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.


Students hand out energy-saving treats with tricks on saving money

More than 600 Cornell students hit the streets Oct. 29 to hand out some 12,000 free bags containing a compact fluorescent light bulb and information on inexpensive ways to save money on energy. (Nov. 1, 2011)

Tester receives special achievement award from Geothermal Resources Council

Jeff Tester, Croll Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems at Cornell, received the Special Achievement Award of the Geothermal Resources Council Oct. 26 in San Diego. (Oct. 28, 2011)

USDA funds $2.3M study of organically growing spelt, emmer, einkorn

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded a $2.3 million study to enhance the market value of organically grown heritage wheat, emmer, spelt and einkorn. (Oct. 27, 2011)

Researchers create transistors from natural cotton fibers

Juan Hinestroza has helped develop transistors using natural cotton fibers, which could lead to smarter, highly functional clothing and perhaps even cotton-based circuits and computers. (Oct. 26, 2011)

Joint grad program trains wildlife conservation scientists

Cornell and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have teamed up to offer a new shared doctoral program that will train the next generation of wildlife conservation scientists. (Oct. 26, 2011)

New York schoolchildren use high tunnels to grow veggies

Cornell is helping six New York state schools use high tunnels to grow their school gardens and studying how they benefit the schools' educational programs. (Oct. 26, 2011)

Native bees are better pollinators, more plentiful than honeybees, finds entomologist

Native bees are better pollinators and more plentiful than honeybees, finds entomologist Bryan Danforth, who is involved in two big projects to further study native bee populations.

Law School to host international water conference Nov. 4-6

Cornell Law School will host a three-day conference Nov. 4-6 to examine the growing water shortage crisis in the Mediterranean basin. (Oct. 24, 2011)

Cornell's planned NYC Tech Campus drives for a sustainable 'net-zero energy' core

The proposed New York City Tech Campus on Roosevelt Island will utilize solar and geothermal power to harvest as much energy as it consumes. In the parlance of energy experts, it will be 'net-zero energy.' (Oct. 24, 2011)