Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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.


Waste not: Student aims to get more out of manure

Ph.D. student Leliah Krounb is studying how to turn human waste into soil nutrients in Kenya by using pyrolysis – thermal combustion in the absence of oxygen.

Hiring people with disabilities benefits 'green' industries

New research from the ILR School's Employment and Disability Institute finds that "green" industries benefit by hiring people with disabilities.

Big Apple's only hydroponic student lab showcased

National 4-H Council president and CEO Jennifer Sirangelo was hosted by Cornell University Cooperative Extension-New York City Jan. 27 in a tour of the Food and Finance High School's Hydroponics, Aquaculture, Aquaponics Learning Labs.

Study: Food hubs' support for local economy is mixed

A three-year study by Cornell researchers suggests that growth in local farm aggregation and distribution businesses may provide economic benefits to local communities, but that some other businesses may suffer.

Climate change's heat - not cold - is the real killer

Chill with impunity through this winter’s extreme cold – and brace for the next summer heat wave, when fiery temperatures and air pollution conspire to fill hospitals and morgues.

Thermostat setbacks over holiday lead to fiscal bonus

By turning down temperatures and unplugging electric devices over the holidays, the Cornell campus combined to save 1,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide from getting pumped into the atmosphere.

U.N. report sounds alarm on farming land-use crisis

To feed the world’s burgeoning population while saving it from exhausting natural land resources, the United Nations issued a report on global land use.

Dining scraps could power sewage plant

Methane from biodigested food scraps could power Ithaca's wastewater treatment facility, Cornell sustainability students predict.

Cook stove designs aid developing nations

A contest held by the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise produced innovative, multi-fuel cookers for the developing world.