When it comes to sustainable construction materials, there’s no contest: mass timber buildings require less heavy equipment, save on labor costs and take less time to install than concrete and steel. By utilizing mass timber, the construction industry can utilize green building practices without compromising efficiency.

That was the message of “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future,” a lecture delivered by , and ��of Kent State University. Presented on Sept. 30 at the , the lecture was part of a national tour showcasing Mirando and Onsarigo’s research at Kent State’s .

Mass timber refers to a class of engineered wood products (EWPs) that are often used for wall, roof and floor construction. Because commercial-scale mass timber construction projects are on the rise across the United States, Professors Mirando and Onsarigo highlighted the importance of educating the next generation of professionals about these green building materials.

The lecture featured data from one of the tallest mass timber buildings in the United States:�� in Cleveland, Ohio. A mixed-use structure with 300 apartment units and ground-floor commercial space, the project was uniquely efficient because of the use of mass timber materials such as Glued-Laminated Timber (GLT) beams and columns, as well as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs. The real estate developer reported that construction time was about 25% faster than typical concrete or steel construction.

“Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” also included a weeklong exhibit in Link Hall where students could examine real-life examples of mass timber building materials, including dowel laminated timber, nail laminated timber, and connections and assemblies used in mid- and high-rise construction projects. The “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” national exhibition tour is funded by the (SLB) headquartered in Portland, Oregon.��, department chair of civil and environmental engineering, and Reed Kelterborn, director of education for SLB, delivered welcoming and opening remarks.

The visit from Kent State University faculty was organized by��, associate teaching professor and undergraduate civil engineering program director, and , civil and environmental engineering professor emeritus. “We were thrilled to host Drs. Mirando and Onsarigo’s national touring exhibition on the construction management aspects of the mass timber building industry, and to highlight the benefits of mass timber as a sustainable construction material to the Engineering, Architecture and Construction (EAC) community here in Central New York,” says Professor Shi. “Interest in mass timber buildings is rising rapidly throughout the country. Skilled labor and seasoned professionals are in great demand. This state-of-the-art exhibition and lecture can help bring our students up to speed and get them ready for the next generation’s EAC industry.”

“In addition, we are training students to design and build more sustainable and resilient infrastructure to approach the immense challenges of climate change and natural disasters,” Professor Davidson adds. “Mass timber can be one of the most effective construction materials to meet these challenges.”

Students in engineering, architecture and other disciplines who are interested in the topic of sustainable building materials may also want to register for the��, which will be held in Syracuse this coming March.

Saba Siddiki

The funding is provided by the NSF’s Smart and Connected Community program and aims to foster a Community-Responsive Electrified and Adaptive Transit Ecosystem to tackle challenges that arise in the planning, operations and management of public bus fleet electrification.

According to Siddiki and fellow project researchers, public bus fleets—including transit and school buses—represent a prime opportunity for transportation electrification and associated improvements in environmental quality and health benefits in impacted communities.

The widespread adoption of electric buses has been hindered by an array of complex and interrelated planning, operational and managerial challenges, they say. Among them are range limits, long charging time, expenses, low bus utilization ratios, equipment downtime, an underdeveloped workforce, and diverse stakeholder interests and priorities.

The research team seeks to overcome these hurdles with a holistic approach that includes the integration of intelligent technology development with community needs. Sustainability and transportation access will be focal points in their research and solution design.

The project will involve the development of intelligent tools for effective and data-driven decision-making regarding bus electrification. The project will also assess collaborative governance in public bus fleet electrification planning and policymaking. In addition, in collaboration with industry and community partners, the project will contribute to the development of a workforce to facilitate a sustainable future for electrified public bus transportation.

“Through these various activities, the project aims to support a scalable, transferable and sustainable path for bus electrification,” says Siddiki.

Siddiki co-authored a paper published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition in August 2023 that presented findings on research related to the topic of transportation electrification. She and fellow writers examined pathways in American cities with varying degrees of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) adoption and policy activity took to encourage PEV adoption in the late 2010s. They found that transportation electrification in cities was streamlined through the work of PEV advocates that collaborated across sectors.

This recent work builds on previous projects Siddiki has conducted examining public sector policies to encourage electric vehicle adoption as well as factors informing individual vehicle uptake.

Siddiki is the Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy and director of the master of public administration program and the Center for Policy Design and Governance. Her research focuses on policy design, collaborative policymaking, institutional theory and analysis, and regulatory implementation and compliance.

“Professor Siddiki’s leadership of the Center for Policy Design and Governance and her broader interdisciplinary work, collaborations and scholarship elevates the visibility and relevance of the research being done as well as the diverse audiences that are impacted by the outcomes and the external funding being prioritized to support evidence-based policy and implementation,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke.

The project research team is led by principal investigator Jie Xu of George Mason University. In addition to Siddiki, it also includes Wenying Ji, Ran Ji, Vivian Motti, David Wong and Fengxiu Zhang, all of George Mason University, and Jundong Li of the University of Virginia.

Matthew Huber

But could a global event with millions of people from all over the world converging in one place ever be considered sustainable?

In this Q&A with SU News, , professor of geography and the environment in the , discusses his perspective on the 2024 Paris Olympics’ sustainability goals and broader implications around global energy equality.

The Paris 2024 Organising Committee pledged this is the most sustainable Olympics ever, but it’s still a massive operation buildup of infrastructure and a global event that brings in millions of people to one location. Can the Olympics even still be considered green?

This reminds me of the 2007 Academy Awards when “An Inconvenient Truth”—Al Gore’s breakthrough climate documentary—won an Oscar and the academy declared the award ceremony was the first one to be “carbon neutral.” People are rightly skeptical when massive, spectacular (and ostentatious) events, which entail displays of wealth and large-scale resource and energy use, declare themselves “green.”

The fact is we still live in a world where roughly 80% of all energy use comes from fossil fuels so it’s quite difficult for much to be “green” (without engaging in dubious and sometimes fraudulent practices of “carbon offsetting”) let alone such a massive undertaking such as this.

One aspect of the Paris committee’s efforts was to not have air conditioning for the athletes’ accommodations but many countries, such as the U.S. and other wealthy nations, are supplying their athletes with air conditioning. What does it say about sustainability efforts to combat climate change when wealthy countries can still do what they want while less wealthy countries do not have that same privilege?

Apartment buildings in the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Paris (Credit: @Paris2024/Rapheal Vriet)

The weird irony to me is that France has an electricity grid that is nearly 100% carbon free (notably due to the roughly 70% derived from nuclear power and the remainder from mostly renewables). So it’s not clear to me exactly why limiting AC use even makes sense from a climate perspective.

If their reasoning goes beyond climate (e.g., the larger environmental impacts from electricity use) then obviously it’s having exactly the opposite effect: prohibiting AC is leading to inefficient and haphazard efforts on the part of some countries to bring their own AC in. It would be much more rational and efficient to simply provide centralized AC to all participants.

Your point about the inequality between nations is an important one and underscores how the solution would be for France to provide decarbonized AC for all. Analogously, the world actually needs to come together to decarbonize the energy systems of rich nations, and in some cases invest in providing basic (decarbonized) energy services to poor nations. We still live in world where roughly 800 million people have zero access to electricity and roughly four times that number have very little and intermittent access. We take electricity for granted, but I believe it should be a human right.

There are discussions around future summer Olympics being moved to a different month to avoid searing hot temperatures. Is this another example of a larger global issue of how humankind will have to make these life adjustments around warming conditions?

Yes, this is what climate scholars call “adaptation.” I could imagine a world in which it would make more sense for the “Summer” Olympics to be held in spring or fall, and (sadly) it might even be really hard to hold a Winter Olympics at all (unless one plans on counting on the highly energy-intensive practice of producing snow!).

The challenge is we’ve built an entire human civilization in a period of planetary history called the “Holocene,” which has been defined by an unusually stable and warm climate. There is so much that will need to change now that it appears these conditions no longer exist.

For media who wish to schedule an interview with Huber, please reach out to Daryl Lovell, associate director of media relations, dalovell@syr.edu.

World Refill Day, a campaign to reduce plastic waste that was celebrated this past Sunday, is a reminder of the simple ways individuals can transition away from single-use plastics toward more sustainable systems.

Eat, drink and shop with less waste in the following ways:

• Bring your reusable water bottle with you and look for refill stations.
• Coffee or tea drinker? Find places that offer discounts or rewards for bringing in your own reusable cup.
• When you head to the grocery store, don’t forget to bring your reusable bags and use reusable items to store your perishable items like fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to glass instead of plastic containers when packing your lunch or packing away those leftovers.

Take Advantage of Sustainable Systems on Campus

Water refill station

Committed to advancing its own sustainability efforts, the University has already taken steps to reduce its plastic footprint by releasing its Plastic Reduction Plan. The plan outlines how the University will work to drastically reduce the use of single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year.

Helping the University meet its goals, University community members can take advantage of more sustainable options on campus as it relates to beverages.

Refilling reusable water bottles on campus is easier than ever with a feature on the University’s interactive campus map showing exact locations of .

More of a coffee or tea person? Did you know that Food Services offers discounts for those with reusable mugs? At campus cafés, when you bring your own mug for a fill-up, you receive a 10% discount. If you join the mug club, you receive a 20% discount plus one free fill-up on Fridays when using your mug club cup! .

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about what you can do to help reduce our plastic consumption, email the Sustainability Management team at��sustain@syr.edu.

Members from the YWCA organization pose in front of their van while holding a bin full of ’Cuse Collections donations.

The Office of Sustainability Management hosted ’Cuse Collections during the last week of the Spring 2024 semester to provide a convenient location for students to donate unwanted and gently used items before leaving for the summer. The office partnered with local nonprofits and charities to get the donated items into the hands of those in need, helping to reduce dumpster waste while assisting the local community.

“We are grateful to the Office of Sustainability Management for organizing this event,” said Lydia Montgomery, project manager at A Tiny Home for Good, a local Syracuse nonprofit. “As we work to build community and assist our tenants in creating homes, events like these support our mission for long-term supportive housing.”

Bedding, clothing, shoes, refrigerators, microwaves, household items and more were collected and donated. On-campus departments such as the Mary Ann Shaw Center helped to recruit volunteers. Student volunteers and peer-to-peer educators assisted donors and helped the organizations picking up donations.

In total, over 70 gray bins of items (equivalent to roughly half of an 18-wheel tractor trailer) were donated to 11 organizations, including the Rescue Mission, RISE, A Tiny Home for Good, Mary Nelson Youth Center, Catholic Charities, YWCA, InterFaith Works, Center for Justice Innovation, Huntington Family Center, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County and the Westside Family Resource Center.

“Catholic Charities was able to acquire much-needed clothing items from the event,” said Kerina Herard, program manager of emergency services for Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. “Every day, people come to our door at Cathedral Emergency Services in need of clothing. Thanks to ’Cuse Collections, we are better able to provide for them. This opportunity will make a significant impact on the lives of those we serve.”

Donations loaded into the Rescue Mission van.

Former Sheraton Hotel Donates Furniture

Community members loading items from the Sheraton Hotel onto a truck.

As ’Cuse Collections wrapped up for the semester, the former Sheraton Hotel was able to make a big contribution to the effort. As the hotel closed its doors after Commencement to prepare for its conversion into a 400-bed residence hall, the building’s 200 rooms were cleared of furniture, linens and bedding ahead of the start of construction. The hotel’s furniture was transferred to a local warehouse, where organizations could collect donated items. The response was overwhelming: TVs, mattresses and chairs were quickly reclaimed and given to those in need.

“Mattresses from the Sheraton Hotel will be steam cleaned and used in several of our housing sites,” says Montgomery. “Donations like these allow us to serve more people in the Central New York community.”

Sustainability Management plans to host ’Cuse Collections on an annual basis. For more information, visit the .

Warehouse full of people sorting miscellaneous items from the Sheraton Hotel such as televisions and refrigerators.

• Quantify the types of single-use plastics used on campus and identify technically feasible replacements or elimination of single-use items.
• Collaborate with vendors to include language in vendor/franchise agreements to eliminate single-use plastics in vending and food service agreements.
• Expand compost capabilities to ensure alternative products can be disposed of properly.
• Educate campus constituents on proper disposal and communicate progress on the website.

The plan touches on areas where progress has already been made and lays out future initiatives. It also includes a timeline of each plastic category and when it will be phased out or reduced.

An important aspect of the plan involves raising awareness around the effort to reduce plastics and promoting responsible plastic use and disposal methods.

“Empowering our campus community with knowledge is key to fostering a culture of sustainability,” says Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator. “Through our peer-to-peer educators, we’re excited to introduce the Plastic Reduction Plan, a vital initiative in our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Student peer-to-peer educators have already had the chance to contribute to this project. Over the next several years, the goal is to expand education and outreach to all campus constituencies.

Cadwell issues a charge to the campus community: “Together, let’s champion sustainable practices, reduce plastic waste and safeguard our planet for generations to come.”

The plan can be viewed in full on the Sustainability Management . In the coming months, the website will also be updated to include a dashboard showing progress toward the goals outlined in the plan.

From left to right: Gokdenis Ersoy and Aiden Robinson of Haynie’s Heroes; Emma Lueders, Jennie Bull and Julianna Hernandez of Moody Management LLC; Garv Prabhaker and Sarah Schoenecker of University Diaries; and Xiangyi Han, Jingjing Wu and Minna You of Boundless Why (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

Bandages that monitor for diabetic foot ulcers and creating safe spaces for conversations about sexual wellness and self-love were just some of the winning innovations presented at the Whitman School Dean’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Innovation Challenge on April 18.

The challenge was a semester-long initiative coordinated by Erin Draper, director of experiential programs, with Jude Azai G’24 and Aakanksha Maheshwari G’25, that encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration as students honed their problem-solving and critical thinking skills around the 17 . While each team was required to have one Whitman student, participants came from across the University and included undergraduate, graduate, online and doctoral students. The students received no academic credit for participating but did so because of their passion for innovation and sustainability.

Fourteen graduate and 17 undergraduate teams submitted reports in March, which resulted in the selection of the “Elite 8”–the top four undergraduate and graduate submissions thought to have the greatest potential to make an impact on sustainable development goals across disciplines.

On April 18, teams displayed posters and posted 45-second YouTube videos about their projects, while judges Mark Coleman, adjunct faculty, Whitman School; Anna Chernobai, professor of finance in the Whitman School; Brian Macrae G’01, managing partner, Synapse; Cary Mullin G’08, vice president and general manager, broadband solutions, Belden Inc.; Megan Quill ’05, vice president, finance, Smartest Energy; and Meg Tidd, CEO of VIP Structures; heard six-minute pitches from the “Elite 8” vying for $25,000 in cash prizes to help further their projects.

“Whitman is committed to creating leaders that understand the importance of sustainability for the future and where our students can use their innovative problem-solving skills to begin to address some of the grand challenges our society is facing,” says Whitman Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “By providing real-world solutions to issues listed among the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, our students have shown how we can come together as a community to make the world a better place. I’m also delighted to support our students’ efforts in experiential learning, where they emphasize teamwork, communication and developing innovative solutions that help to create the next generation of responsible business leaders and entrepreneurs.”

The following awards were presented at the event:

THE WHITMAN INNOVATION GRAND PRIZE:�� $5,000

Moody Management LLC: The undergraduate team of Jennie Bull ’24, Julianna Hernandez ’24 and Emma Lueders ’24 created a sex-positivity community media platform with a safe space for conversations about sexual wellness and self-love. It addresses the SDG of good health, gender and reducing inequalities.

DiabeTech: The team of Tosin Alabi G’25, Manjusha Baddipudi G’25 and Katayoon Faraji G’25 took the grand prize with an innovative “smart bandage” to prevent diabetic foot ulcers. The product looks much like an ordinary bandage but is equipped with sensors and uses artificial intelligence analytics to monitor wounds, signaling patients and doctors of signs of infection to prevent gangrene or amputation. DiabeTech addressed the SDG of good health, technology and reducing inequalities.

From left to right: Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie, Tosin Alabi, Katayoon Faraji and Erin Draper, director of experiential programs (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

FIRST RUNNER UP: $3,000

Haynie’s Heroes: The undergraduate team of Gokdenis Ersoy ’25, Aiden Robinson ’26, William Akerson ’24 and Nicholas Santangelo ’25 developed an innovative platform for convenient, fast and efficient refurbishing of e-waste covering the SDG of quality education, reduction of inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production.

Eco Guardians: The graduate team of Aman Kumar G’25, Prashant Gautam ’25, Kushwanth Sai Chandu Meesala G’25 and Shivani Mangesh Sadare G’24 created a program for “climate literacy” in the education system to promote learning, awareness and self-incentivization of preserving the planet to help teachers and students have better understanding of the consequences of waste on the environment. The SDG were quality education and climate action.

SECOND RUNNER UP: $2,000

University Diaries: The undergraduate team of Sarah Schoenecker ’27 and Garv Prabhaker ’27 created an interactive online platform designed to help high school students through the college application process, particularly first-generation and underserved students who may lack resources, as well as newly enrolled college students. The SDG were quality education and reducing inequalities.

Circular Sages: The graduate student team of Trang Nguyen G’25, Akarsh Bhutani G’24 and Monthip Sonethavong G’24 created WasteWise, a digital platform for responsible consumption in the textile industry that identifies and manages resources through waste mapping and methods of eliminating excess materials in the marketplace. It addresses the SDG of responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water and life on land.

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: $1,000

Daredevils: The team of graduate students Natasha Lobo G’25, Dishant Bhansali G’25 and Bhavya Chheda G’25 designed a portal for the management of e-waste that connects customers, service centers and recyclers. This award was selected by audience vote at the event.

SDG BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION AWARD: $1,000

Eco Guardians (see project description above) was selected based on weekly discussions throughout the competition related to SDG.

MOST IMPACTFUL INNOVATION AWARD: $1,000

Boundless Why: The undergraduate team of ��Xiangyi Han ’26, Jingjing Wu ’25 and Minna You ’25 were selected for this award for creation of a global online community that provides art resources and therapy for teenagers with autism.

BEST CREATIVE VIDEO AWARD: $1,000

KG’s: The team of Ghonche Khalaj G’26; Ali Kozehgaran G’26; Adhadreza Safasinia G‘28; ��Seyed Babak Seyd Asadollah ’28 and Seyedehniloufar Mousavi ’27 was selected for a video presentation on AgriNect, an app designed to find and tip farmers whose products consumers enjoy.

BEST COLLABORATIVE DIVERSE TEAM: $1,000

Circular Sages: (see project description above) was selected for best representation of students from different backgrounds and various schools, as well as the contribution by each team member.

For more information, visit the Dean’s SDG Innovation Challenge page on our��.

As the campus community celebrates Earth Month, Lydia Knox discusses the state of sustainability and explores how the University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2032.

What does it mean for Syracuse University to invent and demonstrate cutting-edge sustainability initiatives?

It means reducing the University’s environmental impact responsibly by identifying, promoting and implementing practices that will meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. And it includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions through wisely managing energy efficiency projects.

