Cornell University
EN-3: Student Life

Cornell students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional students) from across all colleges are actively involved in over 40+ sustainability-focused student organizations. ECO (the Cornell Environmental Collaborative) serves as the umbrella organization, and coordinates projects, resources, funding, and advocacy among the various organizations. A full list of clubs can be found here: http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/categories/2

Dilmun Hill Farm is a student-run farm that has been practicing sustainable agriculture on Cornell University's campus for more than a decade. Their mission is to provide students, faculty, staff and community with opportunities for experiential learning, group collaboration and research. Throughout the year they host work parties where volunteers work in the fields and experience the latest in sustainable agricultural practices. The student managers and steering committee members collaborate with the Organic Coordinator and Faculty Advisors to provide leadership in farm operations and disseminate information through education and outreach. They also collaborate with various organizations on campus, such as McDaniels Nut Grove. Their popular campus farm stand offers Dilmun Hill produce for sale from June through October and they supply local produce to Cornell's Manndible Cafe in season. Cornell hosts many on-campus drop-off sites for CSAs, including in office buildings and academic buildings. Cornell hosts a weekly Farmers Market on the Agriculture Quad, where students have access to local goods and have the opportunity to work behind-the-scenes. Cornell Dining works with Red's Best Fish to serve sustainably caught fish in dining halls on campus, and students are exposed to educational information.

Anabel's Grocery is "for students, by students," and its grocery store and programming opportunities are open and accessible to all 23,600 students on campus. Students can apply to join the Anabel's Grocery leadership team by sending an application and resume to the Director of HR (student). Students can also volunteer by signing up through their website. Leaders and volunteers receive ample training on-site. Anabel's provides nutritious, affordable food for all Cornell students through a student-run grocery store and offers educational programs that create a fun, inclusive, empowering community around quality food, food choices, wellness, and positive social change. Anabel's Grocery was created and designed by students with the support of Cornell staff and faculty for over 2 years. Anabel's is supported by the Center for Transformative Action; its housed in an on-campus building; an academic course supports its development through research. Anabel's provides free, quality, perishable food for students over academic breaks (e.g. Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, February Break). https://www.facebook.com/anabelsgrocery/

The Center for Global Sustainable Enterprise provides academic and professional leadership in the area of SRI and Sustainable Enterprise. A program of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (Center), BR MicroEnterprise, NBA 5090, spurs microenterprise development by assisting self-employed individuals reach their business goals. Launched in January of 2009, BRM seeks to meet a critical need by working with promising, but underserved entrepreneurs in the local community. Under the guidance of the Center, BRM supports low-income entrepreneurs in Tompkins County. The goal of BRM is to provide students an experiential learning opportunity that contributes to the local community, supporting inclusive wealth creation and economic development. In addition, Cornell's Green Revolving Fund (GRF) provides small-scale financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainability projects that generate cost savings for the University. The idea is that the operational savings will be tracked and used to replenish the fund for the next round of investments. NBA 6790, the academic component of the Fund, is offered by the Johnson School to Cornell students to manage the Fund and engage in GRF-related activities under faculty guidance each fall and spring term. The class is the vehicle by which students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience identifying, developing, proposing, evaluating, implementing, and managing energy efficiency investment projects around campus using a corpus of dedicated funds available for those investments. Working in coordination with the University's Finance, Investment, and Facilities & Campus Services offices, students conduct their work in various teams to address a range of operational elements related to the fund, including project identification, proposal evaluation, marketing, financial management, and fundraising. https://sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/campus-initiatives/living-laboratory

(1) The Campus Sustainability Office and President's Sustainable Campus Committee (PSCC) organize the annual PSCC Sustainability Summit (since 2014). Every year, the PSCC hosts a sustainability summit to bring representatives from operations staff, academic staff, students, and faculty. The PSCC has oversight across 10 areas of sustainable campus activities: energy, climate, water, food, waste, buildings, people, land, purchasing and transportation. The PSCC Summit enables all 10 focus teams (each with staff, student, and faculty co-chairs) to report on progress, collaborate in sessions, and network. (2) Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO)'s hosts its Student Leadership Summit for students, staff, and faculty each year - open to the entire campus community. In 2018, ECO also partnered with the Campus Sustainability Office to host the first "Sustainability Leadership Retreat" to gather student organization leaders to network, attend skill/knowledge-building conference sessions, and plan for the 2018-2019 academic year. (3) ECO hosts ECO Dialogue events on current issues and an Environmental Justice series throughout each semester. https://www.facebook.com/events/350217078647986/ (4) The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, the Campus Sustainability Office, and many other centers cosponsored or promoted over 400 sustainability events on campus each year including lectures, seminars, conferences, festivals, markets, and workshops. (5) NBA 6190 – Leaders in Sustainable Global Enterprise: speakers from the private, public and non-profit sectors discussing their organization’s approach to addressing sustainability concerns (6) NBA 6380 – Finance & Sustainability Colloquium: speakers from the private, public and non-profit sectors discussing their work at the nexus of finance and sustainability (7) Cornell Climate Change Seminar: This university-wide seminar provides important views on the critical issue of climate change, drawing from many perspectives and disciplines. Experts from both Cornell University and other universities will present an overview of the science of climate change and climate change models, the implications for agriculture, ecosystems, and food systems, and provide important economic, ethical, and policy insights on the issue. The seminar is being organized and sponsored by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions, and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.The seminar is free and open to the Cornell and Ithaca Community at large. http://www.atkinson.cornell.edu/events/ClimateChangeSem.php

