Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 86.88
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Cornell University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete N/A Lisa Kilgore
STARS Administrator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Mission Sustainability (a sustainability module)

A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Starting in August 2020, all incoming undergraduate students (first-year and new transfer students) now complete a new sustainability module entitled "Mission Sustainability" as part of the student "To-Do List." This course includes four parts: a climate & sustainability literacy survey, a 13-minute video about sustainability at Cornell, an exploration of sustainability-related campus resources, and a short reflection essay.
The public does not have access but here is a link the students use: https://newstudents.cornell.edu/fall-2022/first-year

Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Curriculum
Campus Engagement
Wellbeing & Work

Optional Fields

Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
EN-2

A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
---

Second Point of Distinction

Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO)

A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
In summer 2022, the university drilled a nearly two-mile deep exploratory borehole that has enable researchers to further explore subsurface rock conditions and heat output. Data collected from the borehole will allow the university to determine whether it can move forward with Earth Source Heat. All the data collected as part of this project and resulting analyses are made publicly available on Cornell's Deep Geothermal Heat Research website. https://deepgeothermalheat.engineering.cornell.edu/

Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Air & Climate
Energy

Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
IN-50

A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:

Third Point of Distinction

Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
Cornell takes 1st and 3rd for waste reduction in Beyond Waste Campaign

A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
National Rankings
Cornell participates in the national Campus Race to Zero Waste (https://campusracetozerowaste.org/) competition which includes institutional waste tracking for the national competition.

Cornell Standings:
Division Rate 23th out of 70
Per Capita Classic 25th out of 79
Food Organics 11th out of 82


Cornell rose in the national rankings this year, jumping to first in the nation for electronics recycling (total amount recycled), first in New York State for overall waste diversion, second in the nation for the Food Organics category (large campus division), and twenty-fifth in the nation for landfill diversion (e.g. total food and recycling diversion).

https://sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/news/cornell-takes-1st-and-3rd-waste-reduction-beyond-waste-campaign

https://campusracetozerowaste.org/

Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Campus Engagement
Food & Dining
Waste

Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
EN-5

A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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