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.


Ready to plant: ‘Iron Lady’ tomato punches out blights

Iron Lady tomatoes developed by Cornell breeders are the first variety of tomato to provide resistance to three fungal diseases.

Cornell earns second consecutive gold STARS rating

For the second consecutive year, Cornell has earned a gold rating from STARS, higher education's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System.

Wood’s Earth digs deep to bring local foods to schools

A collaborative approach and a 2.5-acre field in Ithaca, with a drip irrigation system and a black-locust deer fence, are at the heart of Wood’s Earth’s four programs.

Female farmers are growing in importance in global development

Commemorating International Women's Day March 8, a panel moderated by Catherine Bertini, World Food Prize laureate, examined consequences of the increasing role of women in agriculture in the developing world.

New York's fossil fuel: Gone with the wind, water and sun

Converting New York's energy sources from natural gas, coal and fossil fuel to wind, water and sunlight by 2030 will stabilize electricity prices, reduce power demand and create thousands of jobs.

Invasive weeds could shed light on climate-coping

Learning how many weeds adapt to climate change could provide valuable information to inform ecological strategies, reports a study that analyzed four weed species that are spreading northward.

Grad student helps Rwandan women grow mushrooms

Horticulture graduate student Bryan Sobel went to Rwanda to help women learn to cultivate mushrooms, a crop that can help the genocide-ravaged nation recover.

Northeast bee population declines confirmed

Northeastern bees have suffered population declines over the last 140 years, largely due to human encroachment, but none has faced a more devastating collapse than the humble bumble bee.

Top USDA official calls for more agriculture education

Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, spoke about food and research on campus March 7.