Projects like the recently completed improvements to the mechanical systems at the Center for Science and Technology, a multi-year initiative that resulted in a 25% reduction in steam use in 2023 and an annual emissions reduction of over 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). Or the��recent replacement of the Lally Athletics Complex arena lighting, an effort expected to reduce carbon emissions by 141 metric tons per year.

“Sustainability encompasses a lot, but I think in the most basic sense it’s trying to really have a positive impact on the community and on the environment, and to just make sure that the practices we’re putting forth each day are both benefiting us now at this current moment, but also will have a benefit to future generations of students, faculty and staff here at Syracuse University, and on a larger level, the whole Syracuse community. This is not one fix-all. It’s going to take a lot of people,” says Lydia Knox G’22, the sustainability project manager in the .

During April, the campus community is coming together to celebrate Earth Month. On this ‘Cuse Conversation, Knox discusses the state of sustainability at Syracuse University, the wide range of Earth Month efforts occurring on campus, how the University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2032, how you can get involved with these initiatives and why she left her career as a television meteorologist to pursue her passion for sustainability and preserving the Earth.

Check out episode 162 of the podcast featuring Knox. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

Design by Lauren Estabrook ’24, environmental and interior design student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Sustainability Management is happy to announce the dates for the end-of-semester donation event known as ’Cuse Collections. From Wednesday, May 1, through Tuesday, May 7, two storage containers will be placed on North Campus and one will be placed on South Campus to collect donations. Donation drop-off times will be posted on the Sustainability Management social media accounts (, and ) and on . The locations are as follows:

• North Campus
  • DellPlain Hall loading dock
  • Sadler Hall parking lot (next to dumpsters)
• South Campus
  • Carriage House: 161 Farm Acre Road

All students are welcome to drop off unused and gently used items. The following items will be accepted:

• Clothing and shoes
• Sheets, comforters, pillows, blankets
• Non-perishable food items
• Small kitchen items and appliances (microwaves, toasters, blenders, TVs, lamps, silverware, pots and pans, blenders, vacuums and more)
• Tables and chairs

Donations will be collected and distributed to local organizations such as the YWCA, the Transitional Age Youth Project, Recuse Mission, InterFaith Works, the Mary Nelson Youth Organization and RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment). All non-perishable food items will go to the South Campus food pantry. Volunteers are needed to tend to the locations to help assist those dropping off items and organizations collecting donations. If you are interested in signing up, please .

If you have any questions or would like to partner with Sustainability Management for the next ’Cuse Collections event, email sustain@syr.edu.

Among the goals are:

• Achieve the University’s net-zero goal by 2032.
• Dramatically reduce single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year through a phased approach.

defines a feasible path to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and details a two-phase approach to reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. Those phases are:

• Phase I focuses on energy efficiency projects, the Steam Station modernization, the transition to zero emission vehicles and policy updates. Energy efficiency projects currently in progress include the installation of a heat pump at the Carriage House on South Campus and into the existing energy recovery loop at the Life Sciences Complex. Additionally, LED lighting projects are underway.
• Phase II includes the sequestration of carbon through forest properties, sequestration of carbon in the built environment and onsite renewables. The sequestration in the built environment means removing or storing carbon in construction and building materials such as mass timber or revised concrete mixes.

“Reaching carbon neutrality in eight years is an ambitious goal and the updated CAP highlights feasible strategies to get there,” says Lydia Knox, sustainability project manager. “It is exciting to see the plan laid out knowing the positive impact these projects will have on the environment and campus.”

The Climate Action Plan also highlights projects in progress and recently completed, including:

• Mechanical upgrades to the Center for Science and Technology
• LED lighting replacements in the John A. Lally Athletic Complex
• Steam Station modernization

“Many of the initiatives outlined in the plan are currently underway, and it’s encouraging to see the progress we are making in energy and emission reduction,” says Jason Plumpton, assistant director of engineering, utilities and sustainability. “We appreciate the Sustainability Oversight Council and are grateful for their valuable input during the plan’s development.”

Every year, Sustainability Management will calculate and assess the greenhouse gas inventory based on data gathered through building meters and University databases. Informed by that data, the Climate Action Plan will be adjusted and revised as necessary based on evolving technologies and regulatory changes. To read a copy of the plan visit the .

A heat recovery chiller in located in the penthouse of CST. This equipment pulls the heat from the chilled water loop and allows us to use the heat for heating the building ventilation air.

The heat recovery chillers pull heat from the campus chilled water loop and heat the building’s dehumidification coils. At the same time, they reduce the chilled water load on the campus loop. This upgrade has reduced chilled water usage by over 67,000 ton-hours. This system, along with the lab exhaust energy recovery loop, helps to reduce steam and chilled water consumption, putting fewer demands on the district steam system and reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions.

The biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions at Syracuse University is burning natural gas to create steam. Steam is used to heat University buildings and power a turbine chiller, which provides chilled water to cool buildings. Reducing steam-chilled water use at the buildings is a great way to reduce natural gas consumption and related emissions. This project is an example of energy efficiency strategies Sustainability Management is using to meet the 2032 carbon neutrality goal. The graph below shows the notable reduction in total energy use (MMBtu) and steam usage from 2022 to 2023.

“Instead of thinking of excess building heat as something that we needed to remove, we thought of heat as a resource that we needed to recover and reuse,” says Jason Plumpton, assistant director of engineering, utilities and sustainability. “We were able to make some minor adjustments to��how we arranged the building mechanical systems to take advantage of this resource. This project was a great example of how we can incorporate sustainability into capital improvement projects.”

The heat recovery coil on the building exhaust system. This pulls heat from the building exhaust air and allows us to reuse it in the building.

The Center for Science and Technology was completed in 1989. Over three decades later, the mechanical systems needed an update to support modern research. This project presented a great opportunity for Sustainability Management to align the need for an update with building decarbonization. Open labs were designed with efficiency in mind, allowing for shared use of equipment such as energy-intensive fume hoods. This design prevents hoods from going unused, and the installation of high-performance fume hoods further cuts down on energy use. Installing an energy recovery loop and reconfiguring the chillers to operate in heat recovery mode harnesses energy that would otherwise have been exhausted and gone unused. This project improved both capabilities and efficiency of the entire building.

Energy improvements in laboratory buildings are a major focus. A benchmarking study completed in 2023 confirmed that laboratory buildings that use a lot of outdoor air are the largest energy-consuming facilities on campus. Sustainability Management is focused on reducing energy usage in CST and other energy-intensive buildings to have a more meaningful impact on emission reductions and reduce utility costs.

Students from Professor Patrick Penfield’s green supply chain class partnered with the Sustainability Management team for a presentation in Bird Library on Bee Campus USA.

• Wednesday, April 3, 6-8 p.m.
• Maxwell Auditorium

Sustainability Management, in collaboration with SUNY ESF and Hendricks Chapel, will host grocery bingo. Students will play bingo and those who win will be offered a bag of groceries as a prize. All Syracuse University and ESF students are welcome to attend.

• Wednesday, April 10 or 17, 11 a.m.-noon
• Pete’s Giving Garden, South Campus

Spend an hour contributing to Earth Month by gardening with Sustainability Management, in collaboration with Wellness Initiatives. Volunteers will help prepare the gardening beds for seeds and seedlings that will be planted in late May. Alongside readying the beds for future seeds and plants, cold-weather seeds like broccoli and cauliflower will be planted. For those with mobility concerns or a preference for standing while gardening, Pete’s Giving Garden provides ADA beds. The garden is behind the Inn Complete on South Campus.

A sign attached to a fence reads “Pete’s Giving Garden” and is decorated with drawings of vegetables and bees.

• Wednesday, April 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Bird Library

Sustainability Management student interns will host a tabling event to raise awareness about the importance of bats and their role as pollinators and hand out pamphlets on how to build a bat house. Seeds from Pete’s Giving Garden and our Bee Campus USA Garden will also be given out. All are welcome to stop in and learn about pollinators!

• Thursday, April 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Promenade, outside Schine Student Center

A Sustainability Management intern will host a tabling event to educate faculty, students and staff on the importance of composting and how to dispose of items properly. There are also plans to offer pots to replant plants. The table will be outside on the promenade, weather permitting.

• Monday, April 29, noon to 1 p.m.
• Vitral event,

In this virtual event session, Sustainability Management will touch on how the University’s greenhouse gas emissions are tracked and categorized. Additionally, you’ll learn about the energy efficiency projects recently completed and other strategies to reduce energy use and emissions both on campus and at home.

Earth Day 2024

Keep in mind that Earth Day is officially Monday, April 22.

In addition to these events, Sustainability Management is actively working towards the University’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. If you’re interested in getting involved with Sustainability Management, .

Their three-year research project, , offers new insights, recommendations and data supporting the practice of “retrofitting” older buildings. The team has demonstrated how updating interior and exterior building systems for increased energy efficiency and improved air quality can achieve “” energy use—where the energy a building harnesses is equal to or greater than the energy the building consumes. Retrofitting is an integral part of energy-use and carbon footprint reductions as well as lowering demolition waste and the building sector’s overall carbon impact, says , assistant professor at the and the project’s principal investigator.

Nina Wilson

“We expect to see wide application of our findings as the state and nation move forward in their efforts to fight climate change. Given the energy and carbon impact exerted by many thousands of retrofit-ready buildings just in New York state, it is important to keep delivering physical demonstration projects and data that enable the industry to better model and predict performance outcomes of retrofit approaches,” Wilson says.

New York State has set to combat climate change, committing $6.8 billion for projects to cut on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs by 2025, reach 70% renewably sourced electricity by 2030 and achieve a zero-emission electric grid by 2040.

The Net Zero project received a from the (NYSERDA), with an additional $200,000 from Syracuse University as part of a commitment to its Climate Action Plan.

Two-Building Approach

Two identical residential apartment buildings built in 1972 on�� Winding Ridge Road on the University’s South Campus were used for the study. One was chosen for retrofitting and the other served as a “control” to provide near-identical, non-retrofitted building data throughout the project.

Research began in 2021 with a building assessment to diagnose conditions like poor insulation, building envelope leakage and a lack of active ventilation and cooling systems. At the same time, sensor data, digital modeling, cost criteria and performance goals drove the design process. Construction of the retrofit was completed in the summer of 2022, followed by a year of post-occupancy energy and environmental data collection. That analysis compared the retrofitted building’s energy use to the non-retrofitted building to gauge the impact of the adjustments.

More Systems, Less Energy

The retrofit plan was initially modified due to cost issues during COVID-19, but because indoor thermal comfort and improved air quality remained as priorities, high-efficiency heat pumps and heat recovery ventilation systems were installed.

So far, Wilson says, the construction modifications have exceeded expectations, producing up to 80% reduction in energy use for heating and cooling, even with the addition of fresh air and cooling systems in place of the original electric baseboard heating. Data also shows significant improvements in indoor air quality through reductions in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals commonly found in indoor environments that can have long-lasting health effects.

Using holistic and interdisciplinary approaches have been important, given the research team’s expectation that this type of work will continue for decades, Wilson says. “We pushed beyond the simple energy-use reduction goal to include occupant well-being and environmental quality considerations. That we were able to do that and still meet the energy target was an outcome that provided valuable lessons.”

Interdisciplinary, Academic-Industrial Alliance

Faculty, staff and students from three University schools and colleges, the and the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction, plus industry experts and community business partners, participated in the project.

Bing Dong

, associate professor at the and a co-principal investigator, designed and managed building data-collection systems to measure indoor air quality, energy efficiency of the spaces and various ways occupant behavior (such as opening windows) affected energy use and indoor comfort levels. He used behavior models, building energy simulation and machine learning approaches in taking those measurements.

Bess Krietemeyer

associate professor and project co-principal investigator, led the design of an interactive, 3D exhibit showing how the Syracuse community would benefit from the energy savings and improved environmental quality, health and well-being advantages that deep-energy retrofits can provide. The exhibit demonstrates how retrofitting can improve thermal comfort for occupants while realizing cost savings on monthly energy bills and provide fresher air to breathe inside and out. Through interactive, dynamic features, the exhibit also locates residential buildings of all types—from multifamily to single-family homes—to show where and how retrofits can support the health and vibrancy of all Syracuse neighborhoods.

Jason Dedrick

faculty members and , also co-principal��investigators, created a website that broadcasts live project data and summarizes research methods, plus an app that streams energy performance data directly to building occupants’ personal devices.

Jeff Hemsley

Students have been involved in hands-on learning opportunities during all project phases. They have evaluated data, created modeling, analyzed innovative technologies and materials, reviewed life cycle analysis tools that measure carbon impact, assessed energy-saving technologies and documented all aspects of the work.

Website, MOST Exhibit

The website illustrates all phases of the project’s three-year path, from the start of building identification in 2021 through data collection, design origination and development and construction phases.

Bess Krietemeyer, center, project co-principal investigator, discusses aspects of the 3-D exhibit she developed showing how retrofitted buildings throughout Syracuse could provide energy benefits. (Photo by Shengxuan Hector Yu.)

Through the interactive exhibit designed by Krietemeyer and Wilson, visitors can explore the impacts of deep-energy retrofits across residential communities in the Syracuse area. The exhibit was developed in collaboration with interactive artists and students in the School of Architecture.

The display uses 3D depth-sensing technologies, tracking and gesture-directed software and projection mapping onto a 3D-printed model of the to display the environmental, health and economic benefits that retrofits offer. It will be on display at the in Syracuse through the end of January.

The arena lights run over 6,000 hours annually, which is equivalent to over 250 days. By using more efficient LED fixtures, the amount needed to light the arena has been nearly halved. This project will help the University reduce its carbon footprint by roughly 141 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year. CO2 equivalent is a metric used to compare and understand the impact of emissions from various greenhouse gas emissions based on their global warming potential. 141 metric tons of CO2e is equivalent to the emissions from over 100,000 pounds of coal burned.

The new LED lights (pictured right) represent a vast improvement over the old lighting fixtures at the Lally Athletics Complex arena.

Sustainability Management worked with Athletics to accurately schedule when the lights will be turned on and off. The new fixtures also have dimming capability which will provide additional savings and help prolong the lifetime of the fixtures.

Many of the old fixtures were originals from 1960, meaning the lighting circuitry was outdated and in need of an upgrade. Campus Planning, Design and Construction engineers designed the new lighting and circuitry layout, and organizing the fixtures into six zones which allow sections of the arena to be selectively dimmed or turned on/off, making the space more adaptable.

Assistant Director of Engineering, Utilities and Sustainability Jason Plumpton says, “This project is another great example of how we can improve the quality of campus facilities as we perform energy efficiency upgrades.”

Not only will the new lights improve lighting quality, but also benefit the environment. Sustainability Management and Campus Planning, Design and Construction have plans to install additional LED lights across campus. If you have any questions reach out to Sustainability Management at sustain@syr.edu or head to the website at .

Otto the Orange knows the importance of being sustainable.

Whether it’s your first time living in a residence hall or you’re moving back to campus or somewhere off campus, you can make your move as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. Plus, save money, time and space in the process.

“Sustainable practices are meant to have a lasting impact. By making a few small changes in your move-in routine, you can reduce the amount of waste produced, help protect the environment and make your life easier,” says Sustainability Project Manager Lydia Knox.

Catch these tips from the University’s team before you start to pack for the fall semester:

Water bottle refilling station and water drinking fountain.

• Communication: Coordinate with roommates ahead of time to reduce duplicate items in the new space.
• Quality Over Quantity: Space is often limited in residential halls and apartments for students, bring only what is necessary and leave the rest home. If possible, swap out clothes seasonally with items from home.
• Wait to Buy: Only pack and move essentials; secondhand stores like offer great options for gently used items.
• Pack Smart: To reduce waste, avoid using boxes, pack items in suitcases, totes and reusable containers.
• Ditch the Printer: Save space and leave printers at home. Students are each given a for the year.
• Stay Hydrated: Bring a reusable water bottle and to find out where the water bottle filling stations are available all over campus.
  

  Don’t forget to pack a power strip for your electronics.

• Pack LEDs: For desk and floor lamps, select LED bulbs, which use less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent lighting.
• Power Saver: Pack power strips, which give you the ability to easily turn electronics off when not in use.
• Pedal Power: One of the best ways to get around campus is on a bicycle. Bike racks are located all over campus and can be easily located on the . If you do bring a bike to campus, don’t forget to and use a U-Bolt lock to secure it.

Van full of items to be donated at the end of the year

Upon arrival to campus, be sure to familiarize yourself with what . This is important to know because what is recycled back home could be different than what we recycle on campus.

As the semester goes on, put aside things you may no longer need and if they are in good condition, consider donating them at the end of the year. Sustainability Management piloted a move out donation program on South Campus last year and expects to expand this program across campus at the end of the Spring 2024 semester.

Students in the Dynamic Sustainability Lab sift through items to be sorted.

On a sunny October morning, students arrived at the Carriage House parking lot on South Campus where the bags were delivered by Facilities Services. Once students were properly dressed in gowns, gloves and shoe covers to avoid contamination, they went to work. After carefully weighing and taking note of each bag, students poured the contents onto a large blue tarp. Using small rakes, items that were disposed of incorrectly were separated and placed in the appropriate receptacle. For instance, water and soda bottles were taken out and placed in recycling bins, while food to-go containers were taken out of the recycling bins and thrown out.

They found significant contamination from the bags taken from the food court area in Schine. It was noted that these receptacles included a “recycling” label but did not have the paper/bottle cutout that is typically found on other receptacles across campus.

To decrease waste/recycling contamination, Sustainability Management worked with the Dynamic Sustainability Lab and Campus Planning, Design and Construction to install new receptacle cutouts in Schine. Three new granite tops were ordered and cut with the same recycling slots as the gray recycling bins around campus. The hope is to improve recycling rates and make it easier to dispose of waste properly. This work is a reminder of the importance of collaborations like these across campus.

The original waste/recycling station in the Schine dining area (left) led to contamination. By updating the receptacle tops (right), the hope is that recycling rates will improve in Schine.

If you have any questions regarding what’s recyclable on campus, head to the .

Campus Race to Zero Waste Results

Throughout February and March, Syracuse University was part of the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition. Colleges and universities from across North America competed to promote waste reduction activities and now the results are in.

Syracuse recycled a total of 212,846 pounds! This includes bottles, cans, cardboard, paper and other recyclable items. While recycling rates are slightly down compared to previous years, Sustainability Management is attributing this partially to the pandemic and a growing number of students bringing reusable water bottles and containers on campus. 239,892 pounds of food organics were composted, and the University ranked No. 16 out of over 100 schools in the food organics category. With more recycling and waste reduction education, the goal is to increase recycling rates and decrease the amount of waste sent to a landfill. .

South Campus Move Out

With the semester coming to an end, the University partnered with local non-profits to collect student donations of unwanted items prior to leaving campus. Boxes for food, clothing and bedding were set out in the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus during the final weeks of the semester and students dropped off items as they moved out. The Boys & Girls Club, RISE, Peace, Inc., InterFaith Works and other organizations picked up donated items each day.

The results were outstanding, filling the Boys & Girls Club van, donated by the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, to the brim. Sustainability Management plans to partner with the and other departments and local organizations next year to organize a campuswide move out event. If you’re interested in getting involved, reach out to Sustainability Management at sustain@syr.edu.

