Stories

Cow and calf.

Heat stress for cattle may cost billions by century’s end

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 third platinum sustainability rating

For three years in a row, 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

Rachel Bezner Kerr in Malawi.

Cornell’s UN climate author warns of ‘rapidly closing window’

In a global cautionary tale, the UN’s IPCC has a new climate change report written by Cornell’s Rachel Bezner Kerr and 270 others, to pull our planet from dire environmental ruin.
Seagrass at low tide sith a label: do not remove.

AI tool could help plan NYS’s transition to clean electrical power

Cornell engineers have developed a new tool by combining machine learning and optimization modeling to provide hour-by-hour analysis of New York’s energy needs.
Mannequin bodies.

New 3D body-mapping tech helps consumers, the environment

The technology, developed in the Department of Human Centered Design, aims to improve the fit and design of clothing and increase the sustainability of online shopping.
Recycling trash.

Engineers propose greener recycling for medical PPE waste

Forget incineration or landfills. To resolve the increasing, never-ending waste stream of medical PPE as a result of the pandemic, Cornell engineers suggest recycling via pyrolysis.

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.