Cornell completed its 12th year of pursuing carbon neutrality and has published a greenhouse gas inventory showing carbon emissions have dropped by 36% from the 2008 baseline set as part of Cornell’s participation in the Second Nature Carbon Commitment. As detailed in the full greenhouse gas inventory, the Ithaca campus released 203,001 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) in 2019, compared to 318,624 MTCO2e 12 years prior. 

On Monday, September 21, the Campus Sustainability Office released its first-ever interactive annual sustainability report.
The annual report design process began with an intention to capture STARS Plantinum and make the 1,000s of metric points available in the full STARS report more accessible to the campus community and public by creating an engaging, interactive, data-driven online report. Here is a list of takeaways from the creation of the report, as compiled by the Sustainability Office's summer fellow.

Four Cornellians have been appointed to three climate advisory panels that will inform the New York State Climate Action Council – a task force established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo – to guide the state and draft a plan toward a zero-carbon economy by the middle of this century.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant for Cornell researchers to study the health dangers, changes in the lake food web, and socioeconomic challenges that arise when algal blooms produce toxins.

The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.5 million to Cornell engineers and researchers to help them bridge New York’s digital divide by designing the nation’s first statewide Internet of Things public infrastructure.

Designed and created by CUSD’s Solarize team, the solar power-generating trailer will help Cornell reduce carbon emissions while raising awareness of Cornell’s environmental initiatives, aimed at helping the campus achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.  

Greek Life, already, is unsustainable environmentally. Overuse of plastics and metal cans combined with poor recycling practices is disastrous for sustainability. And COVID-19 isn’t making these problems any easier to solve.

After identifying student climate literacy as a key metric to advance in it's first year, the Sustainable Cornell Council’s Education & Engagement Committee wrote, developed, and implemented Cornell’s first climate literacy module for incoming students this Fall.  

Cornell University will host the 10th annual State of NY Sustainability Conference this December as part of membership in the New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE).

This year's sustainability events for First Year Students include a campus-wide sustainability scavenger hunt, tour of campus operations sustainability, and a chance to connect with staff and student sustainability leaders.