Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

@Cornell students are helping tackle one of the more complex challenges in climate science: understanding methane emissions from waterbodies and mangrove ecosystems. 🧵 news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

As David Lodge retires as director of Cornell Atkinson, we celebrate his extraordinary contributions to sustainability science & practice @Cornell, and honor his contributions to inform policy & protect ecosystems at scale. 📌 Read about David’s career: news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

As biodigesters go, Cornell’s new unit will be small: two 10,000-gallon tanks on a concrete pad that might not be much to look at. But this little system, which will transform food scraps and cow manure into energy, will have an impact far beyond its footprint. “This is such a great opportunity for research, education and extension,” said Lauren Ray, senior extension associate and agricultural sustainability and energy engineer for PRO-DAIRY, in @CornellCALS. “It has this element of practicality, because it really will supply energy to the university, but at the same time it’s a platform for learning and even playing, as well as providing hands-on demonstrations for farmers and students.” The digester is one of the newest additions to Cornell’s Living Lab: a long-standing approach that uses campus operations to research and advance sustainability. It will be installed this summer at the @CornellVet’s Teaching Dairy, where it will take in a portion of manure from the 180-cow herd, as well as food service scraps and byproducts from campus. Funding and project management were provided by the @AtkinsonCenter. Read more: news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0….

Methane drives nearly 30% of today’s warming — and cutting it is one of the fastest ways to slow the rate. More than 250 scientists just released a roadmap for faster methane action. Now policy and investment must catch up. Via @wef: weforum.org/stories/2026/0…

“I’ll tell you, forecasting in general - it has been degraded.” — my quote for this @NPR listen on how the 2025 DOGE cuts to @NWS continue to place Americans at risk. npr.org/2026/05/06/nx-…

As our exciting research with grape pomace as a functional ingredient continues, we want to thank our collaborations @GalloFamily @NYWineGrapeFdn @USDA_NIFA @AtkinsonCenter @CornellCALS

Cornell’s newest Living Lab - the biodigester - will turn organic waste into renewable energy ♻️🐄 Using microbes in sealed tanks, the system will create biogas that can help power dairy operations while supporting sustainability research. ➡️news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

A small anaerobic digester, one of the newest additions to @Cornell’s Living Lab, will generate electricity and provide a real-world testbed for researchers across campus. @CornellCALS @cornellvet @NYSERDA news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

Collaborators from from 13 universities and NGOs gathered @Cornell to tackle a shared challenge: how to meet growing energy demands without further compromising the world’s rivers. The Rethinking Hydropower working group shares a common goal: freezing the hydropower footprint.

To see the latest sustainability advancement on Cornell’s campus, facilities engineer Sam Fairchild will tell you to look up to the roof of Olin Hall. Perched along nearly the entire length of the building’s west wing, a brand new heat recovery system – “a beautiful assembly of sheet metal,” Fairchild said – is a small cityscape, with fans 30 feet high, metal shed-like structures and a long chute for the flow of air. The system is one of three installed on campus and is part of a larger portfolio of improvements, across 23 campus buildings, that have massively overperformed on initial targets for cost and carbon savings. he effort fits into Cornell’s larger, long-standing approach of using campus facilities and its operations as a Living Lab, where staff, researchers, and students innovate, experiment, and learn while advancing sustainability goals. “We do some pretty amazing things,” said Cole Tucker, associate vice president of energy and sustainability in Facilities and Campus Services. “It’s not only about the problems we solve for Cornell, it’s about how our solutions can be maximized globally.” Read more: news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0….

May 11, 4:30 p.m. ET @Cornell - Joshua Blumenstock, UC Berkeley to talk on Applications of Machine Learning and AI to the Targeting of Humanitarian Aid events.business.cornell.edu/event/20559-ci…

April at Cornell: Always glorious to view!

We had an incredible time hosting the extraordinary cohort of agricultural finance leaders on @Cornell Ithaca & NYC campuses as part of the Resilient Futures Leadership Program, in partnership with @FieldtoMarket & @ecornell_online!

“That simple payback”: For the latest advance in #sustainability on @Cornell’s Ithaca campus, look to the new heat recovery systems atop Olin Hall, Duffield Hall and the Biotechnology Building. news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

We’re excited to announce the 2026 awardees in the Cornell Atkinson-@EnvDefenseFund joint research program 🎉 $1.24M will support 12 @Cornell + EDF projects tackling ocean protection, urban air quality, EV battery recycling & more. 📌 Learn more: news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

@EDFOceans We are grateful for our valuable partnership that brings this kind of research to real-world impact!

In Colombia, we’re partnering with @AtkinsonCenter to study mangrove ecosystem dynamics and deploy low-cost methane sensors—advancing smarter, science-backed restoration for these vital coastal habitats. youtu.be/1tVKgc_MsaA?si…

This is what it looks like to connect student innovation with real-world impact—where hands-on learning, cross-sector partnerships, and community collaboration come together to advance solutions. youtube.com/watch?v=1tVKgc…

Then, the device was deployed in mangrove ecosystems in Colombia w/ @EnvDefenseFund, @CornellBirds & local partners. This effort is expanding access to critical data needed to better understand these ecosystems & support long-term restoration & climate resilience.

@Cornell students are helping tackle one of the more complex challenges in climate science: understanding methane emissions from waterbodies and mangrove ecosystems. 🧵 news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…