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Special to The Journal
ITHACA Cornell University President David Skorton spoke Tuesday night to an audience of almost 70 community members about how the university he heads is trying to be a good neighbor and a good steward of the planet.
In an Earth Day speech in Ithaca High School's Kulp Auditorium to members of local service-based organizations such as the Kiwanis Club and Lions Club, Skorton outlined some of the university's efforts to become a more sustainable and open institution.
"I want ... to look at some of the broader challenges we face as a university and the impact they may have on the community," he said. "The focus of our education is dependent on a bilateral partnership with the community."
The event was coordinated by the Ithaca Rotary Club, a service-based organization of which Skorton is an honorary member.
Foremost in his speech was the creation of the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future, which will focus research and education on energy use, environmental problems, and economic development issues such as poverty alleviation. The school has allocated $10 million in seed money for the project.
Skorton said Cornell Dining supports local agriculture by purchasing 33 percent of its produce from local and regional sources, and the campus is working to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality with a 10-year plan to reduce campus energy use by 20 percent from its 2000 levels.
"Local food is very relevant to Earth Day to reduce transportation needs and by contributing to the Upstate economy," he said.
In his address, he mentioned the university's master plan that will promote sustainable campus development in areas such as transportation and construction, and spoke about the Cornell Cooperative Extension's recent establishment of a program with five full-time positions dedicated to environmental education.
Cornell's employment of almost 2,000 faculty members is also a boon to the local economy, Skorton said.
"Faculty members and their campus colleagues contribute significantly to the community," he said. "They and their families buy houses and rent apartments ... and their research can lead to the development of new businesses within our community."
When the controversial Lake Source Cooling project came up, Skorton said Cornell was working with the community to alleviate concerns about a project that saves the university from significant extra energy costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
"We all recognize that Cayuga Lake is an essential asset to our community and region," he said, noting that Cornell faculty members are working to develop a better system for monitoring the project's effect on the lake.
Though he acknowledged that Cornell's campus is energy intensive, in part because of the creation of a number of new science research labs, he characterized new building projects as an investment in the future and discussed the ways the school is seeking to limit usage and save energy.
"Energy conservation and achieving climate neutrality are also high priorities at Cornell," Skorton said.
He said the short term energy costs to new research labs and an expanding campus will pay off in the future.
"We're educating people who will develop technologies that will lead to greater energy efficiency," he said. "We want to have a leadership in sustainability education."
Skorton, called himself a "cheerleader" for the university.
During a question and answer session at the end of his talk, the president offered his business card to those whose questions he could not answer, and promised to make sure their requests were heard, offering to sit down and have coffee with one audience member.
Dale Flinn, president of the Ithaca Rotary Club, said Skorton's willingness to be open to ideas is essential for the community to be able to work with the university.
"Finding the right person to talk to is the hardest part of working with Cornell," Flinn said. "Finding those connections is key." |
