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 has earned a a second platinum sustainability rating – the highest possible– from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Cornell is the only Ivy league institution to have achieved a platinum rating, and one of just two in the world to have achieved the accolade twice. 
 

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 - 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.

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

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.

The full residential compost program will continue at Cornell after amendments and cessation to the program during COVID-19.  The initiative is seeking volunteers to help reduce waste and encourage composting education in residential communities.

After a successful pilot in one large administrative building on campus cut landfill waste from offices by half, new "trash mini-bins" have been rolled out to staff offices across Cornell in a bid to reduce waste and increase recycling as part of sustainable campus behavior.

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.