Bags and boxes of donations were collected at Goldstein Student Center during move out. At right, Boys & Girls Club program director Kenyata Callaway loads items into a van donated by the JIm and Juli Boeheim Foundation to the Boys & Girls Club.

If you’ve been on the market for a new home, properties with a natural gas-powered stove were probably promoted as especially valuable. How Americans heat and cook in their homes is facing a major potential energy shift as more states explore natural gas and other fossil fuel bans.

Ian Shapiro

Ian M. Shapiro, an award-winning engineer and author, is the new associate director of Building Science and Community Programs with . He will serve as the leader for the new SyracuseCoE Building Assessment Center, and will also begin teaching in the fall semester as professor of practice at the ��in its Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Shapiro, who is a leading expert on building electrification, recently spoke with about the building industry’s readiness to electrify.

He answers six questions below about the future of fossil-fuel-free buildings, and is available for interview.

Q: For years, the gas-powered stove was often featured as an attractive selling point for homeowners. Break it down for us – is my gas-powered cooktop, oven or furnace making my home unhealthy?�� �� ��

A: Yes, in several different ways. Many people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, and many more are hospitalized, per the��.��This is not hypothetical, I have served as an expert witness for a family that was hospitalized with extreme symptoms of illness, due to a malfunctioning gas furnace.�� Many of us will remember the tennis champion Vitas Gerulaitis who was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. There are other risks, including gas explosions, fires, and more, contributing to many more deaths, per the�� (NFPA).�� A variety of other pollutants also come from the combustion of fossil fuels, including particulates, oxides of nitrogen, and more, contributing to variety of other health problems.�� There are also burn safety risks, especially for children, seniors, and the disabled.

Q: New York state has become the first state to ban natural gas stoves and furnaces in new buildings starting in 2026. What is your take on this development?����

A: This is a great development and shows New York to be a leader in the fight for safety, protecting people from unnecessary fire/explosion/carbon-monoxide/burn accidents and deaths, and eliminating the carbon emissions that place our planet at such great risk.

Q: Can you talk about the larger environmental impact of gas-powered appliances, especially in residential buildings?������

A: The carbon emissions from these fossil fuels are a leading cause of climate change, and the existential risk it poses to all of us.����

Q: What are some of the best alternatives to gas powered stoves and furnaces?����

A: Chefs are increasingly being won over by high-efficiency electric induction cookstoves, according to the��NY Times.�� These cook extremely quickly and are very safe (cool to the touch). Standard electric stoves are another well-proven option. If a homeowner wants to keep the option of gas-cooked food, and does not care about the environment, gas grills are always an option.

Q: If I already have this sort of appliance in my home, are there steps I can take to improve the indoor air quality?

A: An exhaust fan or hood above a stove will reduce indoor pollutants but will not eliminate risk from explosion or fires.

Q: As a building scientist, what are you paying most attention to or think is not being discussed enough in the conversation about gas-powered items in our homes?��

A: The risk of accidents (fires, burns, explosions, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other fatal risks), quite aside from the existential risk to the planet.��These risks of accidents are getting very little coverage. The focus of the debate has mistakenly been cooking convenience versus the environment.��There is much more to the issue than just that.��And we need to be talking about how to get these fossil fuels out of existing buildings, not just not having them in new buildings.��Separately, the role of the fossil fuel industry in the debate is not getting enough coverage. Most of the debate on the “keep gas” side is being financed by the fossil fuel industry.��We have seen ads on the little TVs at gas stations, we have seen full page ads even in local papers, and I believe virtually all of these are traceable to the fossil fuel industry.��

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

Syracuse University

Jay Golden, founding director of Dynamic Sustainability Lab and the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance, is shown on the left, with, from left to right: Charles Chibambo, a Hubert Humphrey Fellow from Malawi; Kenneth A. Pontarelli ’92 B.S. (Econ); climate investor Tom Steyer; Maxwell School Dean David M. Van Slyke; Ka’ai Imaikalani I, a Maxwell student who is majoring in international relations and policy studies; Framke Vitale, a Martin J. Whitman School of Management student majoring in marketing management; and Pia Olea Ubillus, a Hubert Humphrey Fellow from Peru. The students and Humphrey Fellows are researchers with the DSL.

In a December 2010 article, Fortune magazine called California billionaire Tom Steyer the “jolly green banker.” During a talk at the Maxwell School last week, Professor Jay Golden asked Steyer to share why he retired from his lucrative career as a hedge fund manager to channel his efforts into saving the environment. Steyer, who made a run for president in 2020, said he’d always been interested in sustainability and a lover of the “out of doors,” but a family trip to Alaska provided an up-close view of climate change that fueled his change of course. “What I found was, oh my God, this place is melting,” he said of the trip, which he took with his wife, four children and pet cat in 2006, the same year Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” documentary was released. “If you ever go to Alaska…it is shocking. You can go to a place that’s a valley, that you haven’t been able to see across for thousands of years because it was a complete mountain of snow, and it’s all gone and you can see the water rolling out of there, constantly,” he added.

Jay Golden, founding director of Dynamic Sustainability Lab and the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance, is shown, on the left, with climate investor Tom Steyer.

The Steyer family had a meeting around their dining room table shortly after returning. Steyer was in his mid-50s, and leaving his career behind and pouring his earnings into climate activism was a risky endeavor. He said his wife, Kat Taylor, was supportive, telling him, “This is your one chance to get into heaven.” That elicited a laugh from the audience of more than 100 students, faculty and staff who filled the seats and lined the walls of the Strasser Legacy Room on a recent Tuesday afternoon. The event was the culmination of a series of activities, called Sustainable Syracuse, held to draw awareness to climate issues and showcase students’ interdisciplinary research and creativity.

The events were the vision of Golden, who is founding director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab and the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at the Maxwell School. Golden joined the Public Administration and International Affairs Department in August 2021; his professorship was created with a gift from husband and wife, Kenneth A.’92 B.S. (Econ) and Tracey Pontarelli, who seek to ensure environmental policy research is grounded in a realistic understanding of markets and financial mechanisms so that future environmental policy balances economic need with sustainability.

Other Sustainable Syracuse events included a student-produced film festival; a screening of “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” with a question-and-answer by its Oscar-nominated director, Chris Renaud ’89; and a two-day sustainability symposium in Washington, D.C. The symposium served as the kick-off; its panels and workshops were attended by more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students who engaged with leading experts from industry, government and NGOs who offered insights on a range of sustainability issues such as renewable energy transitions, carbon markets, organizational leadership and strategies. Some of the issues covered at the symposium were echoed at the Steyer talk. For instance, Golden asked Steyer to talk about the notion of “net zero,” which refers to a target by private and public entities to negate the amount of greenhouse gases produced by reducing emissions and implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “I’m both encouraged and skeptical of corporations that promise net zero without really knowing how to get there. I think, of course, it’s great that people are suddenly caring. But, you’ve got to wonder—I think it’s easier said than done,” said Steyer, who in 2010 pledged to give at least half of his wealth toward philanthropic efforts and subsequently sold his stock from the hedge fund firm he founded, Farallon Capital.

An audience of mostly students from across Syracuse University and its neighbor, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, packed the Strasser Legacy Room at Maxwell recently for a talk by one-time presidential candidate and climate investor Tom Steyer.

Golden asked Steyer about the rationale behind the name change six years ago of the organization he founded, NextGen Climate, to NextGen America, and what advice he has for young people who want to be agents of change. NextGen America is a youth voter organization, and Steyer said the impetus for the name change was simple: “You can’t really separate justice and climate,” he said. “This is an all-of-society response, so the idea that you could address climate without addressing justice to me—it doesn’t work, it’s not going to work, it’s not right. So, we changed the name to say we’re going to be on positions together.” According to its website, NextGen America has registered over 1.4 million young people to vote. Steyer said President Biden would not have been elected had it not been for young voters and, he pointed to the role of this demographic in the recent Wisconsin State Supreme Court election: Democrats won the seat, flipping control of the court to the left for the first time in 15 years. “We have a very divided society,” said Steyer. “Young people need to show up if we’re going to get fair representation. …I put my trust in young people.”

And later, in response to a student’s question about how to rally climate change efforts around the globe, Steyer said that each country will go about it in diverse ways, no doubt, but change requires a unified effort by individuals. “We can’t accept people shirking their responsibility and being free riders and trying to get away with something at the expense of the other 8 billion people on the planet. That can’t work because if that happens, then everybody does it, and we all lose,” he said. And then, a nod to the Maxwell School’s full name and ethos: “I’m pretty big about being a good citizen,” he said.

The goals are part of the University’s long-term sustainability plans and align with several recommendations made in a report by the Student Association released in December 2022. The report was developed after Chancellor Kent Syverud charged Student Association President David Bruen ’23 in late spring 2022 with making recommendations about the University’s sustainability practices and policies.

Highlights of the new goals include the following:

• Advance the University’s current net-zero goal from 2040 to 2032. To support this goal, the University will create a Sustainability Oversight Council to oversee and audit the office to ensure emission goals are met.
• Commit to dramatically reduce single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year through a phased approach.
• In a collaboration between the Student Association and the University, create an annual sustainability research competition, as proposed in the Student Association’s .

“These ambitious new goals set a high standard for where the University needs to be in terms of our climate action plan. We are committed to creating a more sustainable campus,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I am grateful to David and all the students who worked on the report. Their leadership, insights and efforts, in partnership with Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala and his team, will help the University in achieving our sustainability goals.”

Last year, the University released its , which documents progress and outlines strategies over the next five years for the University to edge closer to emissions neutrality.

In its report, the Student Association, which also worked with students from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Le Moyne College on the project, called on the University to “amplify and expedite sustainability and climate pledge efforts in response to current events, technological advancements and government incentives.” A student leader team of Student Association Sustainability Director Harrison Vogt, Vice President of Community and Government Affairs Ben Cavarra and Student Advocate Liv Curreri, led by Bruen, oversaw the development of the report.

“As members of the University community, and as part of the greater community, students play a role in helping to move forward ideas and promoting decisive action in creating a more sustainable future,” says Bruen. “With the University’s commitment and collaboration of our students, these goals are not only achievable but will be realized by all of us and make Syracuse University a national leader in sustainability.”

In helping to oversee the net-zero goal through Sustainability Management, the Sustainability Oversight Council will be composed of a representative from the Student Association, a representative from the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and a faculty member with an expertise in sustainability.

As part of the Student Association recommendation for the creation of an annual sustainability research competition, students will have the opportunity to propose ideas in which the University can minimize carbon emissions. Students will submit proposals, which will be reviewed by a select panel of judges consisting of student leaders, faculty and staff. The winner of the competition will receive a prize.

In addition to the competition, faculty will also be able to submit their own proposals, to be reviewed by the panel of judges and University leadership, which will determine implementation at the University.

These advancements toward a more sustainable future will make Syracuse University a national higher education leader in sustainability.

A student completes work outside on campus.

The student survey was created with a Sustainability Management student intern, while the faculty and staff survey was created by staff in Sustainability Management. On both versions, questions seek to assess respondents’ general understanding of sustainability and environmental problems. Some questions are opinion-based while others gauge interest in becoming more involved in sustainable initiatives or programs.

Responses will help inform Sustainability Management where to focus efforts and evaluate the campus community’s sustainability related concerns. These surveys will ultimately help the University gain points toward the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). STARS is a self-reporting assessment to measure higher education institutions’ sustainability performance. Colleges and universities can earn points toward different level ratings: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Syracuse University is currently rated Silver with goals to reach Gold and eventually, Platinum.

There are plans to re-survey the same respondents in the future to measure if there have been any changes in responses. The more data received over time, the more helpful it will be. Surveys are sent randomly to selected students, faculty and staff via their syr.edu email address. Each survey should only take a few minutes and upon completion, respondents can submit their name for an Amazon gift card.

Keep an eye on your inbox and take the time to include your valuable feedback so the University can continue to improve and enhance its sustainability initiatives. With a heightened awareness of climate change and environmental issues, there is greater demand for action from students as well as faculty and staff.

This survey will provide vital information and help Sustainability Management prioritize certain areas. If you have any questions, email sustain@syr.edu. To stay up-to-date with Sustainability Management, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SustainableSU.

The first event will be a virtual learning and development session on April 6: . Recycling laws and regulations vary by county, state and country and there is often confusion over which items belong in the recycling bin. In this session, students, faculty and staff can sign up to learn what is recyclable and what happens to your recyclables on and off campus. Sustainability Management will decipher how commonly confused items should be disposed of and answer any questions.

Another virtual learning and development session hosted by Sustainability Management will be held April 10: . Native habitats are disappearing rapidly. Are you missing Monarch butterflies and other native butterflies?��In this session, learn how to select and plant a native garden to help support pollinators to provide nectar and pollen, and support pollinator habitats. As a affiliate, Sustainability Management will share insights into starting a new pollinator garden and how to start your own.

On April 18, Sustainability Management will host a at Schine Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sustainability-related campus organizations, services and groups that serve Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) have been invited to attend, including:

• Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA)
• Syracuse University Student Association Sustainability Committee
• Syracuse University Dynamic Sustainability Lab
• Syracuse Haulers
• Syracuse University Food Services
• Syracuse University Graduate Student Organization Climate Action Committee
• SUNY ESF

Learn how these organizations and others play a part in sustainability on campus, how to get involved and come with any burning questions you might have.

Other events include a clothing swap on April 19 from 1 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Student Association Sustainability Committee. Students can bring a few items, browse the selection and try on their choices before swapping!

The Dynamic Sustainability Lab will also host a Sustainable Film Festival and screening of “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” with a special interview with director Chris Renaud on April 7. On April 11, 2020 presidential candidate, businessman and climate activist from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Eggers Hall.

One of the goals of the most recent is to improve communication and engagement with the campus community. Events like these are an opportunity for Sustainability Management to engage with students, faculty and staff, answer questions and learn how we can improve as a department to limit the University’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

For more details on many of these events, check out the . For the virtual sessions, you can click on the registration link to attend. Follow Sustainability Management on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SustainableSU or visit for more information. With questions or suggestions, email sustain@syr.edu.

By taking a holistic approach to leadership, sustainability leaders consider the long-term impacts of their decisions on the environment, society and the economy. They are committed to promoting sustainable practices in their organizations and communities, and they encourage others to do the same.

In partnership with , Syracuse University announces a three-phase . Phase I of the program is a two-part virtual session engaging participants in discussions facilitated by instructors Karin Botto, senior human resources business partner at Syracuse University and Hilary McManus, professor of biological and environmental sciences at Le Moyne College. Phase II is an in-person, on-site retreat hosted at Syracuse University’s Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, from June 3-6, 2023. Phase III is an additional virtual session to solidify the key learnings from the program.

Throughout the Sustainability Leadership Program, participants will:

• Learn about climate change issues by connecting the dots between personal, organizational and planetary thriving.
• Deepen self-awareness, personal well-being and resilience through learning a variety of contemplative practices aimed at mitigating eco-anxiety.
• Develop and present SMART leadership goals for yourself, your community and/or your organization.
• Engage with change management practices to support your leadership goals.
• Experience a variety of peer coaching methods and professional mentoring.
• Expand network of change-makers to enhance community engagement.

Upon successful completion of phases I-III of the program, participants will earn a foundations microcredential. Additionally, participants can continue to earn an impact microcredential by completing a portfolio review.

The registration deadline for the Sustainability Leadership Program is Friday, May 5, 2023. Interested participants can .

About the Instructors

Karin Botto, senior human resources business partner at Syracuse University

Karin Botto has worked in higher education for more than three decades in areas such as leadership development, human resources, enrollment management, strategic planning, mission integration and faculty development. She currently serves as senior HR business partner at Syracuse University where she partners with senior leaders to shape, develop and deliver plans and strategy in line with the needs and priorities of the organization including organizational development, performance management, talent management, professional development, workforce planning and employee relations. She also teaches Individual and Collective Discernment in the Master of Business Administration program at Le Moyne College.

Botto holds a Master of Science in Training and Organizational Development from Saint Joseph’s University and earned a Doctorate of Education from Creighton University in Interdisciplinary Leadership. Her dissertation research focused on developing the ecological self for sustainability leadership. She was recently interviewed by Jesuit Schools Network about her research for the Ignatian Inquiry Podcast.

In 2015, Botto co-developed a leadership model published in the Journal of Jesuit Business Education (2015). She co-authored a chapter of Success After Tenure (2019) by Stylus Publishing and wrote a chapter of Women Courageous: Leading through the Labyrinth (2021) by Emerald Publishing.

Botto’s specialties include sustainability leadership, group dynamics and decision-making, leadership development, coaching and mentoring, management training, and integrating contemplative practices into one’s life and leadership. Her most important role is mother to Jack, Gwyn and Gavin.

Hilary McManus, professor of biological and environmental sciences at Le Moyne College

Hilary McManus is a professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. She teaches about the science of the climate crisis in the classroom and local community and aims to nurture the current and next generations of environmental stewards through hands-on experiences connecting with nature. McManus co-chairs Le Moyne’s Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee, developing a comprehensive campus-wide framework for a greener campus, and is also a certified executive leadership and career coach.

In 2018, McManus was selected as a participant in Homeward Bound, a global leadership development initiative for women in STEMM, which culminated in a three-week voyage to Antarctica with 78 other women from around the world. Currently, with over 700 women strong, the network continues to grow as an international collaboration of women scientists aiming to lead and influence decision-making as it shapes our planet. McManus is also a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps founded and led by Al Gore. She delivers presentations with interactive components that offer audience members an opportunity to brainstorm climate action items on the individual, community and policy levels.

McManus’s time away from Le Moyne is spent with her two sons, hiking, camping, gardening and sitting zazen.

An infographic highlights the impact of last year’s Campus Race to Zero Waste.

From Jan. 29-March 25, the University will participate in the Campus Race to Zero Waste, a national competition of colleges and universities from across the United States and Canada. The competition’s goal is simple: increase campus recycling and composting and decrease waste while raising awareness, with just a little bit of competition and bragging rights at stake between campuses!

Each week, the University will report its amount of recycling, trash and compost. Campuses will be ranked based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which schools generate the least trash and recycling.

In total, last year’s participants helped divert nearly 28 million pounds of waste from the landfill/waste-to-energy facility. Syracuse University partners with Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) and Syracuse Haulers to collect, weigh, report and dispose of all waste. In 2022, Syracuse came in 16th out of 103 in the Food Organics category and 37th in the Diversion category.

Participation helps the University earn credit for campus engagement in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) report. STARS is a reporting system to help universities and colleges measure their sustainability performance. Syracuse currently holds a STARS silver rating with strides being made to reach gold or platinum level in the coming years.

The winners of the competition will be announced April 28. Winning schools will receive an award made from recyclable material and win the right to host that category’s special traveling trophy for the coming year.

During the eight-week period, look for digital signs across campus explaining how to dispose of waste, recycling and food scraps properly.

Head to and click Recycling and Waste Reduction under the Sustainability on Campus section for more information on what’s considered recyclable, compostable or trash.

Follow @SustainableSU on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more and keep up with the competition. Links can be found on the .

