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.


Low-energy usage makes new 'blue lights' special

To further promote energy conservation, Cornell has been switching all of its approximately 120 campus-safety “blue lights” this summer from energy hogging incandescence to a LED technology, which sips power at one-tenth the rate.

O'Donnell's 'Party Wall' opens at MoMA PS1 in New York

Assistant professor of architecture Caroline O’Donnell's "Party Wall" installation at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City earned praise at its June 27 opening for its sustainable and innovative design.

Two student teams win coveted EPA prize

Two Cornell student teams – a cookstove fuel/biochar group and the AguaClara water filtration project – won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s prestigious People, Prosperity and the Planet Award June 19.

Agriculture and climate change meet at new institute

The new Cornell Institute for Climate Change and Agriculture, under director Allison Morrill Chatrchyan, will help farmers adapt to climate change.

Cowen, Travis appointed ACSF associate directors

Edwin “Todd” Cowen, professor in the College of Engineering, and Alex Travis, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, become associate directors of the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future July 1.

Permaculture garden grows food for Trillium

A new student garden outside Kennedy Hall will grow food for Trillium and feature permaculture – a self-sustaining agriculture system in which crops are planted so they work together in mutual benefit.

Teachers delve into global water and culture issues

More than 50 middle and high school teachers were on campus June 24-26 for an International Studies Summer Institute at Cornell called The Cultural Geography of Water.

Faculty brief Congress, alumni on chemical risks

Three faculty members from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future briefed Congress and alumni in Washington, D.C., on chemical risks June 18.

Tour allure: Enjoy Cornell's 'garden of weedin''

The Cornell Weed Garden is a scientific utopia that features 85 tenacious, loathsome and sometimes tasty plants.