Sustainability Hubbub

Not wanting to handcuff myself to the president’s toilet, I’ve decided to write a column for The Sun — a hygienic approach to advocacy.

My concern is for the environment, and specifically, Cornell’s impact on it. Lake Source Cooling, parking lots and carbon emissions are a few of the issues that inevitably come to mind. Since these pertain to Cornell’s immediate impact on the environment, they continually spark debate here on the pages of The Sun and throughout the University.

The student group KyotoNow! has been particularly successful at bringing the University’s own energy consumption into the limelight. Last winter they worked together with President Skorton to implement a plan for Carbon Neutrality.

Since then, we have excitedly watched as photovoltaics were installed on Day Hall, green roofs appeared on West Campus and energy improvements were made across the University.

Unfortunately, the clamor surrounding these environmental initiatives has caused many to forget Cornell’s true impact on the globe. I am speaking, of course, about education.

As a major educational institution, we have the opportunity to generate change far beyond Cayuga’s waters. A single Cornell alum equipped with the knowledge to make an impact in the world will have a much greater effect than using solar panels here in cloudy Ithaca.

In 1901, a Cornell mechanical engineering student named Willis Carrier embarked on a career, which ultimately led to the invention of air conditioning. One hopes that the engineers of the Class of 2008 will have the preparation and ingenuity to introduce new technologies that can deliver comfort through less environmentally taxing means.

The challenge to build a more sustainable future is not only in the hands of the engineers. If substantial change is going to take place it will result from the combined efforts of talented business leaders, law reformers, politicians, developers and designers.

In many of these disciplines, Cornell leads the way in environmental education. Take for example, the Center for Sustainability in the Johnson Graduate School of Management, which recognizes the need for successful enterprise to generate wealth and introduce new technologies in the marketplace.

At the undergraduate level, Biological and Environmental Engineering students can attest to the commitment and collaboration between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering to offer programs in environmental studies. Elsewhere in the University, administrators and professors are making it increasingly possible to learn the skills necessary to make positive contributions to the world.

Regrettably, this sort of environmental awareness has not yet reached the enclave of Rand Hall and the School of Architecture. Despite student interest in the subject, the school refuses to pay sustainability any attention.

As architecture schools across the country revamp their programs to address environmental concerns, Cornell rests on its laurels. Those of us interested in sustainability grow increasingly restless about our education at Cornell (or lack thereof).

Luckily, here in Ithaca, a great deal of learning occurs outside the classroom. For the past several years, architects, engineers, and many others throughout the University have been working collaboratively to design and build solar powered houses for the Solar Decathlon competition held every two years in Washington, D.C.

Having just returned from the 2007 competition, I can honestly say that working with the Solar Decathlon team has been the most influential and educational opportunity of my Cornell career. Yet, despite the undeniable value of the design-build experience, Solar Decathlon has remained peripheral to our architectural studies.

It is time for Solar Decathlon — or the ideas embodied by the competition — to be integrated into the architectural curriculum. Discussion of passive systems, environmental pressures and real-world constraints is essential to comprehensive design.

The transformation that needs to take place in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning will require charismatic leadership and determination within the student body. In the coming months, a search committee will choose a new dean for the college who can lead us in a new direction. This is a prime opportunity for the school to redefine its priorities; I hope that environmental education will be among them.

I only have first hand criticism for my own department, the School of Architecture. But surely there are opportunities for improvements in environmental education across the University. If Cornell intends to seriously address its environmental impact, it needs to look beyond greenhouse gases. The graduates released each year are far more potent.

Education is our best means to a sustainable future. Cornell should lead the way.

Timothy Liddell ’10 is a member of the Cornell Solar Decathlon team. He can be contacted at tal36@cornell.edu [1]. Guest Room appears periodically.