Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.84
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Cornell University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
Ivy+ Sustainability Network
International Sustainability Campus Network (ISCN)


Is the institution an active member of a regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):

The Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI) ​​​​​
Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC)
New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE)
Get Your Green Back Tompkins (GYGB)


Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
Ivy+ Sustainability Network, Annual Meeting
State of New York Sustainability Conference


Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to a sustainability awards program that is inclusive of multiple campuses? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the awards program(s) and submission(s):

Cornell participates in submissions to the Green Power Leadership Awards, part of the U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership and the Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards.


Has the institution had staff, students or faculty serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):

Cornell University has active representatives on the Advisory Board for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and the Steering Committee of the New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE).

The University also has staff, students, and faculty who serve on numerous local sustainability network and event organizing committees.


Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:

Cornell partners with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide an online Center for Climate Neutral Research Campuses which helps research campuses of all types evaluate, plan, and implement climate action measures.

The Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions (CICSS) facilitates climate change research and education related to climate science and policy, environmental and agricultural systems, food security, and social-ecological resiliency for campuses nationwide.


Has the institution had staff, faculty, or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data (e.g. GHG emissions or course inventory) and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the peer review activities:

Cornell has provided support to several campuses in creating implementation strategies for inclusion of quadruple bottom line (QBL) data into project decision making, following the release of the 2016 "Options for a Carbon Neutral Campus by 2035" report in which the University used QBL analysis for campus energy project cost benefit analysis.

As a member of the Ivy+ Sustainability Network, Cornell provides ongoing GHG emissions and inventory improvement support to members on an ongoing basis.

Cornell also participated as a pilot member in the revision of the Second Nature reporting system, helping to review new data submissions and refine data management for Climate Leadership commitment member institutions.


Has the institution participated in other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year, e.g. joint planning or resource sharing with other institutions? :
Yes

A brief description of other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year:

Cornell organizes the annual Cornell Energy Connection Conference through the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise to assist institutions and industry partners in cultivating regional energy connections.

In partnership with Cornell and five other leading universities, The Nature Conservancy established a NatureNet Science Fellows program to create a reservoir of interdisciplinary science talent that will carry out the new work of conservation. The fellowships are awarded annually to six outstanding early-career scientists working at the interface of conservation, business, and technology. Each year, a new postdoctoral fellow begins a two-year post at Cornell, working directly with Cornell faculty and TNC leadership.

Cornell is also a member of the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI) ​, a local climate action and clean energy coalition in the Ithaca, NY area made up of community leaders from the education, business, local government, nonprofit, and youth sectors, through which it provides support for other regional institutions implementing climate and sustainability projects.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.