The National Wildlife Federation manages the Campus Race to Zero Waste program. To learn more, visit .

Seyeon Lee, an associate professor of environmental and interior design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design

The (AASHE) recently announced that , an associate professor of environmental and interior design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design, received a 2022 AASHE Sustainability Award for outstanding research in higher education sustainability.

Lee won the award with Suyeon Lee of Seoul National University for the journal article “,” which was published on Aug. 13, 2021, in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. The paper aims to investigate the potential impact of internal carbon pricing on emission reduction in higher education institutions, which are major emitters of greenhouse gas emissions.

Lee conducted some of her research at Syracuse University, where she received two (CALS) grants in 2019 and 2020 to investigate waste generated and recycling efforts on campus. Her first study focused on the studio waste in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, home of the School of Design. It expanded in the following year as she looked at the students’ waste/recycling behaviors in their residence hall rooms.

“Triggered by these research projects, my collaborator, who has expertise in international development and policy, and I used the data that universities across the U.S. submit—Syracuse included—to measure their sustainability performances and investigated how the HEIs could reduce greenhouse gas emission associated with campus waste by implementing carbon pricing,” says Lee.

AASHE bestows its prestigious awards on the institutions and individuals that help lead higher education to a sustainable future. This year, AASHE received 430+ entries that resulted in 12 winners announced across five categories. Entries were judged on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity and other criteria specific to each category. AASHE held a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 8, to recognize and celebrate the 12 award recipients.

Lee joined the School of Design faculty in 2016. Her research interests engage community architecture with an emphasis on sustainable and affordable architectural design and planning with a special focus on housing affordability.

Interactive Campus Map

If you’re looking for a bike rack or curious about where the solar panels are located, you can use the interactive campus map’s . The sub-categories within this section include:

• Climate Action Plan projects
• Water
• Grounds
• Waste
• Bike racks
• Car chargers

The interactive campus map has been updated to include sustainability items.

Under Climate Action Plan projects, you can find any LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building and details about the Schine Student Center solar panels and the Center for Science and Technology Energy Recovery system, as well as where the most recent LED lighting upgrades are on campus.

Not sure where to refill your Hydro Flask? The water section highlights where all water bottle filling stations are located. The grounds section identifies Pete’s Giving Garden, the Pollinator Garden and the honeybee hives. And if you’re trying to find where you can compost, look under waste.

New projects supporting the University’s Climate Action Plan will be added to this area of the map. The goal of this feature is to increase awareness of sustainable initiatives while also making it easier to navigate campus.

Car Chargers

The sustainability team has finalized an agreement with the company ChargePoint to modernize existing electric vehicle charging stations. All the existing stations will be upgraded to dual port, supplying 7.2 kilowatts of power and allowing two vehicles to charge at once. A new station will be installed in the 621 Skytop parking lot and the station currently mounted on the Syracuse Center of Excellence building will be moved to the parking lot. This work will be completed during December, so the new stations will be ready for service by the start of the new semester.

The new stations will be visible on the ChargePoint network so customers can see whether a station is in use or available for charging on the ChargePoint mobile app. The app also allows customers to view charging status and receive alerts. A usage fee will be included which will be applied directly to the maintenance, operation and upgrades to the system. The station’s usage will be monitored and will allow Sustainability Management to make decisions on where and when to expand the system.

Website Updates

Sustainability Management has also been working to update the . The updated site includes details on the most recent Climate Action Plan, volunteer opportunities and features student projects related to sustainability. There is also Sustainability in the News, highlighting the latest articles released about all things sustainable on campus. If you’re curious about what certain departments are doing to be more environmentally conscious, there are sections describing sustainable practices that have been implemented.

There’s a new timeline depicting sustainability through the years at the University—and if you’ve never heard of or didn’t know the University had its own , there are sections detailing their importance. The website is a valuable resource to inform the community and highlight the many meaningful initiatives taking place on campus.

If you have any suggestions or ideas about how to make Syracuse University more sustainable, email sustain@syr.edu. And be sure to check out the new website at to learn more about ways to get involved.

Others may visualize an empty room as a blank canvas, just waiting for a little bit of work and a whole lot of creativity to make it a cozy area that reflects their identity and provides respite after a long day of classes, work and activities.

Zeke Leonard and Amie Freling ’89

As the University prepares for Syracuse Welcome, we tapped two expert designers for insights and inspiration. is an associate professor and associate director of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) School of Design, specializing in environmental and interior design. He is passionate about and conducts research on the role of social responsibility and environmental stewardship in contextually relevant design and fabrication practices.

VPA alumna is an artist, interior designer and owner of Meme Hill Studio in Rochester, New York. She is also a blogger and who has long partnered with such companies as Better Homes and Gardens, HGTV Magazine and Home Goods to bring her “traditional, yet whimsical” design style to life and share it with the masses.

Check out episode 110 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Amie Freling ’89. A transcript is also available.

Whether you’re looking for a few simple ideas to add some pizzazz to your room (on or off campus!) or envision an HGTV-worthy space that provides a picture-perfect backdrop for your college experience, our tips have you covered.

Oh, and in case you haven’t gotten the memo: sustainable design and eco-friendly solutions are always on-trend.

1. Follow the rules.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t start with a disclaimer: If you’re heading to one of our on-campus residence halls or apartments, there are some restrictions on how you can decorate your room and certain items that are not permitted. We highly recommend perusing the from New Student and Family Programs, as well as the before heading to campus. It’s also helpful to understand the , before showing up to campus with a carload of things that you either won’t need or won’t have the space for.

2. Bring some of your favorite items from home.

Before you hit up a big-box store and purchase everything you think you’ll need for your room brand-new, consider what you already have in your room at home. According to Freling, bedding, pillows, bedside lamps and throw rugs from home can all add coziness to your residence hall room with the added benefit of reminding you of home. “You certainly don’t have to go out and buy everything new,” she says.

Leonard says items from home can also constitute what he calls “objects of long-term value,” which you are more likely to keep rather than trash and then replace in the future. “If you bring that pillow that reminds you of your great aunt, or that blanket that you always lie under while you’re watching TV at home, that’s also something that you’re probably not going to then throw away at the end of the year,” he says.

The residence hall room Amie helped her daughter, Chloe, design at Ithaca College. (Photo courtesy of Amie Freling ’89)

3. Remember that space is at a premium.
When you move into a residence hall room, “you’re basically living in a little tiny house with another person,” says Freling with a laugh. It is key to maximize the space you have by finding multipurpose pieces—for example, an ottoman that doubles as a storage cube, a lamp that is also a charging station, or a narrow rolling cart with drawers that can provide both surface and storage space while taking up a relatively small footprint.

Speaking of storage, putting your bed on risers or even cinderblocks can help create more space for stowing luggage, extra clothes or laundry baskets. When Freling decorated her daughter Chloe’s room at Ithaca College ), she even used inexpensive window panels to mimic a bedskirt and conceal items stored under the bed.

4. Shop secondhand, preloved and local.

“Back-to-school annually is a $100 billion retail experience,” says Leonard, noting that it is second only to the winter holidays for retailers in terms of sales. All too often, he says, the school year begins with residence halls overflowing with cardboard, plastic and Styrofoam packaging elements from new items purchased, and ends with dumpster after dumpster filled with the items themselves, many of which are plastic and end up in a landfill.

“Here in Syracuse, we’ve got a really big Salvation Army store. We’ve got a bunch of secondhand stores—315 is one of them, right next to campus. There’s a Habitat for Humanity Restore that has all kind of lamps and stuff,” he says. From a sustainability standpoint, you may also consider bringing only what you absolutely need for day one to campus at move-in, and then picking up items gradually over the first few weeks of the semester—preferably secondhand—as you determine what you truly need to live comfortably in your space.

5. Cardboard, spray paint and the internet are your friends.
There is no shortage of inspiration for turning used wares into the picture-perfect item for your space—we’re pretty sure that is why the internet was invented. Freling says, “I am the queen of DIY—and it doesn’t have to be expensive! I tell everyone to head to Pinterest or just Google ‘dorm rooms,’ there are lots of places to go for inspiration.”

A coat of spray paint is perhaps one of the easiest and cheapest ways to bring new life to a preloved object, such as a desk chair, bedside lamp or small table. (Pro tip: do not use spray paint in your residence hall. Do this outside and before you come to campus!) Spray paint, of course, comes in shades of blue and orange, so this can also be an easy way you show your school spirit.

Leonard says he, too, finds inspiration on social media, using hashtags like #upcycle, #upcycledlighting or #upcycledstorage to gain new ideas. “Searching #cardboardfurniture will get you a ton of really interesting hits,” he says, noting that discarded cardboard will be in abundance as people unpack their store-bought things. “With some Elmer’s glue, cardboard and a craft knife, you can build a storage unit. Add some duct tape, and you’re off to the races.”

6. Let your room be an exploration of your identity.

For many students, especially those entering their first year of college life, decorating and furnishing their residence hall room is an opportunity to showcase their identity and, in some cases, begin to forge a new one. Think about what you value and start there.

A student’s cozy bed was photographed in Day Hall in 2021. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

If you value your friends from home or your family’s dog, work pictures of them into your décor (Freling reminds us that these days, photos can be made into everything from magnets to temporary wall clings to an accent pillow). If you value protecting the planet, think about how to reduce your environmental impact, bringing repurposed, preloved or borrowed items and only investing in those “objects of long-term value” if you truly need to buy new things.

“I totally respect that identity-creating is a big part of the college experience,” says Leonard. “But my question would be: ‘Does identity have to be a retail experience? Or can identity creation be really self-driven and be about ‘who am I?’ and not ‘what is someone trying to sell me?’”

Want more tips? Head over to Syracuse University’s TikTok for . Proud of your room’s style? Show off your décor by tagging @SyracuseU on TikTok or Instagram for the chance to be featured.

Aviv, who launched SparkCharge in 2017 to provide portable electric vehicle (EV) chargers, is a respected entrepreneur, innovator and inventor who has played a critical role in developing easy-to-find and easy-to-use charging stations for electric vehicles.

Josh Aviv ’15, G’17 (right) introduces President Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68 (left) during a ceremony at the White House before the president signed off on the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act.

Aviv was invited to introduce President Biden before the president signed off on the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which promises to “boost American semiconductor research, development, and production, ensuring U.S. leadership in the technology that forms the foundation of everything from automobiles to household appliances to defense systems,” according to a .

“I was extremely nervous and yet extremely happy to have the honor of introducing President Biden. It was such a surreal moment, two Syracuse University alumni at the White House. It was a huge honor, not only for me but for my family. Knowing that the story of my company and the work we’re doing would be heard was absolutely amazing,” Aviv says of his second trip to the White House during the Biden presidency.

It was during that first trip to the White House, at an event last year, when Aviv discussed with President Biden and his staff the need to address the troubling shortage in semiconductor chips and the supply chain issues that were both driving up the cost and the wait times to receive the chips.

Last Thursday, two weeks after the bill was passed, a White House staffer called Aviv to deliver the news that he would be delivering remarks and introducing President Biden.

The CHIPS and Science Act will increase the country’s production of semiconductors while fueling efforts to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. While America created the semiconductor, today the country relies on East Asia for 75 percent of its advanced semiconductor chips.

Josh Aviv ’15, G’17 (left) greets President Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68 (right) during a ceremony at the White House before the president signed off on the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act.

Aviv was an ideal choice to introduce his fellow Orange alumnus. Thanks in part to the passage of the bill, Aviv says SparkCharge will double the productivity at its Buffalo, New York, factory over the coming months, part of its commitment to create jobs and opportunities that will “lead our economy’s transition to clean, electric transportation.”

“I believed in the power of my product, and I believed in the American dream. For years, my industry has been at the mercy of supply chains, making semiconductors that are critical to our chargers, and I wanted to change that,” Aviv told the audience. “This is a country where innovation thrives, with the most capable and creative workforce on Earth.”

President Biden said the bill will unlock hundreds of billions of dollars in private sector semiconductor investment across the country, including production essential to national defense and critical sectors.

The ceremony was a homecoming of sorts for Aviv, who was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up admiring the entrepreneurial spirit of his grandfather, Hubert Dade, who for more than 20 years ran a freight logistics company that shuttled airplane parts between Dulles International Airport and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Those days spent watching his grandfather instilled in Aviv the drive and work ethic required to be an entrepreneur, and inspired Aviv to launch SparkCharge, the world’s first mobile, ultra-fast EV charger, in 2017, when he was still a Syracuse University student.

“This new law gives people like me a chance and the opportunity to grow our businesses, to be proud of what we do, to be proud of our country. I’m honored to introduce a president who understands that. Mr. President, from one proud Syracuse University alumnus to another, thank you for your leadership,” Aviv said while welcoming President Biden to the podium.

Before turning the press conference over to his Orange counterpart, Aviv made a special ask of the president.

“If you ever need a charge for your electric corvette one day, I’ve got your back,” said Aviv, drawing laughs from the crowd.

“Josh, thank you for the introduction,” said President Biden. “Josh loves electric cars, he graduated from Syracuse, he’s my kinda guy, what more do you need? Syracuse and electric cars.”

Josh Aviv ’15, G’17 poses with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the White House during the signing of the CHIPS and Science Act.

At the press conference, which featured Aviv, President Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Aviv was hailed as the next generation of American entrepreneurs by Raimondo.

While Aviv says he was nervous to introduce the president, his nerves were calmed when the two Orange alums reminisced about their alma mater before the press conference. President Biden asked Aviv which residence halls he had stayed in during his time on campus—Booth Hall and Haven Hall—and President Biden commented on how much he enjoyed his time on campus as a College of Law student.

“We just had a great conversation, and he was a great, down-to-Earth guy who was extremely warm and welcoming to me and my family. President Biden bleeds Orange as much as any other alumnus, and it was just such a cool moment to have two Syracuse University alumni on the stage talking about electric vehicles,” Aviv says.

Aviv launched SparkCharge as a Syracuse University student, working closely with the��to develop his business roadmap.��He incubated after graduation at the��, where he built his prototype, and his company is valued at more than $100 million, with operations across the country.

SparkCharge’s application, Currently, brings EV charging directly to drivers whenever they need a charge, regardless of location. The app is part of the company’s pledge to enable EV drivers, companies and entire cities to become greener places by delivering convenient, easy access to EV charging.

Aviv earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the��and the��, and a master’s degree in information management from the the School of Information Studies. He is a member of the LaunchPad’s Founders Circle and serves as a LaunchPad Entrepreneur in Residence. During Orange Central 2019, Aviv was honored as a recipient of the Generation Orange Award, which recognizes graduates of the last 10 years for their continued commitment to Syracuse University.

Organized by the , the Design Awards invited all design-related practitioners and students to send their best built and unbuilt works to the awards category of their choice.

The Learning and Sports Center is a rural community center in Masoro Village, Rulindo, Rwanda, which combines spaces for play and learning for all, especially youth and women.

A jury of architects and industry professionals including Talisha Sainvil, AIA, 40 Six Four Architecture; Louise Braverman, FAIA, Louise Braverman Architect; Joseph Vance, AIA, Joseph Vance Architects; Nicholas Garrison, FAIA, FXCollaborative; and Christian Bailey AIA, ODA, judged each entry based on program solution, site and space planning, construction system, overall design solution and aesthetics, and details and function. They selected over 30 winning projects in the Awards of Excellence, Honor and Merit categories.

The —a 2-hectare campus with seven buildings and sports amenities built by GAC’s group of designers, artists, educators and researchers—received a Design Award of Honor.

The Learning and Sports Center, located among the rolling hills of rural Masoro in Rwanda, where nonprofit architecture firm GAC has been working for the past 14 years, is a collection of interior and exterior spaces that provide a safe and secure environment for learning, play, and wellness. The project provides a library, classrooms, technology education rooms, indoor exercise spaces, community and teaching gardens, outdoor theaters, event seating, a basketball court and a community soccer field, all of which are accessible to community members free of charge.

During the construction period, GAC hired 390 builders from the surrounding neighborhoods, 54% of whom were women. They received pension contributions, breakfast and lunch, as well as safety training and equipment. The site and time of construction offered the community builders training opportunities in sustainable and durable construction techniques, including modern brick construction and screen weaving using local grasses and bark. Off-the-grid infrastructures such as rainwater harvesting and a biodigester were implemented. Unlike typical Rwandan institutions surrounded by fortress-like walls, the center uses parameter buildings to create a sense of security across small courtyards. The surrounding slopes are used to provide seating and define an existing soccer field for sport and community events. Excess soil from excavation was turned into compressed soil blocks for future construction.

The 2-hectare campus with seven buildings and sports amenities, designed by General Architecture Collaborative, was named recipient of a 2022 SARA | NY Design Award.

GAC partnered with community leaders and education and health nongovernmental organizations to ensure that the center became an actively used space for and by the community. After opening, GAC acted as the facilities director and oversaw the hiring and training of local managers. Thanks to this new team of local managers, during the pandemic, the Learning and Sports Center became the hub for disseminating knowledge and supplies necessary for keeping the community safe. The harvest from the gardens was given to the Masoro residents, and books in the library were made accessible to children so they could continue to learn when schools were closed. Community members built the center, gather here today and decide how to use it collectively as a commons.

“Masoro Learning and Sports Center is a unique place. From the planning, through the construction and management phases, the project tried to be part of the community,” says Yutaka Sho, associate professor of architecture at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and a founder and partner at GAC. “There have been many challenges and errors during the process, no doubt. But because of this process, the residents have ownership over the place and its openness is tangible when you step into the campus.”

For many who live in Masoro, accessing services means making the 40-minute trip into town on a motorcycle taxi, bus or lift on the back of a passing truck. To have an area that is uniquely theirs and equipped to host and support sports and learning opportunities has profoundly impacted rural Rwandans.

“These activities may sound normal to you, but for this community, they are challenging if not impossible to access, and they create significant opportunities for the future,” says Sho. “Most houses in this rural area do not have access to electricity or water, let alone Wi-Fi, further education, training or a free time to play sports.”

Selected among entries from over 80 countries, the Learning and Sports Center was also a jury winner in the “+For Good” and “+Community” categories of the , the largest awards program focused on promoting and celebrating the year’s best architecture.

The 2022 SARA | NY Design Award recipients were celebrated at the annual Design Awards Gala at The Manhattan Manor in Times Square, New York, on June 14. To view the full list of winners and their winning designs, visit .

The space provides a library, classrooms, technology education rooms, indoor exercise spaces, community and teaching gardens, outdoor theaters, event seating, a basketball court, and a community soccer field.

STARS, a self-assessment, incorporates that improve report quality, protect the credibility of the program and provide a fair and transparent means for resolving questions about the accuracy of reported data.

The University has been a member of as a Carbon Commitment campus focusing on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and achieving carbon neutrally by 2040. The University has a clear roadmap to implement and increase sustainability across campus by using the STARS reporting system.

All produce grown in Pete’s Giving Garden, the University’s campus garden, supports two food pantries on campus.

In its second STARS submission, the Univesity had a Silver Rating of 61.49 points, with a stated goal of continuing to increase sustainability across campus by utilizing STARS as a roadmap and benchmarking tool. Sustainability Management will help guide departments and the assorted schools and colleges on how to increase sustainability in their areas.

