Cornell University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

Large departments like Cornell Dining, Cornell Grounds, and Cornell Building Care (which collectively employee thousands of employees) integrate sustainability into trainings with all levels of their staff. For example, Cornell Dining has a full-time Sustainability Coordinator, who trains employees on sustainability practices, including food waste, reusable containers, and more. Building Care is trained on green chemicals and cleaning practices. Cornell Grounds covers topics like their 'tall grass, low gas' campaign, the use of electric equipment, and more.
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Some of the initiatives below were modified or put on hold in late March 2020 due to the pandemic, then restarted in late 2020 / early 2021.

Each year, the Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) offers two 3-hour sustainability sessions (intro & advanced). The sessions cover the importance of sustainability and climate change at Cornell, and cover personal and professional decision-making skills, including the Quadruple Bottom Line (our Sustainability Framework for Decision Making). We ask supervisors who are enrolled in the course to take what they have learned back to their units and institute sustainable practices and quadruple bottom line thinking.
https://sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/programs-guides/employee-resources/staff-sustainability-training
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CSO coordinates trainings and "brown bag lunches" with 10-20 office, departments, and colleges/divisions across campus throughout the year. Trainings take ~60-90 minutes, cover content from the Sustainability Management Academy course, and provide information & tools customized for specific units and departments.

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The CSO participates in Cornell's annual "Staff Development Day," where we host training sessions on Community-Based Social Marketing, Sustainability initiatives at Cornell, "Green Your Office in Under an Hour," and Quadruple Bottom Line Decision Making. Our office also engages with hundreds of employees during the exhibition and discusses waste & energy policies, updates to campus sustainability initiatives, and ways to get involved on campus and bring sustainability into their workplace.

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The Campus Sustainability Office partnered with local sustainability experts, Get Your Green Back Tompkins (GYGB), to provide training for 1000+ front-line Dining and Building Care staff. GYGB focused on concepts of energy efficiency, and discussed ways to bring that knowledge home by making their homes more energy efficient and taking advantage of NY State grant programs.

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The CSO hosts an annual Green Team Summit (open to the entire Cornell community) where faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend numerous sustainability-focused lectures, workshops, poster sessions, and exhibitions. The CSO also hosts our annual Sustainable Cornell Summit (open to the entire Cornell community), where senior leaders present on the state of sustainability at Cornell, local/state/national experts present on current science and sustainability issues relevant to our community and beyond, Cornell researchers present recent findings, networking sessions connect people across campus, staff share new sustainable practices and procedures in their areas, our annual sustainability awards are presented by senior leaders, etc. Staff are also encouraged to participate in sustainability conferences hosted throughout the year by numerous partners, including the "Student Sustainability Summit" (hosted by ECO), the 2-day "Cornell Future Food Summit," the "Cornell Sustainability in Business Symposium," workshops during "People's Climate Week," and many more. Engaging in learning opportunities like these are encouraged and supported by Human Resources, and staff often receive financial support from their departments to attend sessions with any fees (or the fees are waived).

In 2020, Cornell hosted the 2020 State of NY Sustainability Conference, where hundreds of Cornellians attended virtual sessions focused on sustainability and climate change.

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Cornell also runs "Turning Point" a five-day leadership program for front-line staff; it's a professional development program that aligns with the Cornell Skills for Success (in every staff member's job description), which includes several specific skills targeting sustainability competencies (see below for more details).
https://hr.cornell.edu/professional-development/training/leadership-academy/turning-point

Cornell incorporated Sustainability into every staff member's job description through the Cornell's Skills for Success:
https://hr.cornell.edu/professional-development/performance-0/skills-success
(1) Act and take initiative - Employees should “adopt a culture of sustainability and efficiency” and “take responsible risks to innovate seeking advancements in products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas.”

(2) Inclusion - Employees should “contribute positively to an inclusive environment” and “actively support work-life integration” (sustainable balance)

(3) Display sound judgment in problem solving - Employees should “assess environmental, economic, compliance, and social impacts in decision-making.”

(4) Support the organization’s shared vision and mission - Employees should “show commitment to unit and university goals in delivering results” including Cornell’s goal of carbon neutrality and sustainability plan goals.

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Cornell partnered with Urban Green Council (UGC) to provide updated training on NYS Energy Codes to appropriate and interested managers and staff. Additionally, UGC offered free virtual trainings during 2020 to interested staff and students.

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Cornell's Energy Management Team trains facilities staff each year on energy conservation initiatives and practices, how to use our energy dashboard, and more. Cornell's R5 Operations Team also trains facilities staff and dining staff (and many more) on proper waste management, waste reduction strategies, etc.

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Cornell's supervisor in-person and online trainings integrate sustainability concepts throughout their modules. For example, in a policy-related training provided to all supervisors provided by the Division of Financial Affairs, the trainers discuss policy 3.2 which includes considering low-carbon travel options when making traveling plans.
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In Fall 2021, Cornell began hosting Sustainable Events workshops to educate employees and students on how to host more sustainable events. In Spring 2022, we also began offering free 1:1 sustainable events consultations to talk with campus partners about how to make their large-scale (and small-scale) events more sustainable.

Many faculty and staff members attend a variety of professional conferences, workshops, webinars etc. paid for or reimbursed by the university (e.g. AASHE, ISCN, SSC, NYCSHE, Greenbuild, Ivy+, Urban Green Council, etc.)

Cornell incorporated sustainability into every staff member's job description through the Cornell's Skills for Success. Key sustainability-related skills are outlined below. During performance reviews, Cornell staff are asked to review their job description and reflect on strengths and areas of improvement. The Skills for Success are one component for staff to consider during their self-evaluations, and managers to consider during their reviews.


(1) Act and take initiative - Employees should “adopt a culture of sustainability and efficiency” and “take responsible risks to innovate seeking advancements in products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas.”

(2) Inclusion - Employees should “contribute positively to an inclusive environment” and “actively support work-life integration” (sustainable balance)

(3) Display sound judgment in problem solving - Employees should “assess environmental, economic, compliance, and social impacts in decision-making.”

(4) Support the organization’s shared vision and mission - Employees should “show commitment to unit and university goals in delivering results” including Cornell’s goal of carbon neutrality and sustainability plan goals.

https://hr.cornell.edu/professional-development/performance-0/skills-success

https://hr.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/documents/skillsforsuccess.pdf