Stories

Solar panels on a campus building roof.

Cornell earns STARS platinum sustainability rating

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.

Commitment to Sustainability

Research and engagement

A dypiction of earth source heat on Cornell Campus.

$7.2M grant funds research into Earth Source Heat

Cornell has secured a U.S. DOE grant for exploratory research into the feasibility of using a novel geothermal energy system to heat its campus buildings.
Farm equipment.

Report fosters ag industry climate-change tracking

Cornell’s Art DeGaetano co-authored a USDA report to help the nation’s farmers and commercial agricultural managers reduce risk in the face of climate change.
Herpetologist Harry Greene visits a longhorn.

Harry Greene and the rewilding of Rancho Cascabel

Two professors have an unexpected opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic to restore the diverse, biological richness of their newly purchased land in Texas.
A solar cell made with perovskite.

Perovskite mineral supports solar-energy sustainability

When it comes to the future of solar energy cells, say farewell to silicon, and hello to calcium titanium oxide – the compound mineral better known as perovskite.

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

Oliver Gao examines transportation systems, food supply chains and their impacts on air quality and climate change.

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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.