“Academics increased the number of courses that include sustainability or are a sustainable class by 13 percent over the past few years. I was truly amazed at the number of sustainable products being purchased and used on campus. I look forward to when sustainable supplies are the standard and not the exception,” says Melissa Cadwell, the University’s sustainability coordinator responsible for compiling the information in the STARS report.

Campus sustainability and energy conservation measures have consistently increased over the years, with the University purchasing more renewable energy certificates, offsetting electricity usage from 35% to 45%, mitigating 40,277,814 kWh’s per year.

The campus installed its first solar thermal system on 160 three-bedroom apartments utilizing solar energy to heat the water, saving approximately 300,000 kWh’s per year or 213 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2) a year. Additionally, 139 solar panels were installed on the roof of the Schine Student Center in 2020, generating 66,000 kWh per year while saving approximately 46.8 metric tons of CO2,

Since 2015, the University has also seen:

• Food Services supporting sustainability and sustainable food through Meatless Mondays while adding a ��to campus
• Adding LED energy-efficient lighting on campus
• University Purchasing buying 99 percent of the campus’s office paper from post-consumer recycled paper or -certified content paper
• Campus as a Lab for Sustainability grant funded 25 campus projects for faculty and students who research ways to help make the campus climate neutral
• Campus Grounds department adding two electric lawnmowers to its fleet of equipment
• Sustainability Management has partnered with Hendricks Chapel to sponsor a food pantry in its space on South Campus. All produce grown in Pete’s Giving Garden, the University’s campus garden, supports the two food pantries on campus.

“This marks the completion of our second AASHE STARS rating and illustrates our campus community commitment as outlined in our Climate Action Plan and our goal of climate neutrality,” says Pete Sala, vice president and chief campus facilities officer. “The silver rating was earned through planning and continued efforts of our campus community and showcases our continued progress towards sustainability. We need to thank our campus community for their hard work in helping us become an even more sustainable campus.”

With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas:

• Academics
• Engagement
• Operations
• Planning and administration
• Innovation and leadership

The program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria behind a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” says AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Syracuse University has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

Please note, this image pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies at all partner levels—Industry, Affiliate and Start-Up—are invited to apply. Projects must��address a challenge within SyracuseCoE’s��, which include indoor environmental quality, clean and renewable energy, and water resources. Projects that include research engagements with faculty and students, support for product development and testing, market analyses and proposal match requirement are encouraged.

Previous companies that received Innovation Fund awards include:

Visit the�� page to see how other partners have used these funds.

Applications, due by Thursday, Feb. 17, at 5 p.m. ET, will be invited to give a proposal pitch, via Zoom, with a panel of judges. Visit the SyracuseCoE ��to learn more, or, if interested in joining the Partner Program, contact Tamara Rosanio at tlrosani@syr.edu.

During the Winter Break/Orange Appreciation Days period:

• All academic and administrative buildings will be locked or closed.
• Building temperatures will be lowered to 60 degrees unless prior arrangements have been made.

Building Access Requests:

If you require your building to be open over the Winter Break/Orange Appreciation Days period, please submit a request to your , noting the specific dates and times.

All requests should be made by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.

Note: Building access already in place for faculty and staff will be maintained, per usual, by swiping your SU I.D. card, even when buildings are locked.

Adjustments to Temperature and Lighting Requests:

Deans, directors and department heads may submit a detailed request for adjustments to temperature and lighting during the Winter Break/Orange Appreciation Days period. Please review the University’s temperature guidelines. Requests must be made using the by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Requests will be reviewed and approved by either the vice president and chief facilities officer or the provost.

Important: Buildings Not Included in Winter Break Reduced Occupancy Schedule

The following buildings will be excluded from the temperature setback, and will remain on normal access, temperature and lighting settings:

• Bird Library—Operating hours are listed on the
• Bowne Hall-Fourth Floor
• Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center
• Center for Science and Technology
• Crouse-Hinds Hall
• Ensley Athletic Center
• Heroy Geology Laboratory
• Life Sciences Complex
• Link Hall
• Lyman Hall-Fourth Floor
• Manley Field House
• Physics Building
• Sims Hall-Department of Public Safety
• South Campus Library Facility
• Tennity Ice Pavilion

Additional information regarding Winter Break/Orange Appreciation Days resources and services available may be found at the following links:

Questions regarding building occupancy can be directed to Energy Systems and Sustainability Management at 315.443.1535 or energy@syr.edu.

The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken between May 16, 2022, through June 30, 2023. All proposals must clearly address how the projects relates to climate disruption, and all must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability-related issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include (but are not limited to) faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

Two projects were awarded funding in April 2021:

• Assessment of the Ecological and Engineering Services of the Established, Extensive Green Roof at the Syracuse Center of Excellence, Professor Svetoslava Todrova, $24,997
• Development of Advanced Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems for Nitrogen Oxide Mitigation During Hydrocarbon Combustion, Thomas Welles,Ph.D. candidate in mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, $25,000

Todorova, professor of practice in civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, submitted the grant to study the green roof at the Syracuse Center of Excellence.

“We are excited for the opportunity to bring students and faculty from engineering, urban planning, construction management and public health to study the long-term performance of the green roof at the Center of Excellence,” she says.�� “The team will focus on the hydrological and water quality function of the roof, its ecological adaptation and impact on the building systems, visitors,and occupants. Understanding the long-term performance of green roofs is vital to the success of the technology in urban areas. Using one of our facilities on campus, the green roof at the Center of Excellence, allows us to develop a demonstration project, engage the campus community and foster new ways of interdisciplinary learning.”

��The Syracuse University Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty and staff from across the University. The program merges academic scholarships with the University’s broad initiative to meet energy efficiency goals, while having faculty and students use the Syracuse University campus as a testbed for innovative ideas.

“The grant winners are instrumental in facilitating the University with research and educational programs that are instrumental in helping us with our carbon neutral goals,” says Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator. “What makes this grant the perfect campus as a lab grant is our students and faculty are using the University as a test bed with their innovation and education awarded funding. Additionally, being able to work with the students and professors has created a stronger working relationship with Sustainability Management and the campus community.”

The Call for Proposals, budget template and application materials can be found . The deadline for submission of proposals is midnight on March 16, 2022.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated anew, indoor spaces are crucial to the health, comfort and productivity of occupants. At the same time, building operations are responsible for nearly half of the energy used in the U.S. The DOE’s Building Technology Office envisions that a clean-energy future requires innovations for “grid-interactive buildings” (GEBs) that integrate energy generation or storage capabilities and management systems that interact with the regional electrical grid.

Participating companies will receive assistance to develop and commercialize energy hardware innovations for buildings, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, building envelope systems, building-integrated energy generation and harvesting technologies, and building-integrated battery and thermal energy storage systems. Beyond the innovation cluster, the goals of the project are to promote equity and public health in this sector and further the nation’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

“This award gives us the opportunity to strengthen and grow the regional cluster of businesses that are developing building technology innovations and products,” says Eric Schiff, interim executive director of SyracuseCoE. “This project supports SyracuseCoE’s mission to catalyze these innovations in New York state.”

The project will sponsor a series of events and resources for networking, technical, marketing and equity issues, as well as provide access to funding opportunities and national lab resources. Startup companies can join the which offers a suite of services with additional financial support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). All companies can propose collaborative projects involving intellectual property, prototypes and proof-of-concept for their potential products for buildings.

“The ‘smart’ and high-performance building technologies regional innovation cluster is critical to Central New York’s economy. We are excited to partner with the SyracuseCoE on this project as it will leverage and build on that existing regional expertise, and strengthen strategies to improve public health, particularly in disadvantaged communities,” says Rob Simpson, president of CenterState CEO. “Ensuring that we can help companies and innovators advance these systems to drive more equitable health outcomes is central to our vision of creating a place where business thrives and all people prosper.”

Kickoff Event
A kickoff webinar will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m. The event will give a brief introduction to the program, including the opportunities available for Central New York companies. Event panelists will discuss the needs and opportunities for energy hardware innovations for “smart buildings,” including products that promote equity and health in addition to grid interactivity and energy efficiency. Monica Neukomm, technology manager for grid-interactive efficient buildings, with the , will join the panel. The event will also be joined by Eric Schiff, Ed Bogucz, Bing Dong and Bess Krietemeyer from Syracuse University, and Sarah Hood and Juhanna Rogers from CenterState CEO, and Joseph Borowiec from NYSERDA. For more information about the program, contact Tammy Rosanio at tlrosani@syr.edu. Interested participants can ��for the kickoff webinar event.

About SyracuseCoE
Led by Syracuse University, SyracuseCoE is part of Central New York’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The center is a hub for innovative research and product development to improve indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency in buildings, clean and renewable energy and water resources. One of , SyracuseCoE strategically brings industry partners together with researchers and students in a thriving culture of collaboration and innovation, ultimately creating new businesses and jobs, strengthening regional and state economies.

About CenterState CEO
is an independent and forward thinking economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce; dedicated to the success of its members and the prosperity of the region. We serve as an advocate and resource for smart business, catalyze and facilitate regional growth, and promote community prosperity through results-driven partnerships, planning and problem-solving.

Ian Hosein

is an associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering with Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. His expertise includes next generation battery beyond lithium-ion batteries. He is available for interviews.

Prof. Hosein says:

“This is an excellent move to help reduce carbon emissions. This is especially important for large cities to improve air quality.

“One concern is heavy dependence on foreign imports of the materials, such as lithium metal (which is sourced internationally), which in our current COVID19 crisis may place a strain on supply chains. Another concern is relying on foreign battery manufacture, which again raises in issue of imports and supply. Biden must emphasize domestic manufacture.

“Another concern with the increased prevalence of electric vehicles, there needs to be a push to use more abundant and sustainable materials. Lithium supply is very limited and takes years to explore and extract. Next-generation batteries beyond Li (sodium, aluminum, calcium) are critical, for which U.S. research support and innovation is key.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 4^th Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu |

Syracuse University

Oneida Lake, another beautiful body of water that graces our area with a natural resource not to be taken for granted. (Photo courtesy of the author)

Everyone local knows we live in a rainy place. Some say, “This is where clouds go to die.” Some compare Syracuse to Seattle, that other rainy city on the other side of the country.

Despite the “April showers, May flowers” lore, springtime is a good time to think and act on conserving water. Don’t take our precious natural resource for granted.

In Onondaga County, we nestle among some of the most pristine and prodigious bodies of fresh water in the world—the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes. Nonetheless our geographic region is dry, compared to historical records. Persistently dry.

The (OCWA), supplying water to customers in five counties—Cayuga, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego—draws on three primary sources: Otisco Lake, the small, most eastern Finger Lake; Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes and a veritable inland freshwater sea; and Skaneateles Lake, said by some to be one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. One might get the sense that water couldn’t possibly be a worry. Read on.

Drought monitoring is a large-scale undertaking, requiring collaboration, of course, and coordination of terms and descriptions. “Abnormally dry,” the first stage of drought, is where Onondaga County and its surroundings stand now. Increasingly fraught conditions range to moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional drought.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated agencies collect and host a dashboard for quick access. NOAA’s Northeast Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) covers New York and the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Northeast DEWS describes the region as having “historic drought conditions not seen since the 1960s” even though we don’t ordinarily associate drought with the northeastern U.S.

We can’t make it rain but can we stop a drip at home? Try some of these steps and see.

Overall

• Check your household water systems for leaks. A dripping faucet or running toilet can spend a lot of water.
• Check in on your water meter to get an idea of how much water you’re currently using.
• Take a shorter shower, aim for five minutes at the most. Consider installing shower heads that save water. Think about a bath instead.
• Low-flow aerators on your faucets are a good idea and easy to install.
• If your toilet has a water-saving flush option such as dual-flush, use it.

Inside your house

• When preparing meals, rinse fruits or vegetables in a bowl of water, not under a running faucet.
• For clean-up after meals, run your dishwasher with full loads. Still washing dishes by hand? Once the dishes are clean, rinse them all at once with a sprayer or a pan of rinse water.
• Use your kitchen sink garbage disposal sparingly. If you can, use a compost bin instead.
• Use your washing machine with full loads instead of small loads.

New improved habits

• Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth.
• Don’t run the faucet when washing your hands. Wet your hands, turn off the water. Soap up, scrub, then rinse.
• Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator for cold water to drink. If you don’t finish a glass of water, don’t throw away the excess. Save it for later or put it to good use: share the extra with houseplants.
• There are several good ways to reuse pasta cooking water! Broth for soup, liquid in breadmaking or other recipes, watering plants if it’s not salted water. You can use pasta water to adjust the thickness of sauces…get creative!

Out of doors

• Water your lawn, if you must, but not on an automated schedule, just when needed. Best practice would be watering in the early morning while it’s still cool. You can also adjust your lawn mower to a taller cutting height.
• Mulch your outdoor plants and trees to conserve water.
• Wash your car using a bucket and sponge. Only use the hose when rinsing.
• Clean off sidewalks or driveways with a broom instead of a hose.
• Catch and reuse rainwater if you can, for watering outdoor plants, but beware of growing the neighborhood’s next crop of mosquitoes!
• Consider planting a rain garden to catch runoff after storms.

If enough of us take enough of these steps seriously, our grassroots efforts to conserve water could yield both results and resilience.

Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22. Sustainability Management is collaborating with the Student Association Sustainability and Community Engagement Committees; the Department of Earth and Environment Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences; the New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE); the SUNY Student Assembly; and Bard College to bring an assortment of events to the campus community.

Environmental Justice in Syracuse Virtual Panel
Tuesday, April 6, 6 p.m. ET

The Student Association Sustainability Committee and Community Engagement Committee will host a discussion with local leaders about environmental injustices that occur in and around Syracuse. The panel includes:

• Deka Dancil, president of the Urban Jobs Task Force;
• Neil Patterson, assistant director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment;
• Catherine Landis, associated faculty at the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment; and
• Thomas Perreault, professor and chair of the Department of Geography and the Environment in the Maxwell School.

Students, faculty and staff interested in the event may .

Solve Climate By 2030 Panel Discussion
Wednesday, April 7, 6 p.m. ET
Sponsored by Bard College, NYCSHE and the SUNY Student Assembly

Students, faculty and staff are invited to join a regional panel discussion about how an ambitious Green Recovery based in state and local action can put us on the way to solving climate change by 2030. A panel of thought leaders will provide their perspective on what a Green Recovery in New York would entail, the one most impactful action that can be taken and how students can advocate for change. or for more information contact gogreen@albany.edu.

Waste-Free Menstrual Cycle Education and Menstrual Cup Giveaway
April 8, 15 and 22

The Student Association Sustainability Committee will table in the Schine Student Center to sign up participants for their menstrual cup giveaway. The Committee will be giving away 20 menstrual cup goodie bags, which include a menstrual cup, compact sanitizer, washing solution and bag. The tabling event will also provide information about having a waste-free menstrual cycle.

Lunch and Learn: A Look Behind the Scenes of Campus Recycling
Wednesday, April 14, 12:30 p.m. ET

If you are interested in what happens to your recyclables on and off campus, join Sustainability Management for a virtual Lunch and Learn to learn what really can be recycled, why it can be recycled and how it gets recycled. This session will reinforce Sustainability Management’s goals for increasing recyclables on campus and reducing contamination before it is sent to the recycling center. These figures also determine the ranking of the University in the Campus Race to Zero Waste—an annual recycling and waste reduction competition where colleges and universities compete from across North America. Sign up for the Lunch and Learn on the .

‘Cooking for the Planet’ Plant-Based Cooking Class
Tuesday, April 20, 6 p.m. ET

Join Meg Lowe, sustainability coordinator, and Claudia Cavanaugh, sustainability student intern, for an interactive, virtual cooking class. Learn about how a plant-based diet will help save our planet while making a delicious coconut curry. The class is free, open to the campus community and limited to the first 20 people who . Registrants will receive an email with the link to join and can pick up their ingredients at the Carriage House, 161 Farm Acre Road, on the day of the event.

‘David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet’ Screening and Panel Discussion
Thursday, April 22, 4 p.m. ET

On Earth Day join Sustainability Management and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences for a free screening of the documentary “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” on Zoom. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion at 5:30 p.m.; participants can join the entire event or watch the movie on their own time and tune in only for the panel discussion.��

“A Life on Our Planet” serves as Attenborough’s “witness statement” through which he shares concerns for the current state of the planet and hopes for the future. Many are familiar with Attenborough as a faceless narrator, but in this film, you will go on a journey with him as he traces his 60 plus years as a naturalist, showing you the planet’s past and present biodiversity and the degradation humans have caused over the years.

Join the post-film panel discussion with Syracuse University Earth and Environmental Sciences professors, including:

• Professor Suzanne Baldwin, a geologist who investigates the rock record to reveal how the Earth has evolved over geologic time;
• Professor Melissa Chipman, a paleoecologist who uses lake sediments to study interactions between past climate, wildfires and permafrost thaw in the Arctic; and
• Professor Sam Tuttle, a hydroclimatologist who studies the movement and storage of water throughout the Earth system.

Pollinator Kit Giveaway
Wednesday, April 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

As a , Sustainability Management and the Bee Campus USA working group will be in the Schine Student Center on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to hand out Pollinator Kits! Stop at the table to pick up a free kit and learn why planting pollinators is important. The Pollinator Kits include everything needed to plant herbs that help pollinators and can be transplanted to your garden or repotted to fit in your space. No registration is necessary.

For more information about sustainability at Syracuse University, visit the and follow @SustainableSU on , ��and .

Laura Markley

She is also the force behind the blog , where she writes about the science of sustainability—including her own research—and shares insights on practical ways the common consumer can reduce waste.

The product of two sustainability-minded parents, Markley has been passionate about the environment from an early age. Upon taking a marine science course in high school, she fell in love with the study of water and water science. She went on to receive a B.S. in environmental earth science from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master’s in earth and environmental science at Lehigh University, where she studied the formation of iron minerals in soils as an indicator of paleo precipitation.

Driven by a perpetual thirst for knowledge (pun intended), Markley finished both of her prior degrees thinking about how much more she wanted to learn. “After completing my undergraduate degree, I felt like the more I learned, the more I learned that I don’t know anything,” she says. “I opted to do my master’s. That flew by and then I was like ‘I still don’t know anything!’ So that’s how I ended up here at Syracuse working on my Ph.D.”

When searching for a Ph.D. program, Markley knew she wanted to delve into more water-based research. She was attracted to the interdisciplinary opportunities offered by ECS’s and the at Syracuse University. Markley is co-advised by Charles Driscoll, University Professor of environmental systems and distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Andria Costello Staniec, department chair and associate professor in civil and environmental engineering.

“Laura is one of the most well-rounded and engaged graduate students that I’ve worked with,” says Staniec. “Her commitment to sustainability is evident both in her research as well as her broad public environmental education platform. In both of these areas, Laura has already proven herself as a leader and she is poised to have a large impact.”

Markley’s dissertation includes three unique projects that are connected by their relationship to the life cycle impacts of plastics.

Laura Markley (Please note, this image was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and does not reflect current public health guidelines.)

