Stories

Members of the CROPPS team.

$25M center will use digital tools to ‘communicate’ with plants

Cornell is a global leader in sustainability and climate change research, teaching and engagement. Our campuses are living laboratories for developing, testing and implementing solutions that address these most challenging issues.

STARS platinum rating

Cornell earns STARS platinum sustainability rating

Cornell has earned a platinum sustainability rating—the top status—from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the international group that tracks environmental stewardship for more than 1,000 college campuses.

Commitment to Sustainability

Research and engagement

Central campus in fall.

Regional partnership supports UN sustainability program

Through the Finger Lakes Energy Compact, Cornell is joining with the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca in a partnership committed to promoting efficient and accessible energy, and reach carbon neutrality, community-wide, by the early 2030s.
Plastic waste.

Research guides future of plastic waste chemical recycling

New research from the College of Engineering aims to ease the process of chemical recycling – an emerging industry that could turn waste products back into natural resources.
Cornell doctoral student Olivia Graham examines a seagrass meadow at low tide.

NSF grants $2.5M for seagrass, marine ecosystem research

Cornell-led scientists aim to resolve a wasting disease afflicting seagrass – the ocean’s critical first line of coastal filters.
A honey bee on a flower.

eBird data can help track bee health

A two-year, $500,000 grant will allow a team of Cornell data scientists and ecologists to use eBird data to explore a new way to track pollinator health and biodiversity.

Thought Leaders in Sustainability

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Jefferson Tester studies sustainable energy systems, with a focus on geothermal and biomass energy research.

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CONSERVATION OUTREACH

Amanda Rodewald works to generate, apply and communicate science that advances ecological understanding.

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

John Tobin is an expert on environmental and energy economics and corporate sustainability.

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CITY & REGIONAL PLANNING

Mildred Warner is an expert on how to promote environmental sustainability at the local level.

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SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Fengqi You focuses on developing models and tools for smart manufacturing, digital agriculture, energy systems and sustainability.

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MARINE ECOLOGY

Drew Harvell studies the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the impacts of climate and ocean change.

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ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Max Zhang studies sustainable energy systems and the effects of nanoparticle pollution on air quality and climate change.

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WILDLIFE HEALTH AND POLICY

Steven Osofsky directs the Wildlife Health Cornell Center of Excellence, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to wildlife health.

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Earth and Atmospheric Science

Natalie Mahowald examines feedbacks in the earth system that impact climate change, such as desert dust and the carbon cycle.

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For more thought leaders in sustainability, contact:

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Our campuses are living laboratories for sustainability and climate change research.