The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/page/3/?s=sustainability)
The report includes a synopsis of 2020’s sustainability accomplishments, Cornell’s carbon neutrality progress, education and engagement, campus operations and future goals.
Engineers for a Sustainable World: Biofuels has developed modifications for Cornell Agriculture Services’ John Deere tractors so that it can run on both diesel and biodiesel, a potential feat for the environment.
Despite a hold on plans to move further with the Ithaca Green New Deal, city residents celebrated Earth Day online, holding informational and musical presentations.
In a new step towards sustainability, Cornell celebrated the opening of its sixth, and largest, major solar project on March 1.
The newly minted 18-megawatt Cascadilla Community Solar Farm will be responsible for generating 10 percent of Cornell’s energy, making strides towards the University’ goal of becoming entirely carbon neutral by 2035.
As part of its North Campus Residential Expansion project, Cornell recently made a purchase agreement with GreenSpark Solar, a New York-based solar panel provider –– a decision that “represents a tenfold increase in the on-campus rooftop solar capacity,” according to the University.
Temple of Zeus is one of the few on campus cafes providing reusable mugs, plates and silverware to on-site diners. The eatery also offers a host of vegan and vegetarian options for those conscious of the carbon footprint their food makes.
The University is trying to renew its permit to operate the Cornell University Hydroelectric Project, which includes a dam, turbines and associated structures which have been on Fall Creek for decades, providing energy to campus. Renewable energy initiatives like the hydroelectric plant are a part of Cornell’s goal of a carbon neutral campus by 2035. According to a Federal Energy Commission Report, the average annual power generation from 2013 to 2018 was over 4,500 megawatt-hours. All the power produced by the plant is used to fuel Cornell’s main campus. The hydroelectric project is designed as a “run of the river operation,” meaning that Cornell uses water as it flows in Fall Creek and does not store water.
Most classrooms are equipped with blue recycling bins. But as the threat of climate change looms, sustainability practices should go beyond just paper and plastic, Prof. Tasha Lewis, fiber science and apparel design, says. Her research — about brands’ behavior and the significance of social responsibility — is at the forefront of creating a sustainable fashion industry, echoing a broader movement towards more eco-friendly apparel. Recent protests led by the Cornell Vegan Society, for instance, pushed Cornellians to think about the ethical implications of their clothing choices. “Working in the industry opened my eyes to many of the sustainability and ethical issues involved with fashion,” Lewis said, whose work in the apparel sector after graduate school inspired her to take up this cause.
The county legislature unanimously agreed last Tuesday to adopt the five-cent paper bag fee to reduce single-use waste, which will take effect on March 1, 2020. The local law will be enacted alongside a New York State-wide bag waste reduction act that bans most plastic bags from retail sales and allows individual counties to opt into the paper bag fee.
In a semesterly meeting with The Sun, President Martha E. Pollack shared her hopes for on-campus reform, reaffirmed her dedication to “transparency” in the investigation of Antonio Tsialas’s death and promised plans for increasing student socioeconomic diversity as she prepares to wrap up her fifth semester in Cornell’s highest office.