First, she studies the effects of certain stress conditions—like being left in the car on a hot summer day or exposure to ultraviolet light—on disposable plastic water bottles. Using breast cancer cells, Markley is investigating if these conditions cause estrogenic chemicals to leach out of the bottle and into the water, and the potential impacts this has on human health.

For her second project, Markley is using survey data from a 2019 social media campaign called #FuturisticFebruary to examine the generation of waste at the household level and consumer perspectives on waste, sustainability and pollution issues.

The campaign encouraged participants to document all their non-perishable waste for one month. By analyzing participant data, Markley is learning more about not only the composition of waste at the household/individual level, but also how environmental attitudes and knowledge of environmental issues factor into the equation.

“The survey asks general questions about how participants view the sustainability of their waste and pollution issues, but also specific questions like ‘do you believe there are floating islands of plastic in the ocean?’” she says. “Looking at this data is helpful in understanding where we may need to improve our communication about certain scientific topics as it relates to sustainability.”

Markley currently spends the bulk of her time on her third project: researching the abundance, distribution and potential sources of microplastics in Onondaga and Skaneateles lakes. With funding from the New York State Water Research Institute at Cornell University through the U.S. Geological Survey and help from the Upstate Freshwater Institute, she collects grab, bucket and net samples seasonally from the two lakes to develop a profile of microplastic concentrations with space and time.

According to Markley, 20% of the annual inflow from the historically polluted Onondaga Lake is sourced from wastewater effluent (a common source of microplastics), with additional potential sources from street litter runoff from the surrounding urban areas and inputs from combined sewer overflow events. A study in contrast, Skaneateles Lake is relatively pristine and provides most of the drinking water for the City of Syracuse.

Markley conducts net sampling for her research into microplastics abundance in local lakes.

“Our preliminary results show it’s not only where we sample, but how we sample that changes what microplastics we collect. What we’ve seen is that microplastics can be very diverse in these ecosystems, occurring in all types of colors, shapes and form. Microfibers, which shed from textiles during laundering or during wear or use, are very common, but not yet well understood,” Markley says.

When she’s not in the lab, Markley works on , where she shares recent research, opines on the science of trash and documents her ongoing commitment to reduce her own waste. She started the blog in 2018 to address a proliferation of misinformation in the waste-free movement.

“I noticed there was a lot of bad information out there about going waste-free and about plastics in general,” she says. “I wanted to make that information more accessible to people and also provide the scientific citations to back it up.”

Markley’s fluency in communicating science to the layperson shines on her blog, which offers approachable and non-dogmatic strategies for reducing one’s own waste.

“Not everyone necessarily has the interest in or the access to the science, but they have a right to it,” she says. “I wanted to create a place where people could get the information and make their own decisions about their behaviors, rather than being told what to do.”

Markley also has a side hustle doing graphic design, another interest she’s had from a young age, having recently designed a plant-based, minimal waste cookbook called “Fetagetaboutit.”

“I’m a very visual learner so I’ve found it important to incorporate graphical elements when communicating science,” she says. “If I have to learn something by reading it, I’ll never learn it.”

In honor of Earth Day and Earth Month being celebrated in April, Markley offers her tips for anyone trying to reduce their waste at the individual or household level.

• Look at your food waste. Do an assessment of how much food and what types of things you’re throwing away and see if there are any opportunities to compost that waste. The breaking down of food in landfills is a huge source of methane, Markley says, yet food waste is an aspect of trash that often gets ignored.
• Plan your meals and grocery lists. Another tip for reducing food waste is to plot out your grocery list and meals for the week before heading to the store. Then you’ll have a plan for all the food you buy, ensuring none goes to waste.
• Conduct a waste audit. You can look at all your trash for the week and see what types of things you most often dispose of. Are you trashing lots of paper towels? Or tossing excess shipping containers and materials from online shopping? Having more awareness of how much waste you’re generating and the main sources of it can be a first step toward reducing, Markley says.
• Gradually replace disposable/single-use items. Markley advises focusing on small changes that you can make over time as you use up existing supplies. If you run out of paper coffee filters, you can buy a reusable one. Instead of buying more paper towels, invest in cloth napkins. When you run out of plastic water bottles, look into purchasing a reusable/refillable one that you can use every day.
• Shop secondhand. Whether you’re looking for a new furniture piece or to spice up your wardrobe, there are plenty of secondhand options out there to save you money and keep resources circulating. Shopping secondhand also allows you to tailor furniture or clothing to your needs—making them more unique to you!

Markley emphasizes the need for progress over perfection when it comes to reducing our carbon footprints. “People have a lot going on right now without someone telling them they need to make only one jar of waste per year or something crazy like that,” she says.

2019: Bee Orange CALS project, Lisa Olson-Gugerty

The Syracuse University Campus as a Laboratory for Sustainability (CALS) program is offering up to $75,000 for faculty or student projects that advance the University’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, directly or indirectly, or through raising awareness on campus about climate disruption and environmental sustainability. Funds will become available May 16, 2021. Syracuse University faculty and students from any discipline can apply.

In April of 2020 the following six projects were awarded funding:

• Reducing Disposable Aerosol Media usage in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse project: Bekir Kelceoglu and Zeke Leonard, $12,000
• Designing a Sustainable Bio Fiber Textile for Campus Housing at Syracuse University: Professor Don Carr
• Creating a Showcase to Demonstrate the Energy-Saving and Carbon Reduction Potential of the Building System by Occupancy-Centric Building Control: Associate Professor Bing Dong
• Energy and Environmental Analysis for a South Campus Dormitory: Assistant Professor Nina Sharifi, $20,500
• Does Syracuse University Housing care about the environment: Assistant Professor Seyeon Lee, $12,000
• Syracuse Architecture Goes Green: College of Visual and Performing Arts student Valeria Gallucci, $1,300

The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken between May 16, 2021, and June 30, 2021. All proposals must clearly address how the project relates to climate disruption and all must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability-related issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include (but are not limited to) faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

Carr, professor of design, coordinator of the School of Design’s M.F.A. in design program, coordinator of the industrial and interaction design program and SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellow, submitted his grant for Designing a Sustainable Bio Fiber Textile for Campus Housing at Syracuse University. In the grant Carr said, “Thanks to our team being selected for this CALS grant, we’re excited to move forward with research that explores taking a Bio Design approach to the creation of fibers and textiles. The notion that we can apply this research to the various textile needs here on our campus is an area of discovery that can be transferred to numerous products and market opportunities.”

The Syracuse University Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty and staff from across the University. The program merges academic scholarships with the University’s broad initiative to meet energy efficiency goals, while having our faculty and students use our campus as a testbed for innovative ideas.

“Over the years these grants have been instrumental in helping the University with research that can and will help us reach our carbon neutrality goals,” says Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Cadwell. “This grant is unique in that both students and professors can apply—giving students who may be applying for their first grant, an opportunity to have guided experience on campus. Additionally, being able to work with the students and professors has created a stronger working relationship with Sustainability Management and the campus community.”

Find the call for proposals and application materials on the . The deadline for submission of proposals is midnight on March 16, 2021.

Nguyen Phan Bao Linh and Yu En Hsu

In many ways, Nguyen Phan Bao Linh and Yu En Hsu seem like opposite sides of the same coin: both are international students enrolled in the Maxwell School’s No. 1-ranked master of public administration (M.P.A.) program, both are among the first to pursue the program’s new certificate in , and—when the pandemic hit the U.S. last spring—both reached out to their favorite professor for help navigating the uncertainties of finishing the program.

“There were so many uncertainties…financial stress, everything,” Hsu says. In addition to their program, Nguyen and Hsu both planned to complete a summer internship at the same time in-person opportunities were being shuttered in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Their professor, economist Peter Wilcoxen who directs the , is the Ajello Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy in the Maxwell School. The generous that created the professorship also provides funding for graduate fellowships. “When the pandemic hit, Linh and Yu En were worried that they wouldn’t be able to find internships and would have to leave the program. They’re both excellent students and that would have been a real loss. I was so grateful that Jim had given us funding for fellowships,” says Professor Wilcoxen. “That gave us the flexibility to quickly put together a project that let them use their unique skills and abilities to create a valuable resource for sustainability researchers worldwide.”

While their current interests and aspirations are similar, Nguyen and Hsu come from very different backgrounds. Hsu, a talented coder and data analyst from Taiwan, earned her undergraduate degree in business administration before working on non-profit social projects around the world. Until finding the M.P.A. program at Maxwell, she thought she’d pursue an MBA. “I really liked numbers and analytics.”

Nguyen, a seasoned government communications and public affairs manager, came to Maxwell specifically to improve her quantitative skills. A second-generation immigrant to Ukraine, Nguyen is ethnically Vietnamese and fluent in the language—a skill that would prove fundamental to their project.

“Yu En and I are two people with completely different skillsets,” she says. “She taught me how to work with numbers, and I helped her with context and policy. We were a natural fit.”

It turned out to be a serendipitous match that resulted in the creation of the Vietnam Power Plants database, a new open-source data repository focused on the sustainability of the electric grid in Vietnam.

Creating a Durable Resource for a More Sustainable Future for All

“Understanding the evolution of the grid in developing countries is important and much harder than in developed countries,” Wilcoxen says. “In the U.S., demand has leveled off, so we can shift our focus on how to create our energy more sustainably. But, in developing countries, concerns over sustainability compete with the more urgent need for power to keep the lights on.”

The pair’s proposal, Vietnam’s Electricity Grid: Pathway to Sustainability, aimed to accomplish two goals: “We wanted first, to assess the existing grid and second, to evaluate Vietnam’s plans for future sustainability,” says Nguyen. “During the process, we realized there’s no way for us to assess the grid if we cannot create a master list of operating plants.”

Together, Hsu and Nguyen set out to acquire, translate, verify and consolidate all existing power plant data into a master list. They browsed through countless official Vietnamese government documents, Google and the World Resource Institute (WRI) to verify currently operational power plants. “Yu En and I spent at least three weeks acquiring government documentation, and parsing and cleaning the data. Then we spent a few weeks translating it from Vietnamese to English, English to Vietnamese. To make sure the data was accurate, we updated capacity for each plant, verified its coordinates, location and type of fuel. We encountered various challenges related to mixed fuel plants and bundled energy projects that have conflicting documentation,” says Nguyen.

When Hsu and Nguyen finished the master list of operational power plants, they analyzed the data in two parts. “In the first part, we mapped out different line charts and bar charts to see the trends in energy generation by fuel type. I think you can really see how fast the electricity from coal is climbing, and how overall electricity use has just skyrocketed in the past two decades,” Hsu says.

“In the second part, we had to use GIS software to pinpoint each of the plants. After we filtered out all the hydro or nuclear, wind and solar plants, we had gas, oil and coal left,” she says. “We decided to use a buffer to model the range of pollution. We overlapped [the buffers] with the population distribution.”

After running a buffer analysis, Nguyen and Hsu were able to make policy recommendations for power plants to be either updated or closed, based on their fuel type, air pollution emissions and proximity to dense population centers. In the future, Hsu and Nguyen hope others will be able to utilize their master list for different further analysis of Vietnam’s electricity grid.

The pair have recently published their data on , making it available to anyone interested in analyzing it. “I think that was our initial thought,” Hsu says. “It would be a public good and everyone can take advantage and benefit from it. GitHub makes it easier because people can spot problems and they can fork the data. They don’t have to email me and go back and forth.”

Supporting Unforeseen Challenges—and Unforeseen Opportunities

Nguyen and Hsu are thankful for Jim Ajello’s generosity. Without his sponsorship, they might have been significantly set back in progressing through the M.P.A. and data analytics program. But more importantly, his gift allowed them to explore an area they may not have pursued on their own, and to create an enduring public resource that would not have existed otherwise.

“A very important part of donor sponsored programs is to take away the burden of thinking about money when you are working on a wicked problem that requires you to invest a lot of time,” Nguyen says. “That allowed us to pour ourselves into this project. It also allows us to explore projects that we would otherwise not go into.��For example, sustainability is new for me. I think that if I wouldn’t have had this pillow, I would be very scared to try something like this.”

In April of 2020 six projects were awarded funding:

• Reducing disposable aerosol media usage in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse project, Bekir Kelceoglu and Zeke Leonard: $12,000
• Designing a sustainable bio fiber textile for campus housing at Syracuse, University Professor Don Carr
• Creating a showcase to demonstrate the energy-saving and carbon reduction potential of the building system by occupancy-centric building control: Associate Professor Bing Dong, Ph.D.
• Energy and environmental analysis for a South Campus dormitory, Assistant Professor Nina Sharifi: $20,500
• Does SU Housing care about the environment? Assistant Professor Seyeon Lee: $12,000
• Syracuse Architecture Goes Green, College of Visual and Performing Arts student Valeria Gallucci: $1,300

The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken between May 16, 2021, through June 30, 2022. All proposals must clearly address how the projects relates to climate disruption, and all must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability-related issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects, or course development.

Carr, professor of design, coordinator of the School of Design’s M.F.A. in design program, coordinator of the industrial and interaction design program and SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellow, submitted his grant for “Designing a sustainable bio fiber textile for campus housing at Syracuse University,” stated, “Thanks to our team being selected for this CALS grant, we’re excited to move forward with research that explores taking a bio design approach to the creation of fibers and textiles. The notion that we can apply this research to the various textile needs here on our campus is an area of discovery that can be transferred to numerous products and market opportunities.”

The Syracuse University Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty and staff from across the University. The program merges academic scholarships with the University’s broad initiative to meet energy efficiency goals, while having our faculty and students use our campus as a testbed for innovative ideas.

“Over the years these grants have been instrumental in helping the University with research that can and will help us reach our carbon neutrality goals,” says Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator. “This grant is unique in that both students and professors can apply—giving students who may be applying for their first grant, an opportunity to have guided experience on campus. Additionally, being able to work with the students and professors has created a stronger working relationship with Sustainability Management and the campus community.”

The Call for Proposals and application materials can be found on the . The deadline for submission of proposals is midnight on March 16, 2021.

The photovoltaic panels installed this past summer on the Schine Student Center will begin generating clean energy for the campus community on Oct. 15.

Campus sustainability encompasses a broad range of actions and choices—some of which are subtle, while others are eye-catching. The renovation of the Schine Student Center has meant the addition of another attention-grabbing clean energy element: new solar panels on the building’s roof, the latest demonstration of the University’s commitment to sustainability.

The photovoltaic (PV) panels, installed this past summer, will begin generating clean energy for the campus community on Oct. 15. The new panels were installed in support of the renewable energy credit for LEED certification at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

The project was designed by the Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) engineering team. After initial planning, the team from CPDC reviewed similar installations with staff members at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which resulted in changes to the final layout of the panels and the panel support system.

“Reviewing the installation with our peers at ESF was an important step in the design process,” says Jason Plumpton, assistant director of engineering and utilities at CPDC. “The tour informed our decision-making on the support system and allowed our maintenance staff to get a preview of the system components.”

The project consists of 139 panels on the roof of the Schine Center, which provide a total of 50 kw capacity.��The system is expected to generate 66,000 kWh per year. To put that number into context, the average residential customer in the United States consumes approximately 11,000 kWh per year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The solar power production at the Schine Center will be roughly equal to the energy consumed by six residential homes.��The power generated by the panels will be fed into the building distribution system and will reduce the facility’s demand for electricity.

“Installing this system at the same time as the significant interior renovations made perfect sense,” says Matthew Fuller, senior project engineering at CPDC. “It will improve the 40-year-old building systems, and we should see a significant decrease in building energy usage.”

The project is also a visible reminder of the University’s commitment to sustainability, says Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator, Energy Systems and Sustainability Management.

On Oct. 1, Sustainability Coordinator Meg Lowe, teamed up with Director of Engagement Programs Syeisha Byrd to offer a virtual cooking class, which used ingredients from the food pantry and Pete’s Giving Garden to create a simple, yet delicious Taco Bowl. The pair is hosting two more virtual Pantry Cookin’ classes on Oct. 22 and on Nov. 12. Sign up on to claim a spot today.

Additionally, the honey from the honeybee hives on South Campus was harvested on Oct. 3 by Associate Professor of Public Health Lisa Olson-Gugerty, a Campus as a Lab for Sustainability grant recipient. She harvested 15 gallons of honey, all of which will be jarred, but will be missing a label as Sustainability Management is hosting a competition for students to design the label for the honey jars. Members of the Syracuse University Bee Campus USA Committee will pick the top five, and then the campus community will vote for the winning design. Learn more about the honey label competition by visiting the . Once the winning design is decided, the honey jars will be labeled and placed in the bookstore and café stores on campus for sale.

Sustainability Management is also working with the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) on hosting “PolliNation,” a virtual showcase of the talent and collaborations within the Orange community pertaining to pollinators. Assistant Professor of Environmental and Interior Design Zeke Leonard collaborated with Olson-Gugerty to have his students create brood boxes that differ from the typical hive standard, which will be showcased at the event. Associate Professor of Museum Studies Andrew Saluti is curating the showing, which starts in mid-October. Other pollinator projects, such as the designs for the South Campus Pollinator Gardens and information about Bee Campus USA, will also be showcased at “PolliNation.”

Students from the School of Design will help the members of Pete’s Giving Garden to winterize the garden on Oct. 16. While participation in this event is limited, students are welcome to help plan the next garden over the winter for the spring planting. If you are interested helping please email Meg Lowe mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu. Students who live on South Campus are still eligible to participate in the South Campus Composting Program, which continues year round. Those who wish to participate in either program or volunteer with Sustainability Management can reach out to Meg Lowe at mclowe@syr.edu or sustain@syr.edu.

Teaming up with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sustainability Management will sponsor a on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.; visit the calendar of events for access to the showing. Professors Linda Ivany and Tripti Bhattacharya and graduate student Jessie McCraw from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will be on the panel. Professor Ivany is an evolutionary paleobiologist interested in relationships among ecology, evolution and environment over time in marine systems. Professor Bhattacharya is a climate scientist who uses past instances of climate change as “natural experiments” to understand the response of the atmosphere-ocean system to external forcing. McCraw is a paleontologist currently researching coral responses to climate change using geochemistry and numerical models.

If you are unable to attend the screening, Sustainability Management is also hosting virtual Netflix Party on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. of “David Attenborough: Life on Our Planet.”

On Oct. 31, the Campus as a Lab for Sustainability (CALS) Grant is scheduled to be released for the 2021-2022 academic year. Each year, $75,000 is awarded to students and faculty who apply for projects that help to support the Climate Action Plan. Learn more about past projects and how to apply by visiting the .

Visit the to learn more about sustainability at Syracuse University.

Meg Lowe and Syeisha Byrd hold a box of vegetables they picked at Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus. Photo by Marilyn Hesler

Hendricks Chapel’s Office of Engagement Programs and the Office of Energy Systems and Sustainability Management are teaming up again to offer students an opportunity to combine common food pantry items with ingredients from Pete’s Giving Garden to make a fast and delicious meal.

Sustainability Coordinator Meg Lowe and Director of Engagement Programs Syeisha Byrd will host three separate virtual cooking classes for students to cook along via Zoom. All ingredients needed for this follow-along cooking class will be supplied, free of charge, to the students who participate.

