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Spotlight on ASAP Naturalization Initiative

The Naturalization Action Planning team was born out of an Advancing Sustainability Action Plan (ASAP) retreat held on October 26, 2007. Naturalization is just one of about 20 ASAP Initiatives. Read the team's full report here.

Pilot naturalized area developed at Hans Bethe House on West Campus, before and after.

Advancing Sustainability Action Plan (ASAP)

In 2008, Cornell University Finance and Administration (CUFA) identified seven leadership priorities, one being to “integrate the value of sustainability into all major operations.” The leaders of CUFA are working with the president to help realize his commitment; to that end, we are bringing together leaders from many different parts of Cornell to identify shared priorities and develop concrete strategies for collaborative action. The Advancing Sustainability Action Plan (ASAP) is a result of that effort.
Read the ASAP report (pdf), for more detailed information.

What Is Sustainability?

"Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" is one widely accepted definition of sustainability. Stated differently, it involves reorganizing our life support systems - agriculture, transportation, energy production, etc. - so that life on Earth can be sustained indefinitely.

Our environment certainly has limits that can't be exceeded without adverse consequences. We can't simply ignore the amount of resources we extract from the Earth, how much waste we throw away, how much pollution is released into our air and water, and the effect that these practices have on our communities. Around the world, there are increasing indications that our current way of life is unsustainable: smog-clouded air, eroded soils, disappearing wildlife habitats, starving people, civil unrest, melting icebergs, and more. As we degrade our natural resources and continue to have vast negative impacts on our climate and environment, this way of life is being called into question.

So, what can we do about it?

Sustainability is a balancing act. Cornell University is guided by a belief in balancing people, planet, and prosperity. While much needs to be done (you can help), Cornell has many established programs to make the campus more sustainable. Already, the university has made significant progress. For example:

• In 2001, Cornell adopted the Kyoto Protocols to control or reduce CO2 emissions, and we'll have exceeded our target goals in 2010;
• Alice H. Cook House was certified in 2005 by the U.S. Green Building Council (and the university is applying the same principles to other building projects);
• The lake source cooling system has saved more than 25 million KwH each year compared to conventional systems;
• The university's recycling efforts keep more than 2,000 tons of waste out of landfills every year; and
• The award-winning Transportation Demand Management Program on campus has reduced the number of parking permits by 25% and enabled Cornell employees to commute 10 million fewer miles each year.

Looking to the future

Recently, Cornell has made a commitment to move towards Carbon Neutrality. This will involve aggressively reducing our CO2 emissions and offsetting what is left, to the point where our University's net emissions reach zero. Colleges and universities all across the United States are joining in this commitment, which will help to advance education for sustainability in all sectors of our society.