Cornell University

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Cornell University
University Project

• Yoo Mi Hong

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Cornells Statement on the Environment

• Cornell University recognizes that to ensure the
  long-term viability of this planet, all elements
  of society must embrace the responsibility of
  building sustainable futures (1). Cornell's
  participation in this worldwide commitment "...to
  meet the needs of the present without
  compromising the ability of future generations to
  meet their own needs" (2) is a challenging,
  complex, difficult, but nevertheless desirable,
  and attainable goal.
• Achieving sustainability requires contributions
  from all, including all members of the greater
  Cornell community -- those engaged in its
  educational mission, those impacting the campus
  and surrounding living environment, those
  carrying out research activities, and those who
  use and are stewards of its lands and physical
  facilities.
• As its institutional commitment to a sustainable
  future, Cornell will continue to support and
  encourage efforts to involve everyone in this
  process
• The Cornell community pledges to promote
  sustainable futures through its educational
  activities. As the Land-Grant institution in New
  York State, Cornell has played and will continue
  to play an active role in helping students and
  members of the community in understanding local,
  regional, national, and global environmental
  issues.
• The Cornell community pledges to promote
  sustainable futures through improvements to its
  campus environment. Through efforts such as
  reducing waste, decreasing the university's
  consumption of nonrenewable resources, increasing
  recycling and the purchasing of recycled
  products, promoting public transportation,
  increasing ties to its local community, and
  reducing the use of environmentally harmful
  substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, Cornell
  has made and will continue to make substantial
  contributions towards minimizing its overall
  environmental impact.
• The Cornell community pledges to promote
  sustainable futures through its research and
  outreach activities that ultimately lead to
  practical solutions to environmental problems
  facing the university and the world. The
  expertise within the university community is a
  resource that can contribute to devising and
  implementing solutions to environmental problems.
  
• The Cornell community pledges to promote
  sustainable futures through environmentally
  responsible stewardship of all the resources
  entrusted to its care. Toward this end, Cornell
  will exercise environmentally sound stewardship
  of its lands and properties, strive to protect
  and preserve the biodiversity of its lands, and
  work to improve energy efficiency in its
  facilities and equipment.
• Such measures to address the environmental
  challenge require focus and commitment at the
  institutional level and equally demand support
  and participation by all. Accordingly, we, the
  members of the Cornell University community,
  pledge to continue to conduct our affairs in
  manners that support, promote, and ensure
  sustainable futures.

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Interesting Facts

• Cornell LEED standards as guidelines but has not
  received the certification.
• Cornell Dining compost some things and sell the
  compost material after it's been broken down to
  the Plantations. It can then be used for
  planting.
• There is an environmental committee in the
  Cornell Student Assembly
• There is a class like Univ303/Enst302 called
  Environmental Stewardship in the Cornell
  Community (ALS 494/477)

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Majors

• B.S. Biological and Environmental Engineering
• Biological and Environmental Engineering (BEE)
  is at the focus of three great challenges facing
  humanity in the 21st century
• 1. Protecting or remediating the world's natural
  resources, including water, soil, air, energy,
  and biodiversity.
• 2. Developing engineering systems that monitor,
  replace, or intervene in the function and
  operation of living organisms.
• 3. Ensuring an adequate and safe food supply in
  an era of expanding world population.

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Majors

• B.S. Science of Natural and Environmental Systems
• Environmental stewardship and sustainability is
  increasingly recognized as a human and planetary
  imperative. Science of Natural and Environmental
  Systems graduates will be able to
• 1. Function effectively as professionals in
  scientific/technical areas.
• 2. Work collaboratively and communicate
  effectively.
• 3. Understand the principal environmental policy
  issues confronting managers in diverse
  institutional, geographical and cultural
  settings.

