Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.69
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 8, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Cornell University
SD-1: New Student Orientation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete N/A Dan Roth
Director of the Campus Sustainability Office
Energy & Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does new student orientation include presentations, speakers, or skits that address sustainability and take place in large venues that most or all first-year students attend?:
Yes

Provide a brief description of the presentations, speakers or skits:

Sustainability is incorporated into Cornell's new students orientation as a part of our new student check-in, which is required for all students to attend. At this check-in, students can stop by various tables to learn more about involvement on campus. Additionally, all 600 orientation volunteers received sustainability training prior to orientation and are encouraged to incorporate these ideas when answering questions from new students (direct students to use public transportation or bring a reusable bag when purchasing text books. In addition composting and recycling education is done by volunteers at all large-scale orientation events that include food and drinks.


Does new student orientation incorporate sustainability information into presentations (e.g., made by Residential Advisors to individual dorm floors)?:
No

Provide a brief description of the presentations:
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Does new student orientation actively engage students in activities that raise awareness about sustainability, highlight how sustainability plays out on campus, or allows students to take part in a productive green activity?:
Yes

Provide a brief description of the activities:

The Orientation Steering Committee plans a Green Fair to engage students in sustainable student groups and community organizations, the Sustainability Interns in Cornell's Campus Sustainability Office work with student leaders to run an event to introduce interested new students to sustainability-focused groups on campus and the Multifaith Ambassadors organize an event to encourage discussion among faith and sustainability.


Does the institution make new student orientation more sustainable via efforts such as a zero-waste meal or carbon offsets?:
Yes

Provide a brief description of the efforts:

All Orientation events that serve food use compostable products and have clearly labeled compost bags and recycling containers. Student volunteers organized through the Cornell Organization for Resource Efficiency (CORE) monitor compost bags to avoid contamination and further educate new students about composting efforts that they will encounter across campus.


Does the institution incorporate sustainability into new student orientation in other ways?:
Yes

Provide a brief description:

All new students receive a reusable water bottle in their residence and a reusable bag from The Cornell Store upon arriving on campus. Educational materials accompany these items and current students can be seen using both to encourage new students to join in.


Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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