Implementing sustainable practices at Cornell's thousands of annual events can help reduce the impacts of food, waste, transportation, and more. If your organization is planning an upcoming event, you can take simple steps to make it more sustainable.

Check out our new & improved Sustainable Events Certification to learn how you can:

• Schedule a free consultation with the Campus Sustainability Office to help make any event, big or small, more sustainable 
• Find helpful strategies for making common-sense changes to your events
• Check out our new sustainability guide to preferred caterers
• Certify your upcoming event as sustainable, then add our Cornell Sustainable Event Certified logo directly to your advertisements

Cornell's Service Centers continue to process high volumes of packages. If you live on campus, we encourage you to rethink how you are shopping for and shipping items. Simple changes can make a big impact, and help reduce packaging waste, carbon emissions, and headaches, like long wait times when picking up packages.

Ship smarter & reduce your package deliveries

• Check if essential items are available locally. Many stores and pharmacies offer same-day delivery services, in-store and curbside pickups, or are conveniently located on TCAT bus routes. 
• Choose to group shipments together to reduce the number of packages you receive. You can often consolidate package shipments with one click and still receive them within the same week. 
• Properly dispose of your boxes and packaging materials (or reuse them). Cardboard boxes should always be flattened and recycled on campus, ideally within your residential community's loading dock, trash room, or recycling dumpster. See Cornell's Recycling Rules guide for what materials go into the landfill, recycling, and compost in Tompkins County.
• Of course, you can always rethink some of your purchases from the beginning. Use what you already have, repair and share items, visit Ezra's Exchange, get thrifty in Ithaca, or swap items with other Cornell students.

Mini-bins have rolled out in offices across Cornell to help reduce overall waste and increase recycling rates on campus. In the new waste initiative, employees manage their own recycling and mini-landfill bins, emptying them into central kitchen or shared office waste stations. Consistent with national studies, Cornell's pilot programs demonstrated an overall waste reduction of 39% with significant improvements to waste sorting. 

Maximize the use of your mini-bin

• Attach your mini-bin on the inside or outside of your recycling bin
• Practice recycling. Apart from personal meals, most office waste is recyclable. Take a few minutes to relearn what can be recycled at Cornell, and fill up your recycling bin instead of your trash can.
• Check out the wide-ranging benefits of mini bins, including positive impacts on building care, reduced use of plastic bin liners, and mindful waste disposal

Cornell Dining offers Reusable Takeout Containers to enable students and employees to reduce single-use disposable containers while taking food to go. Containers are free for every student who has a meal plan with swipes.

Getting started

• Pick up your first reusable container at one of Cornell's Dining Rooms by simply asking the door-checker for one. If you have a meal plan with meal swipes, it's free! If not, you can buy into the program for a one-time fee of $7.50 using a credit card, Cornell Card, BRBs, or MealChoice. (Note: Containers are not available and cannot be used at Risley & 104West!) 
• Once you have a container, you are part of the program! Simply use your container to take out food, then return it to any participating dining room whenever it's convenient for you. Upon return, you can decide whether to exchange it for a freshly sanitized container or "check it in" so you can check out another one in the future. Then the cycle of reuse continues!
• No time to clean your container? No problem! Bring back your container as is, food residue and all. Cornell Dining's industrial dishwashers will clean and sanitize each container for you. 
• Pro tip: Cornell Dining is currently offering free reusable utensil sets too. Simply ask the door-checker for a set, then keep them handy. You can use them anywhere on campus, including dining rooms. Use them, clean them, keep them in your bag, and then repeat.
   

Resources to connect with sustainable waste at Cornell

Host or Tag Your Beyond Waste Event 

Any individual, team, or organization can host a Beyond Waste event that connects sustainability, waste, and life-cycle issues to our campus impact. 

Beyond Waste efforts are not limited to “green groups.” No matter your major, discipline, or job title, your creativity and efforts are crucial to helping us all imagine a campus that reduces waste, and eventually moves beyond waste.  Here's how to include your event in the campaign:

1. Create an event in the Cornell events calendar. You must use a Cornell NetID. Events must follow all current University guidelines and safety procedures.

2. Enter your event details, partners, and contact information.

3. Tag “Sustainability” under Departments

4. Tag Sustainability as a University Focus Area 

5. Use #beyondwaste” as an event Hashtag

Events should be hosted during the campaign timeframe but opportunities a few days before or after these dates may also be included. Contact our event organizers for support. Contact information is listed at the bottom of this webpage.