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Cornell Greens (186)

• The oldest environmental group on campus.
• Although its a non-partisan group thats not
  affiliated with the Green Party, it encourages
  students to vote, since many important
  environmental concerns are at stake during
  elections.
• Participate in nationwide campaigns with groups
  like Rainforest Action Network and EcoPledge, a
  non-profit organization that targets corporations
  that practice unfriendly environmental
  activities.
• Attempting to get all new Cornell University
  buildings to be LEED certified

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Cornell Greens (186)

• Meets with members of the Cornell administration
  on a consistent basis to urge them to take
  action.
• Trying to encourage composting of organic waste,
  such as food scraps and newsprint, in the
  residence halls.
• One of their many successful campaigns organized
  by EcoPledge against PepsiCo. for not having
  enough recycled plastic in their bottles. Cornell
  Greens and students from many other organizations
  collected hundreds of messages from students and
  put them in empty Pepsi bottles. The bottles were
  sent to Pepsi headquarters. PepsiCo. now uses 25
  percent recycled plastic as opposed to the 10
  percent that they used to use.
• http//www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004
  /09/14/41468794f276d?in_archive1

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Environmental Law Society (30)

• The environmental voice at the law school.
• Educates the student body on current
  environmental issues in law and politics, and
  ensures classes and career assistance in
  environmental law.

The Environmentally Sustainable Club (4)
Purpose is to create realistic and quantifiable
environmental change in the United States
economy. Works with businesses to achieve real
long-term environmentally sustainable business
practices.
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URSUS Cornell's Environmental Journal (21)

• URSUS provides a forum for the Cornell Community
  to express opinions, concerns, and ideas on
  environmental issues. It welcomes a diversity of
  viewpoints on environmental subjects and has no
  specific political affiliation or agenda. The
  members solicit articles, essays, and art from
  Cornell students and faculty. Members review and
  edit submitted material. The pieces are then
  formatted for publication. Each year they release
  two thirty-six page issues that are distributed
  to the Cornell Community free of charge. They
  print 1,000 copies of each issues 5000 of which
  are distributed at the end of the semester the
  other 500 are distributed at the beginning of the
  following semester.

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Contact Info

• Gary Soedarsono
• Student at Cornell University
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail/MSN omegaultima_at_hotmail.com
• Gary is an Indonesian international student from
  Singapore. He said that said that things at
  Cornell are not as extreme as it was in our high
  school in Singapore (highly environmentally
  conscious), but quite a lot of people recycle at
  Cornell and the Ithaca often checks the garbage
  for any recyclable materials and bills the person
  responsible if thats possible. Although there
  are many active environmental groups on campus,
  people are pretty apathetic in general. They have
  a program called House Ecology House where you
  basically participate in green activities.

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The Ecology House

• Ecology House, or more formally, Ecology
  House The Hurlburt Residential College for
  Environmental Education and Awareness, is a
  residence hall on Cornell University's North
  Campus.  Ninety-six students live in Ecology
  House, many serving on house committees.  Some of
  the house activities from the 2003-2004 year
  include social events, kayaking with a faculty
  member, movie outings, weekly dining hall
  dinners, environmental discussions, a time
  management workshop, a trip to the Natural
  History Museum in New York City, and state park
  hikes.  The community is vibrant, engaging, and
  fun. Students have diverse academic majors and
  are involved in a wide variety of campus
  organizations.  One need not be an expert on the
  ecosystem to live in Eco House, interest in
  learning about and participating in an
  environmentally-friendly community is all that is
  required!
• http//campuslife.cornell.edu/housing_residential/
  ecology.asp?catID75

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Conclusion

• The general apathy on campus is similar to Rice,
  and there is definitely room for more student
  environmental initiatives.
• However, Cornell has a variety of student
  activities, more majors and courses offered, a
  residential college for people who are interested
  in learning more about the environment, etc.
  Therefore, in general, Cornell seems to have a
  more environmentally active campus than Rice
  does.
• Grade A-

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P.S.

• Information that are not sited are all from the
  Cornell University website