News

After a long golden rein.... 

The Guterman Research Center now joins the Nevin Welcome Center at Cornell Botanic Gardens and the Combined Heat and Power Plant as the only sites of solar thermal systems on the Ithaca campus.

 Cornell University celebrates all things sustainability during the entire month of April.  This year, join a new Green Room Certification pilot, become a Residential Composter, attend a virtual student sustainability leadership conference, and more.

The Residential Sustainability Leaders are launching a Green Room Certification pilot this Spring. Help us test the certification - and make your living space more sustainable - by being one of the first to sign up. 

Join Cornell in participating in the 5th annual International Laboratory Freezer Challenge. Participating labs will compete against fellow Cornell labs as well as laboratories around the world as they are guided in implementing best practices in cold storage management to achieve greater energy efficiency, sample integrity, and sample access.

What was the impact on campus energy use from reduced on-campus student presence and workforce, and changed operations, during the 2020 COVID pandemic?  Diving into data from the campus energy dashboard, a decline in energy consumption was offset by increased air handled and ventilation in campus buildings. 

Now through Earth Day purchase a reusable takeout container and utensil set for just $5 at one of eight Cornell Dining locations.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has released its 2020 Sustainable Campus Index.  See how Cornell compares as one of the top-ranked institutions in the nation for comprehensive sustainability efforts.

Carolyn Finney, author of “Black Faces White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors,” and scholar-in-residence at the Franklin Environmental Center at Middlebury College, will give a lecture about her nationally recognized work to increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to inform and determine policy and action on environmental issues. It is offered in partnership with Ithaca Children’s Garden, The Learning Farm, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and takes place virtually on Thursday, February 25, 2021, at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public on Zoom; pre-registration required.

Sludge, slag and other waste produced by the steel industry are not only hazardous to the environment, but can be expensive for companies to discard. A new research project led by Cornell will seek an integrated approach to turning that waste into valuable materials using a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.