Sustainable Development, Energy, and Environment
Adding Veggies to Diet Helps Cut Global Warming
If the carnivorous U.S. population – as a whole – ate a more-vegetarian diet that included egg and milk products, the environment would be greatly relieved, says life-cycle engineer Christine Costello, a postdoctoral researcher in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology.
“A decrease in the proportion of meat, dairy and eggs in the average American diet would be better for our health and better for our planet as a whole,” says Costello. “Perhaps as scientists, we can find data that helps societal behavior influence environmental policy.”
In a multidisciplinary project funded by Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Costello presented preliminary results from her study, “Does a Healthy Diet Help Lead to a Healthy Environment?,” at a meeting of Atkinson Center scientists in April. Read more.
previous entriesMessage from the Atkinson Center Director
At Cornell, sustainability is not just something we talk about, it is what we do. Today, we are actively addressing the serious challenges that face our world and threaten the ability of future generations to prosper. Among universities, Cornell has an extraordinary breadth and depth of talent to produce solutions and to prepare the next generation to make significant contributions.
Our Vision and Plans
We are primed to make transformative contributions because we understand the urgency to advance a sustainable future. We are on our way to becoming a world leader in sustainability education, research, and practice. Leading up to 2015, we will:
- Collaborate across colleges, schools, and units, drawing upon the university’s breadth and depth to uncover and explore solutions to more of the world’s fundamental issues
- Address the energy and economic development needs of developing countries as well as our own
- Generate solution-solving partnerships with other leading organizations, nationally and globally
- Build an even more sustainable campuses, from water and energy conservation to LEED-certified building projects
- Celebrate and safeguard the environment, advancing solutions that protect resources for future generations
Our Strengths
Cornell’s faculty and students view the world’s major issues as their own personal challenges. Through academic and service programs, they drive change by developing new approaches and technologies. Their work improves the lives of people in New York and across the planet. From developing systems that support the growth of local food markets, to sustainable farming techniques that improve profits for poor farmers in Africa, our multifaceted approach enables the university to make a difference in the world, starting on the Ithaca campus:
- An $80 million endowment from David ’60 and Pat Atkinson gives Cornell’s sustainability research programs and initiatives lasting support. The David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) advances multidisciplinary research and cultivates innovative collaborations within and beyond Cornell. ACSF’s permanent status gives confidence to potential external partners: our sustainability program is itself sustainable. There are 280 Atkinson Center research faculty fellows from 65 departments who are working to solve sustainability problems—and this number grows every year. These collaborative efforts create a cooperative faculty culture and graduate field system that support Cornell’s thought leaders. Many of the existing research teams found one another at an Atkinson Center Topical Lunch, a reoccurring event that brings together faculty from across departments, breaking down traditional academic silos and uniting people with shared concerns. Some of these teams go on to innovate new projects with real-world applications in sustainability research, such as local food transport chains, new renewable energies, and phage therapies in clinical trials in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Our Priority Areas
The university, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, and the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future seek to raise $40 million by 2015 for faculty renewal and recruitment, graduate fellowships, and current programs.
Recent News
TEDx talk: Drew Harvell on marine biodiversity
Websites
- The David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
- Cornell Sustainable Campus
- Cornell Climate Action Plan
- Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station
- Energy Materials Center at Cornell
- Food, Agriculture, and Development
- Institute for Computational Sustainability
- KAUST-Cornell Center for Energy and Sustainability
Contacts
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Communications |
Administration |
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Lauren Chambliss
Cornell University 607-255-7344 |
Frank DiSalvo
Cornell University |