Lowe and Byrd are encouraging students to get comfortable with common pantry ingredients found in both campus pantries, while utilizing vegetables grown in the campus garden over the summer.

Participation is limited to the first 20 students who sign up per class. All participants are asked to sign up by Sept. 27 for the cooking class on Oct. 4.�� Find future virtual cooking class dates, deadlines and registration forms on the event registration page at .

• Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.
  • Taco bowl
• Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
  • Instant noodles with a twist
• Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
  • Harvest flatbread

Meg Lowe is a graduate of the Culinary Nutrition program at Johnson and Wales University and has a few tips up her sleeve to help students in their culinary endeavors. Syeisha Byrd runs both the Hendricks Chapel and South Campus food pantries. Lowe and Byrd both help to manage Pete’s Giving Garden.

A sign attached to a fence reads “Pete’s Giving Garden” and is decorated with drawings of vegetables and bees.

The summer’s beautiful weather has resulted in a bountiful harvest of produce from Pete’s Giving Garden on Syracuse University’s South Campus. That produce is now available for University and SUNY-ESF students in the Hendricks Chapel and South Campus food pantries.

Meg Lowe and Syeisha Byrd with a box of vegetables that they just harvested from Pete’s Giving Garden.

Staff from Hendricks Chapel and the Office of Sustainability Management, and faculty from nutrition and food studies in the Falk College worked together to care for the garden over the summer. At the end of April, they worked with Facilities Services to build a second raised bed and added a shed to store tools. In the beginning of May, staff members weeded, turned and added compost to the beds to prepare them for the seeds and seedlings. They also dug out the earth around the perimeter of the fence to provide more growing room for cherry tomatoes, herbs and future pollinator plants to support the honey bees on campus, says Syeisha Byrd, director of Hendricks Chapel’s Office of Engagement Programs.

“Although we are in the middle of a pandemic, it is important to continue to develop the garden so we can provide students with fresh, locally grown produce,” says Byrd. Produce now available includes acorn squash, eggplant, garlic, green beans, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes and zucchini.

The Hendricks Chapel pantry is located on the chapel’s lower level and is open Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. The South Campus food pantry is located at the Office of Sustainability Management in the Carriage House, 161 Farm Acre Road, and is open Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m.

Syeisha Byrd picks jalapeno peppers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, protocols are in place for accessing the pantry to maintain safety and follow social distance guidelines. They include:

• Bring your valid Syracuse University or SUNY-ESF I.D.
• Face masks are required on the Syracuse University campus.
• Use hand sanitizer to clean your hands.
• Produce, toiletries and food will be bagged separately. There is no need to bring bags; they will be provided.
• Each student may take one bag of food, fresh produce and personal care items. If you are looking for a specific item, ask for assistance.
• If you would like to be added to the pantry listserv and receive emails about programming and new items, scan the QR code.

Byrd and sustainability coordinator Meg Lowe have planned an upcoming on harvesting, weeding, watering and preparing the garden for winter on Thursday, Sept. 3,�� at 7 p.m. ET. Students, faculty and staff who are interested in volunteering in Pete’s Giving Garden or in the food pantries may email Byrd at smbyrd@syr.edu. Volunteer slots are limited this semester.

Byrd and Lowe will also offer virtual cooking classes throughout the semester focused on how to use pantry and garden ingredients to create a meal.

Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, Hendricks Chapel is requesting financial donations to the food pantries rather than physical donations. All are encouraged to donate to the����and the��, which directly supports students impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Each year, NYSAR3 and NYSP21 provide two $5,000 grants to New York state universities and colleges that are members of the NYSAR3 College Council. The grants go to campuses that have projects that focus on source reduction, reuse or recycling.

The School of Design project—led by assistant professors Seyeon Lee, Louise Manfredi, Zeke Leonard and Rebecca Kelly—will collect data on first-year design students’ understanding of waste management systems. The researchers will explore a) whether the students’ attitudes toward sustainable materials can be altered when confronted by accumulated landfill waste over the course of an academic year and b) given this information, will the students reduce, reuse, recycle or send the material to the waste-to-energy facility. The research will include data to determine if there is a decrease or increase in waste.

“This grant allows for the expansion of a pilot project that aimed to reshape waste disposal culture in design studios,” says Seyeon Lee. “This grant will specifically contribute to educating incoming freshmen on how we reduce/reuse/recycle studio waste in the School of Design.

“This opportunity will support the School of Design in making a positive��step toward a significant culture shift through responsible material usage in design, this reducing landfill waste,” Lee says. “The broader goal is to provide a blueprint for other colleges and New York state institutions in education planning for environmentally conscious material management in the undergraduate student population.”

The second grant will enable ESF to purchase menstrual cups and materials for reusable pads. This effort will build upon the college’s zero waste and inclusivity goals and move closer to becoming a zero-waste campus by 2025. ESF launched its campuswide composting program in August 2019 and has seen a 27 percent decrease in trash (by weight) since that time.

“ESF is now systematically identifying single-use products that are consumed on campus for replacement with reusable alternatives. Choosing reusable options for menstrual products makes sense for many reasons,” says Sustainable Facilities Manager Susan Frasier. “This grant will allow ESF to offer hundreds of reusable menstrual products to members of the campus community, free of charge. This will help pair sustainability with financial accessibility, help normalize conversations about menstruation on campus and will, of course, reduce the amount of material that is sent to the landfill/incinerator.”

The College Council is designed to provide a forum for college students, staff and faculty to share information about common challenges and best practices related to recycling, waste prevention, and other environmental issues.

The College Council is a membership-based program offering many members-only benefits, including its own listserv, an electronic newsletter, regional and statewide workshops, discounted memberships and conference registration fees.��To learn more about the College Council and NYSAR3, visit and . Interested in joining the College Council? Visit the .

While we all work together by staying apart, Sustainability Management and the Office of Engagement Programs at Hendricks Chapel are challenging students, faculty and staff to participate in the 50th anniversary of Earth Day from wherever you may be on Wednesday, April 22.

Quarantined and curious about what you can do to celebrate the Earth in all its glory? One way is to show your Orange spirit by wearing orange, practice social distancing, and posting your hard work on social media with the hashtag #CUSEEarthDay.

And there’s more. Check out these ideas, many of which are easy to do while at home:

• Go for a walk (be sure to check local safety recommendations pertaining to COVID-19) and bring a trash bag! Clean up as you exercise and aim to collect one bag of trash (or more) along the way.
• Support your local restaurants by purchasing to-go meals once a week, if you’re able.
• Turn off your lights if you’re not in a room.
• Go vegetarian/meat free for the day, week, month or however long you choose.
• Get organized: create donation stations within your house while doing spring cleaning. Keep the items until you are able to donate to a local organization or sell online.
• Create a compost bin in your yard. Turn all your food scraps and yard trimmings into nourishment for a garden. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers .
• Plan a garden. This is the perfect time to grow seeds and start a home garden. And by growing your own food, you may save some trips to the grocery store. Cornell University on how to grow vegetables and flowers, as we all as advice on how to design a flower garden.
• Participate in (CSA) with a local farm in your area. It’s a great way to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers .
• Build a bat house or bee boutique to support pollinators out of spare materials available at home. The National Wildlife Federation . And there are .
• Advocate for change. The theme of Earth Day this year is “Climate Activism!” Organizations such as the (NYPIRG) in New York state—and others like it in states across the country, as well as in many other countries—can help with informing, organizing and communicating with elected officials.
• .
• Donate to a local food pantry, such as the . Or to support students still on campus, you could contribute to the Hendricks Chapel pantry, or .
• Make art out of recycled materials. .
• Attend the Netflix Party co-sponsored by Sustainability Management and NYPIRG on Wednesday, April 22, at 8 p.m. Download the Chrome extension at . Check out @SustainableSU on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at 7:45 p.m. for the link to join. Activate the Netflix extension by clicking the “NP” to join the chat and watch in sync.

, professor of engineering and environmental engineering program director at Syracuse University, commends the move. Instead of a culture centered around buying new things, Prof. Davidson advocates for a culture where rentals are more common. He says Americans may rebel against the practice, but serious change is needed to disrupt the status quo.

Davidson says:

“This problem with electronic waste is that it’s just the tip of the iceberg of all of our wastes…the real problem is about much more than e-waste. One of the key problems is that in order to keep many companies in profit mode, they need to have a continual demand for their product. What that means is they don’t want to build a cell phone that lasts forever because there won’t be people buying as many new cell phones as there are now. A lot of what we use, even outside of electronics, is built to eventually have problems with the physical device or to become less useful due to obsolescence (such as computers). If you have a laptop for more than a few years, it will probably be out of date because newer versions have more capabilities… it makes consumers want new ones. Manufacturers want to have continuous demand.

“There is one proposal that has been floated by others that I tend to agree with. It centers around the idea is that we shouldn’t be purchasing devices, but rather we should be renting them. That goes for everything from cell phones and computers to dishwashers and dryers and washers, air conditioners, etc. If we practiced renting instead of buying, there would be a tremendous incentive for manufacturers to build products that last. The manufacturer would be responsible for repairs and they would build their products so that those repairs were minimal.

“I suspect that in some cultures, people would be willing to go rent rather than buy. But I expect Americans would rebel against that. It’s a change in thinking about how you consume items and how you shop.

“Rebellion or not, we can’t keep the status quo. We have to make changes and I do think putting more pressure on manufacturers to make more sustainable products is a step in the right direction.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

T��315.443.1184 ����M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2^nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu |

Syracuse University

Over the duration of the competition, Sustainability Management will be on campus in various locations educating the campus community about proper recycling. Those who stop by the information table will have the opportunity to play a fun game for a cookie or cupcake. Recycling know-how will also be featured on digital screens across campus, including the Dome.

The University has competed the last several years and historically has done well against other Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) institutions, especially when focusing on total recycling efforts. Last year, Syracuse University topped every other ACC university in the total recycling category. In all, more than 300 colleges and universities across North America competed in the 2019 RecycleMania Tournament, and the University placed 40th nationally.

The RecycleMania competition is broken up into several different categories. Syracuse University participates in the main four: Total Diversion, Total Recycling, the Stephan K Gaski Per Capita Classic and Food Organics. Sustainability Management works with Syracuse Haulers and the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) to keep track of the weight of all recyclables, trash and food scraps. In addition, all food donated through the Food Recovery Network and all of the bottles and cans collected after each game by ROTC are accounted for in the competition.

The Total Diversion category combines trash, recyclables and food organics to determine each institution’s percent of diverted items from the waste stream. The University has steadily increased its percentage by about one percent each year, ending last year’s competition with a 48 percent diversion rate. Put in perspective, Onondaga County has a diversion rate of 56 percent, one of the highest in the country.

The Total Recycling category recognizes colleges and universities with the highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, glass, cans, plastic bottles, jugs and dairy tubs. The University utilizes the single stream recycling method, meaning all recyclable plastic bottles, jugs, dairy containers, cardboard, aluminum cans, paper, juice cartons and glass can be placed into one bin and all trash in its own bin. For more information on proper recycling, view the Recycling and Trash on the Sustainability website, under the “Quick Links” section.

Over the course of the eight-week competition, the weight of recyclables divided by the campus population is measured in the Stephan K. Gaski Per Capita Classic. Last year, each person on campus averaged 23.5 pounds of recyclables during the competition. This number includes students, faculty and staff on campus and excludes any weights associated with trash and food organics.

All of the pre- and post-consumer food scraps collected from the dining centers and the South Campus Composting program are collected and reported in the Food Organics category. This also includes any food donated each week to the Rescue Mission by the Food Recovery Network student group. The goal of this category is primarily to reduce food waste, not just divert the food scraps from the waste stream.

The University complies with the Onondaga County Source Separation Law and has on-campus recycling bins for mandatory recyclables, such as paper, cardboard, specific plastics and cans/bottles. The University also recycles specialized items, including batteries, electronics, polystyrene��cold shipping boxes, fluorescent light bulbs, scrap metal, compostable yard waste and construction debris.

For more information on sustainability and recycling efforts, visit the , follow @SustainableSU on Twitter and Instagram, and check out the Facebook page. Follow along with campus recycling efforts and join the fun by using #recycleright on social media.

To learn more about RecycleMania, visit .

Last April, four projects were awarded funding:

• “Bee Orange, Honey Bee project” by Lisa Olson-Gugerty: $9,988.94
• “Does the School of Design Care About Environment?” by Louise Manfredi: $17,670
• “Revised Integrated Anaerobic Digester and Fuel Cell Power System” by Jeongmin Ahn: $18,240
• “Developing Hands-On Course Components on Smart Storm Water Management Strategies” by Baris Salman: $10,000

The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken between May 16, 2020, and June 30, 2021. All proposals must clearly address how the projects relates to climate disruption and all must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

The School Of Design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts submitted its first application for “Does the School of Design Care About Environment?” Project manager Louise Manfredi and project partner Seyeon Lee stated: “The School of Design is a miniature community, which can be an ideal platform for students to exercise and experience sustainability knowledge, which they learn in the classroom. This grant allows us to intentionally create a learning environment that enforces our students to engage in reuse, reduce, and recycle practices of waste they produce in studios. This opportunity would significantly benefit our programs in shaping our students into environmentally responsible designers as well as developing lifelong skills that respect our planet’s resources and further bringing greater impacts to our communities.”

The Syracuse University Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty and staff from across the University. The program merges academic scholarship with the University’s broad initiative to meet energy efficiency goals, while having faculty and students use the campus as a test bed for innovative ideas.

Baris Salman, professor of practice of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, stated about his grant: “Recent developments in wireless sensor technologies, data analytics tools and cloud computing have reached to a point where deployment of these transformative technologies for real-time infrastructure monitoring, management and smart decision making is more easily achievable. The main goal of this project is to develop hands-on course components on Smart Stormwater Management to enhance our students’ exposure to these critical advancements. We anticipate that this project will bring significant returns in terms of raising the human capital and securing larger grants in smart infrastructure systems.”

“The CALS grant is perfect, as it helps our talented students and professors help the University with its sustainably-related goals,” says Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Cadwell. “Being able to work with the students and professors has created a stronger working relationship between Sustainability Management and the campus community.”

The Call for Proposals and application materials may be found at . The deadline for proposals submissions is midnight on March 16, 2020.

The following four projects were awarded funding in May 2019:

• Bee Orange, Honey Bee; Lisa Olson-Gugerty, associate teaching professor of public health, Falk College; $9,988.94
  Honeybees are a unique group of pollinators. They sip nectar to fuel their flight and actively gather large amounts of pollen to feed themselves and pollinate local plants and vegetation. Their contribution as a pollinator helps support one-third of the world’s food production, as well as the reproduction cycle of hundreds of bee-friendly plants. This, in turn, benefits the local ecosystem and cultivates biodiversity. Unfortunately, North American beekeepers are experiencing high colony loss due to a variety of diseases, the use of pesticides and the reduction of pollinator-friendly and native plantings. To help bolster the local ecosystem and biodiversity, we will establish honeybee hives on Syracuse University grounds, offer educational workshops on beekeeping for the University and local communities, and support bee-friendly initiatives throughout the University.
• Does the School of Design Care About Environment?; Louise Manfredi, assistant professor of industrial and interaction design, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts; $17,670
  The overarching goal of this research is to strategize systematic ways to use materials more sustainably and responsibly in the School of Design (SoD). It is intended that this effort between faculty, staff and students will begin a sustained conversation about the excessive landfill waste generated by projects undertaken within the building and determine ways in which the outcomes could be self-sustaining. SoD will collect data on the types and volume of waste specific to studio materials and supplies, determine to what extent students are able to share and reuse materials through student-designed material collection points on participating floors in the SoD,�� explore whether attitudes toward sustainable material use can be altered when confronted by accumulated waste over the course of an academic year and begin to evaluate alternative materials that are less damaging for the environment and examine methods to reduce material wasting behaviors.
• Revised Integrated Anaerobic Digester and Fuel Cell Power System; Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science; $18,240
  The objective of this proposal is to deliver a proof-of-concept integrated anaerobic digester with a flame-assisted fuel cell that can convert municipal and agricultural waste into heat and electricity efficiently and inexpensively. The unit will be used as an educational tool for the undergraduates and graduates to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through hands-on, real-world sustainable energy generation in the classroom. The research plan focuses on understanding and replicating the parameters in the field for digesters utilizing agricultural and municipal waste to enable research and development of a combustor and fuel cell that are inexpensive, durable and commercially viable.
• Developing Hands-on Course Components on Smart Storm Water Management Strategies; Baris Salman, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science; $10,000
  The main goal of this proposal is to develop course components on Smart Stormwater Management to enhance our students’ exposure to these critical advancements. The hands-on course components will be designed primarily to enhance the educational opportunities offered in CIE 639/ECS 636 Sustainable Development and Infrastructure Management, a graduate-level class offered by the primary investigator, Baris Salman. Students will be involved in constructing a sensor network on South Campus drainage networks featuring both green and gray infrastructures. The sensor network will comprise of wireless sensors that can measure and record various characteristics (e.g., velocity and flow, water quality, water level, etc.) of the stormwater in the drainage systems. An electronic tablet will be used to collect the data from different wireless sensors. Students will use the smart Product Lifecycle Management (sPLM) platform to store, analyze and interpret the collected data. These hands-on components will be supported by other educational activities, such as analyzing stormwater drainage network, generating digital brochures and communicating efforts and findings trough presentations. It is anticipated that the proposed work will have a considerable impact in raising the human capital (improvements in students’ skills, knowledge, retention and satisfaction). This project can also be used as leverage in securing future research grants on smart infrastructure management.

The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken starting May 16, 2020, through June 30, 2021. All proposals must clearly address how the projects relate to climate disruption and include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

The call for proposals and application materials can be found at��. The deadline for submission of proposals is 11:59 p.m. on March 18, 2020.

In January 2019, Sustainability Management piloted a composting program with a small group of volunteers living in South Campus housing. The program ran for 10 weeks and about 100 pounds of food scraps were diverted from the waste stream and delivered to the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) Composting Facility. The food scraps were turned into compost—a high-nutrient material that can be used in gardens and lawns to add back nutrients that are necessary for plants to grow. The compost is a replacement for synthetic fertilizers that harm streams, lakes and oceans.

More than 100 students are now participating across South Campus.

Jovan Thomas ’20, a student intern from the Falk College Public Health program, is running the program along with his program mentor, Meg Lowe, Sustainability Management sustainability coordinator.

Based on their apartment location on South Campus, participating students have an assigned day for pick-up of their compost bucket. Thomas sends a reminder the night before by text message to place their bucket on their doorstep. Thomas then travels around South Campus and exchanges the full compost bucket with a clean bucket. The food scraps are weighed and then delivered to a food scraps dumpster that will be taken to the OCRRA Composting Facility.

The fall 2019 program has exceeded expectations. In the first four weeks, 526.4 pounds of food scraps were diverted.

“As a Sustainability Management intern, my involvement in the composting program evokes the side of me that wants to make a difference,” Thomas says. “As a Public Health student, I seek to pursue a career for the betterment of society, which is also why I took this internship. In my short time here, I have learned more about improving the environment and I learned that composting is beneficial to our human health.”

