News

Campus Sustainability News

News on campus sustainability initiatives, emerging programs, rankings, awards, student initiatives, green teams, and more from across the Cornell University campus.

Displaying 11 - 20 of 79
Drilling site

Visit the borehole site on Tuesdays, from noon to 1pm, when staff and faculty will be available to learn more about Earth Source Heat.

Student reading beneath Cornell archway

Cornell undergraduate Alexandra Gray `22 created a piece for Medium.com on how Cornell students can take small actions, with big impact, to celebrate Earth Day in 2022. 

Student walking across campus with snow on buildings

Cornell's annual Energy Smackdown and Winter Setback programs saved the campus energy and money in December of 2021, and encouraged campus community members to understand and engage in energy-reducing behaviors that reduce the use of fossil fuels.

A group gathers next to Beebe Lake to celebrate the hydroplant relicensing

Cornell’s oldest renewable energy system – the campus hydroelectric plant located on Beebe Lake - has been approved for another forty years of clean energy production after a successful five year recertification process.

Cornell seal

In response to increased climate disasters — tropical storms, sea-level rise, drought, wildfires, and other events — major climate adaptation projects around the world are producing inequitable land use plans and projects in urban regions, according to Linda Shi, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning. 

Energy Smackdown

Energy Smackdown - the annual energy saving competition- begins December 1st.  This year, students will face off against faculty & staff and the Campus Sustainability Office has launched a new Campus Energy Reduction Grant of up to $1,000.

Earth Source Heat open house

The first important step is drilling this exploration well to confirm the technical viability and ensure the safe operation of the system.

The solar arrays on Ganędagǫ: Hall and Toni Morrison Hall

Students living in the newly opened residence buildings – Toni Morrison Hall and Ganędagǫ: Hall – know of the buildings’ rooftop solar panels. But if the windows and walls could talk, they would be fluent in the language of sustainability.

""

Cornell is joining with the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca to form a campus-regional partnership committed to promoting efficient, innovative and accessible energy, and reach carbon neutrality, community-wide, by the early 2030s.

Bar graph from 2008 to 2020 showing annual greenhousegas emissions for Cornell.  The 2020 inventory shows a 50% reduction in overall emissions, but notes that some reduction is likely due to COVID operations disruption.

The FY2020 greenhouse gas inventory shows a significant reduction in campus emissions, but some changes can be attributed to disrupted operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.