(1) A Metamorphosis Exhibit: An exhibit showcasing the power of upcycling in fashion and art (spring 2018), run by the College of Human Ecology. (2) Annual ECOuture event: ECOuture is an annual fashion held by Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO) to promote sustainable fashion and design, complete with catering, influential speakers, live performances and more. Cornellians from various studies come together to design dresses to highlight waste in the industry for the fashion show. https://www.facebook.com/events/1888241938125222/

(1) Cornell Outdoor Education (COE) is the largest and most comprehensive collegiate outdoor education program in the country. Established in 1972, COE uses challenge, adventure, and outdoor experiences, with reflection and analysis, to help individuals and teams learn and grow. While COE serves a variety of populations, its central mission is to serve Cornell students. COE classes and programs, by complementing academic and classroom offerings, provide students with real world leadership and team opportunities. Classes include day hiking, backpacking in the Finger Lakes, indoor and outdoor rock climbing, tree climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, and sea kayaking. All courses emphasize the importance of the natural environment and Leave No Trace principles. COE also oversees the Outdoor Odyssey program (https://odyssey.coe.cornell.edu/about-us), which enables new students to participate in outdoor pre-orientation trips (e.g. hiking, backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing). (2) Nature Rx @Cornell: Nature Rx @Cornell is a dynamic and growing movement, represented by numerous individuals and units at the university, who have come together with a shared passion for the ways in which the natural beauty of our campus can positively impact our students' well-being. https://naturerx.cornell.edu/#/index

The College and Unit Engagement Program uses semester themes and college specific data to educate the Cornell community on sustainable actions. Cornell focuses on energy conservation and energy efficiency in the fall semester, with our cornerstone campaigns: Energy Smackdown and Winter Setback. Cornell focuses on waste management in the spring semester, with our cornerstone campaign: RecycleMania.

The nearly 100 residents of Ecology House have a variety of majors and backgrounds, but all share an interest in preserving and protecting our natural environment. Residents are dedicated to sustainable practices like recycling, composting, organic gardening, and energy conservation, and organize environmental-education outreach programs for the campus community. Ecology House offers a wide range of activities and experiences for students, including regular hiking and camping trips, mending workshops, energy conservation campaigns, cooking community dinners, offering a "fully stacked" waste sorting station (with terracycle, plastic film recycling, battery recycling, compost, and more), managing backyard compost and an on-site greenhouse (which they designed and constructed), and weekly social events (e.g. ice cream and movie nights). Major house events include a weekend retreat in the Adirondacks each fall, with zip-lining, hiking, and canoeing, plus house leadership retreats. Another unique perk at Eco House: residents may keep certain types of small pets (in cages or aquariums) if registered and approved by the house's Residence Hall Director.

The Campus Sustainability Office (CSO), Office of Energy Management, the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (SGE), and Cornell Dining offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities. CSO provides 9 sustainability internship positions: 2 interns assist with engagement initiatives, 2 interns assist with marketing, communications, and website development, 1 intern serves as the Student Engagement Coordinator and works directly with ECO Environmental Collaborative student organization, 1 intern collects and coordinates STARS data, 1 intern helps manage our Lucid energy dashboard, 1 intern works with our Greek community, and 1 intern works with our Energy Management and Utilities group. The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise employs 1-2 student interns per semester. Cornell Dining hires 3 Student Sustainability Coordinators who act as sustainability consultants to the dining staff and purchasing department, and who educate students about local foods and waste management. Recently, Eco House also hire a Program Assistant focused on implementing sustainability initiatives within the community, and other residential communities are offering "sustainability liaison" roles to their Resident Advisors. Job openings are advertised on the Opportunities Marketplace (experience.cornell.edu) and via many of Cornell's listservs.

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Cornell offers a wide variety of co-curricular programs and initiatives that engage with the campus, local, national, and international community on sustainability issues. Examples: -- Our university-wide seminar, "Cornell University Climate Change Seminar," provides important views on the critical issue of climate change by engaging experts from both Cornell University and other universities. -- Environmental Finance and Impact Investment (EFII) Fellows Program: Cornell University's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Cornell Institute of Public Affairs (CIPA) launched parallel EFII Programs in the spring of 2011 which were designed to prepare students for careers related to finance and sustainability, including environmental finance or impact investment in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Through a series of courses, coupled with applied capstone projects, students are trained to invest in, manage, and regulate businesses or projects seeking financial, environmental and/or social goals. The EFII curriculum provides rigorous training in each of the following four subject areas: Economic and Political Analysis, Finance and Analytics, Science and Technology, and Markets and Regulation. http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Center-for-Sustainable-Global-Enterprise/Students/EFII-Fellows-Program and http://www.cipa.cornell.edu/academics/efii/index.cfm