to the TCCPI monthly meetings, please e-mail us at info@tccpi.org. General meetings are on the last Friday of every month, except for November and December. Because of the holidays, the November-December meeting is held on the second Friday of December.
The Ithaca 2030 District
Visit TCCPI's latest project, the Ithaca 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private collaboration working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in Downtown Ithaca.
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