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.


Going nuclear: Student group embraces clean energy

The newly formed student group Cornell Nuclear is Clean Energy is embracing nuclear technology to fight climate change and create jobs.

Winning digital ag idea targets killer ants

The Digital Ag hackathon, sponsored by the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture and powered by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, brought 116 students to Atkinson Hall for the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1.

Around Cornell

CCE helps Long Island residents save on energy bills

The Long Island Regional Clean Energy Hub offers residents and businesses free guidance and subsidies to reduce their energy use, transition to clean energy and lower their heating and electricity bills. 

Solar’s threat to NYS agriculture may be overstated

New York state farmers with solar leases say they’ll use the added revenue to invest in their farms, with many stating they don't plan to change their agricultural practices at all.

Wildfire smoke silences grassland birds in NYS

In June 2023, smoke from Canadian wildfires dampened birds’ vocalizations in New York state, with a particularly negative effect on already imperiled grassland birds.

How much would you pay for this bread?

Growing climate-smart crops is half the battle. Consumers need to understand sustainability claims and, more importantly, be willing to pay a premium for them. 

Fungi could transform leftovers into lifelines

Mycelium, the vegetative, root-like network of fungi, has the power to transform food waste into new, life-sustaining food.

Hackathon winners combat ear infections, parasites and animal overpopulation

Products to fight ear infections in dogs, a parasite in cattle and animal population control challenges won top honors at the Feb. 20-22 Animal Health Hackathon at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Around Cornell

Proteins organize for extracellular electron transfer

Researchers discovered electron transfer in electroactive bacteria is mediated by CymA proteins’ ability to synchronize and form a biomolecular condensate in the cell’s inner membrane.