“As Jovan’s program mentor, I am excited to show him how projects like this are implemented on the University campus and what it takes to ensure their continued success,” says Lowe. “As a Public Health student, Jovan Thomas is taking this a step further and researching why compost is such a benefit to all of us and the environment.”

Most of the trash collected in Onondaga County goes to a local waste-to-energy facility, where it is incinerated. Typically, food scraps are the heaviest and wettest items in the waste stream. By removing the food scraps, not only is nutritious organic matter created, resources are saved by not having to burn them at the waste-to-energy facility.

The Student Composting Program took nearly two years to implement. If it proves successful, it will remain a permanent program on South Campus.

South Campus residents who have not already signed up to participate may email sustain@syr.edu to request to join the program. In the email, include a South Campus address and a phone number that receives text messages.

For more information on sustainability programs and classes, visit , follow @ on Twitter and Instagram, and check out the .

A pre-yoga session starts at 11:30 a.m., hosted by Rebecca Spataro-Kerns Revel Roots Yoga.

The festival is sponsored by Syracuse University Sustainability Management, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and Students of Sustainability (SOS), with the support of Syracuse Students for Change, Stella High School and SUNY-ESF.

This year’s Earthfest continues the tradition to celebrate all the ways the local communities keep Central New York sustainable and environmentally sound. As in past years, all the music groups and speakers have donated their time. Entry to the festival is free, and food is available for purchase.

“Earthfest is about celebrating our planet. As the fight to protect and save our environment grows, we must take time to reflect and connect,” says Ethan Thompson, NYPIRG project coordinator. “This annual event brings our community together with music, speakers, activism and local food trucks all in the name of environmental justice and sustainability. It has something for everyone!”

The event features local musicians, artists, community and student organizations, prominent speakers, local vendors and food trucks.

The day’s keynote speaker, at 12:45 p.m., is Sandy Bigtree, Bear Clan, a citizen of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. She is a founding board member of the Indigenous Values Initiative, which fosters collaborative work between the academic/nonacademic community and the Haudenosaunee, promoting their message of peace that was brought��to Onondaga Lake thousands of years ago—a message that influenced, and continues to influence, American democracy, the women’s rights movement, and the environmental sustainability and justice movements.

Other speakers include Blair Horner, NYPIRG executive director; New York State Sen. Rachel May, chair of the Committee on Aging and chair of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources; and ESF Assistant Professor Brian Leydet; Lindsay Speer of the HeatSmart campaign; and Syeisha Byrd G’12, director of community engagement for Hendricks Chapel.

Maggie Dickson ’19 from —a Syracuse University student organization that works on producing, marketing and branding for local artists—is the stage manager. Bands performing are Bike Lanes on Euclid (all SUNY-ESF students), Colleen Kattau G’92 and Dos XX, Charlie Burg ’20, Sundrop Rise, Cosmatic and The Bad Mama’s Blues.

“As one of the event planners for Earthfest, it is humbling to see the Syracuse University, SUNY-ESF and surrounding communities come together to celebrate the Earth in a way that is unique to our community,” says Meg Lowe, sustainability coordinator for Syracuse University Sustainability Management. “Having speakers like Sandy Bigtree and Sen. Rachel May highlights the importance of preserving our world for future generations from varying perspectives. The event also brings light to important topics surrounding sustainability like plastic usage, climate change and food inequality. This year, attendees are also being encouraged to donate non-perishable items to the Syracuse University food pantry.”

Attendees are asked to make a donation at the festival of a nonperishable item. Boxes will be placed around the amphitheater or donations may be made at the food pantry table. In addition, all vendors have donated about $1,000 to Syracuse Grows, a grassroots network that cultivates food justice through advocacy, education and resources in support of urban food production.

The two student organizations co-sponsoring the event will have informational tables for attendants to learn more about their organizations. About 25 different organizations will promote environmental issues and activism, and sell environmental art, jewelry and local food items.

“Earthfest is meant to bring��people all of identities and backgrounds together��to celebrate our common goals of sustainable practices and love for our planet. We hope that this event can encourage community ties and educate us on ongoing social and environmental��movements, igniting a spark in you,” says Shirley Dougherty, president of Students of Sustainability. “Most of all, we want everybody to feel engaged and welcome as they step into the festival knowing that those surrounding them are there to celebrate our Earth and environment. ”

Since Earthfest promotes sustainability, attendees are encouraged to bring any items they need, such as reusable water bottles. Vendors have been asked to use sustainable packaging and compostable food service products, including paper, compostable items or recyclable products. In addition, bins for compost, trash and recyclables will be readily available.

The (STARS) measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.��This is the University’s first time rating itself using AASHE STARS, an important benchmarking and analytic tool for the campus as it continues to institute more sustainability programs and infrastructure.

Then-Chancellor Nancy Cantor signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, now Second Nature, in 2007, pledging to further increase campus sustainability and carbon neutrally by 2040.

In 2005, the University started purchasing 20 percent renewable energy and has since increased the commitment to 35 percent, making Syracuse one of the top 25 schools in the country to purchase renewable energy according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The University has launched many programs since 2007, including:

• writing the Climate Action Plan, which is designed to reduce our climate emissions;
• Food Services going trayless in the dining centers;
• Energy Systems & Sustainability Management and Auxiliary Services installing 240 solar thermal panels on the roofs of 20 buildings serving 160 three-bedroom South Campus apartments;
• converting to energy-efficient light and heating systems across campus;
• offering paperless payroll and paychecks;
• the Student Association in collaboration with several administrative units launching the Cycle Share program;
• the Campus as a Lab for Sustainability grant program funding 15 campus projects for faculty and students;
• a student donating two Electric Charging Stations, which the University installed;
• academic units creating sustainability minors and majors, including Energy and Its Impacts in the Maxwell School

“Since signing the President’s Climate Commitment in 2005, sustainability has played a vital role on campus,” states Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer. “The silver rating awarded to Syracuse University is a great example of that. The University is committed to achieving all sustainability goals as outlined in the Climate Action Plan, including its commitment to climate neutrality by 2040. The completion of the AASHE STARS provides us with a benchmark toward achieving these goals.”

With more than 800 participants in 30 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics; engagement; operations; planning and administration; and innovation and leadership.

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” says AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Syracuse University has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

Unlike other rating or ranking systems, the program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York state, with a global footprint, and nearly 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, visit .

About AASHE:

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation.�� It provides resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. For more information about AASHE, visit .

In the spirit of the competition and to improve the University’s overall recycling efforts, Sustainability Management will be around campus in various locations to educate the campus community about what can and cannot be recycled. In addition to visibility in dining centers, Sustainability Management will be staffing information tables in Bird Library on Feb. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in the Milton Atrium in the Life Sciences Complex on Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Syracuse University traditionally is among the top Atlantic Coast Conference institutions involved in RecycleMania. Only the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina out-performed Syracuse in total recycling efforts last year.

For the second year in a row, in 2018, Syracuse ranked first in New York state in RecycleMania’s Total Recycling category. The University recycled 905,314 pounds of material, securing its national ranking of 14th out of the competing 229 college and universities in the category. Total Recycling recognizes institutions with highest gross tonnage of combined paper, cardboard, and bottles and cans.

This year, Syracuse is competing in the Classic Tournament, which involves four main categories: the Stephan K Gaski Per Capita Classic, Diversion (formally Grand Champion), Total Recycling and Food Organics, all based on the weight of recyclables, trash and food organics. The University will submit actual weights, collected each week by Sustainability Management, to be ranked ��against the other competing institutions. The competition runs through March 30, and the results will be announced on April 16.

The Stephan K Gaski Per Capita Classic measures the weight of recyclables divided by the campus population. Last year, with 23.521 pounds recycled per person, the University ranked 34th in the country and third in New York state.

Last year, the University placed third among participating New York state institutions and 43^rd nationally in the Diversion category—which combines trash, recyclables and food organics to determine the college/university’s recycling rate as a percentage of overall waste—and improved its diversion rate from 47 percent in 2017 to 48 percent in 2018.

The University also competes in the Food Organics category, placing 73^rd last year with 18.82 pounds of organics per capita sent to the Onondaga Country Resource Recovery Agency’s compost site.

The 2018 tournament featured a total of 300 participating college and universities from 46 states, the District of Columbia and Canada with a combined enrollment of 3.6 million students. Some 68.6 million pounds of recyclables and food organics were recorded.

Syracuse University complies with the Onondaga County Source Separation Law and has on-campus recycling bins for mandatory recyclables, such as paper, cardboard and cans/bottles. The University also recycles specialized items, including batteries, electronics, polystyrene��cold shipping boxes, fluorescent light bulbs, scrap metal, compostable yard waste and construction debris. In addition, campus dining centers compost pre- and post-consumer scraps and donate leftover food to the , a student movement that uses donated leftovers to reduce food waste while feeding those in need.

For more information on campus sustainability and recycling efforts, visit the , follow @SustainableSU on Twitter and Instagram, and check out the Facebook page.

To learn more about RecycleMania, visit��.

Image courtesy of Michael Pelken and Vasilena Vassilev

When College of Engineering and Computer Science Professor Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang set out to develop a software platform that would integrate and optimize the design of green buildings, little did he know it would lead to an international collaborative project and the creation of a demonstration building for indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy conservation in China.

“It’s quite an interesting project that is still evolving,” says Zhang, an IAQ, and material emissions expert. “Now we are getting into the building performance with measurements and feedback.”

Known as the P+ Demonstration Building, it is located in the Wujin Green Building Industry Demonstration Zone in Changzhou, a city situated in the Yangtze delta between Nanjing and Shanghai. Among its features, the 6,500-square-foot building is equipped with environmental smart-control sensors, hybrid ventilation (natural and mechanical), a solar chimney that creates natural ventilation, solar panels, photovoltaic glass and an outdoor air purification system provided by project collaborator HealthWay, a Central New York-based company and Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) partner.

The three-story building has space designated for classroom training, offices and a demonstration apartment. Outside the entrance, a buffer layer introduces clean air into the building. The building, funded by the local government and completed in 2016, is one of many in the demonstration park, which introduces the green building technologies of international companies to the Chinese market.

The country’s booming construction trade and pollution concerns create ideal opportunities to implement such technologies, Zhang says. “If you make some improvement in air quality, the impacts are huge, and the potential for improvement is huge.”

According to Zhang, who heads SU’s Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the project began as academic research more than a decade ago and has expanded through several international collaborations. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and SyracuseCoE, Zhang and then School of Architecture professor P. Michael Pelken went to work developing the Virtual Design Studio (VDS), a software platform for integrated, performance-based building system design.

Originally envisioned as a teaching tool, VDS sparks collaboration between architects and engineers through simulation exercises, analysis of energy and environmental systems, and design modifications. Zhang also collaborated with Professor Menghao Qin, then director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at Nanjing University (NJU), and now a faculty member at the Danish Technical University. Qin, Zhang, and Pelken launched a VDS summer course through Syracuse Abroad at the NJU School of Architecture and Urban Planning to train and educate SU and NJU engineering and architecture students in integrative design.

The partnerships continued to build as well. In 2015, SU and NJU established the International Center for Green Buildings and the Urban Environment, which focuses on sustainable building technology research. When the opportunity arose to employ VDS in creating the demonstration building, the P+ Design Group was formed with Pelken and Vasilena Vassilev (cofounders of P+ Studio in London), Zhang, Qin, and Charlie Cheng, a Changzhou businessman who became project construction manager. The five met via Skype every Saturday for six months to discuss the design.

Along with showcasing new green building technologies and serving as a case-study building for the VDS course, the P+ Demonstration Building is used as a research testbed for the ongoing International Energy Agency Project Annex-68 Indoor Air Quality for Low-Energy Residential Buildings, a collaboration with participants from Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, and the United States. Designated by the U.S. DOE and supported by SyracuseCoE, Zhang serves as the U.S. representative.

While Zhang’s work on VDS continues with ECS doctoral students, he sees the P+ Demonstration Building and ongoing collaborations with Chinese colleagues as a small piece in the complex puzzle of improving energy conservation, controlling pollution, and reducing carbon emissions. “Ultimately,” he says, “the goal is to improve the health and well-being of the people.”

Faculty and students from any discipline may apply. The next round of funding is available for projects undertaken between May 16, 2019, through June 30, 2020. Deadline for proposals is midnight on March 29, 2019. The Call for Proposals and application materials can be found at . Funds will become available May 15, 2019.

All proposals must clearly address how the project relates to climate disruption and must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability issues on the Syracuse University campus. Projects may include faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

The Syracuse University Climate Action Plan, released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty and staff from across the University. The program merges academic scholarship with the University’s broad initiative to meet energy efficiency goals, while having SU faculty and students use the campus as a testbed for innovative ideas.

The last grant winners were announced in April 2018. Four projects were awarded funding:

• Don Carr, professor of design in the School of Design, is overseeing the creation of the course Sustainability Design Elective—SU Tiny House (DES 400/600).
• Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is working to design a safer, more efficient, low-cost battery for electric vehicles.
• Caitlin Eger, a graduate student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is using emerging geophysical technologies and drones to map near-surface campus hydrology to determine locations on campus that would benefit from green stormwater infrastructure installations or retrofits.
• Philip Arnold, associate professor and chair of the Department of Religion in the College of Arts and Sciences, is developing a two-day workshop for faculty and advanced graduate students on the human and ecological history of Onondaga Lake, introducing indigenous ecological knowledge about sustainability and climate change for embedding the ideas into curriculum in a variety of disciplines.

served as a deputy to President Obama’s science advisor in the Senate-confirmed position of Associate Director of Environment and Energy (head of the division of environment and energy) in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during President Obama’s first term.

She is currently University Professor and program director for the Environmental, Sustainability and Policy integrated learning major at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.

Abbott says:

“The most alarming thing about the latest NOAA report on Arctic warming is that, because of politics, it is unlikely to sound the alarm.��Future generations, geopolitics, environmental justice for native peoples, species and ecosystems are all at risk in the warming Arctic.��And the solutions to reducing the risks are obvious to everyone except the U.S. President and most of his administration.

“Instead of aggressive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to protect the planet and people, they are asking the residents and ecosystems of the Arctic to adapt or suffer, while they willfully push for more drilling and more burning.

“This means communities and species will have to move inland (if they can) as the warming endures and ships will sail ice-free waters that are still hazardous.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

T��315.443.1184 ����M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu |

Syracuse University

An Autumn Blaze Maple.

University College has organized a tree planting project with departments across campus to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Working with Larry Mason, professor of visual communications in the Newhouse School and Syracuse University Remembrance and Lockerbie ambassador, University College responded to Chancellor Kent Syverud’s request that schools and colleges across campus consider initiating a positive project to help commemorate this significant anniversary.

In all, 270 men, women and children died in the terrorist bombing on Dec. 21, 1988. Thirty-five students studying abroad with Syracuse University were among the victims. Thirty-five trees, representing these students, will be planted on South Campus on Friday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The trees are a mix of Autumn Blaze Maples and Sienna Glen Maples. , a City of Syracuse initiative, will supply the trees at cost.

A Sienna Glen Maple.

Members of the planning committee include representatives from Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC), Physical Plant’s (PP) buildings and grounds department, and Energy Systems and Sustainable Management (ESSM).

“This represents a great collaboration between the University and the City of Syracuse,” says Joseph Alfieri, director of CPDC, “and at the same time has significant environmental benefits.”

“The timing of the tree planting project coincides with Campus Sustainability Month [October],” adds Nathan Prior, ESSM director. “Not only will the trees be a living memory for the 35 students lost, the planting will help with the campus’ sustainability goals to mitigate carbon emissions. The trees will convert the carbon dioxide, about 48 pounds per year,��into food and growth.”

“When professor Mason came to University College asking us to consider becoming involved in a 30^th-annivesary endeavor, we were more than willing to participate,” says Eileen Jevis, communications manager and project coordinator. “So many of us remember that fateful day and the powerful impact it had on our community. What better way to commemorate this anniversary than planting a lasting reminder of those students who died.”

Jevis recounts that when she took the idea to colleagues across campus, it was met with enthusiasm and support. “From the very start, those in CPDC, ESSM and PP buildings and grounds were committed to making this happen,” she says. “Their support and involvment is testiment to our shared belief that this symbolic jesture of longevity, tranquility and life is an appropriate way to memorialize the students.”

Seventy volunteers are needed to help plant the trees. Holes will be pre-dug; however, it is suggested that those willing to help bring along a shovel and pair of gloves. Volunteer registration is . Volunteers should park in lot 161, Farm Acre Road on South Campus. University College will provide lunch at for volunteers and project partners.

For more information, contact Eileen Jevis at 315.443.3527 or ejevis@uc.syr.edu.

For the purpose of developing the Green Colleges list, College Consensus partnered with the to recognize higher education institutions that have committed to green energy.

College Consensus praised SU: “The university is regularly recognized as a leader in areas like law, business, and public policy, both in teaching and research, and all of those strengths contribute to Syracuse’s status as one of the best green colleges in the U.S. As one of the most eco-friendly colleges and one of the most sustainable campuses in America, Syracuse is a leader and a model.”

The University has gained recognition over the years as one of the biggest purchasers of green energy in New York state and the Northeast. Thirty-five percent of the energy used on campus is from renewable sources and in line with the University’s goal on campus to become climate neutral by 2040.

In addition, sustainability has been integrated into the curriculum, with offerings of majors and minors in areas like energy, food studies and environmental science.

Furthering research on campus, the Campus as a Lab for Sustainability (CALS) program offers $75,000 in funding for academic research, student projects and course development that can further engage the campus in addressing climate change and sustainable systems.

To learn more about sustainability on campus, visit .

Following is the full list of the 25 Best Green Colleges in the United States:

1. University of Pennsylvania
2. Northwestern University
3. Georgetown University
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
5. Carnegie Mellon University
6. Ohio State University (main campus)
7. American University
8. Syracuse University
9. University of Oklahoma-Norman
10. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
11. University of Maryland-College Park
12. George Washington University
13. University of Missouri-Columbia
14. Oklahoma State University (main campus)
15. Western Washington University
16. Ohio University (main campus)
17. University of Vermont
18. University of Tennessee-Knoxville
19. Arizona State University-Tempe
20. University of New Hampshire (main campus)
21. Catholic University of America
22. University at Buffalo
23. Drexel University
24. University of South Florida (main campus)
25. Temple University

“River Blue” follows international river conservationist Mark Angelo as he spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most polluting industries: fashion. Clean water supporter Jason Priestley narrates this examination of the fashion industry’s destruction of rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.

The film brings awareness to the destruction of some of the world’s most vital rivers through the harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste associated with clothing production—most notably denim—and urges significant change in the textile industry from the top fashion brands that can make a difference.

The screening of “River Blue” is part of Campus Sustainability Month at Syracuse University. Sustainability Management is hosting several events throughout the remainder of the month, including the New York State Apple Crunch on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Schine Student Center. Ending the month, Sustainability Management staff will be in E.S. Bird Library on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to engage people to play “Fact or Fiction: Scary Sustainability Facts” and learn ways to help save the planet.

For more information on Campus Sustainability Month and other sustainability efforts on campus visit .