Sustainability Teams (commonly referred to as Green Teams) have doubled on campus in the last year thanks to efforts by staff to create a culture of sustainability across various colleges & units.

New teams have been launched at The Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Office of the Judicial Administrator.  
The new teams have been hard at work. Team leaders at the Big Red Barn were recognized earlier this year for innovative implementation of new sustainability programs, including a “Bring Your Own Mug” initiative and introducing composting efforts that saved ~5lbs of food waste/week.   The Office of the Judicial Administrator implemented a program to eliminate paper use in their office, which relied heavily on printed documentation until the team began to explore more sustainable, digital options. 

Existing teams on campus include the College of Human Ecology, Facilities and Campus Services, the College of Veterinary Medicine, Human Resources, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Cornell Tech. To learn how to create or join a Sustainability Team visit our Sustainability Teams page. 

Individuals can also join the Sustainability Leaders Network, an open listserv, and group for small groups or individual staff on campus who want to make a difference but do not yet have a Sustainability Team where they work.  This listserv is intended for staff to share ideas and announcements with one another.

The Campus Sustainability Office held the first-ever Green Teams Summit last fall, to bring together teams and individuals working on sustainability culture change.  This event helped some of the new teams coalesce efforts and launch.  The Sustainability Office will be hosting this as an annual event moving forward.

Alumni Affairs and Development is also working on creating a team, which staff hope to launch in Spring 2020.