Energy Systems Sustainability Management

Sustainability Management has been hard at work to enhance efforts to protect the environment at Syracuse University. A new Sustainability feature has been added to the University’s interactive map, helping users identify all things sustainable on campus. New electric vehicle charging stations—and upgrades to the existing ones—are coming soon, and a refresh of the sustainability website will help educate community members about current projects, best practices, and the Climate Action Plan.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Do you know what happens to your trash once you throw it away? Many tend to forget about their garbage once it’s out of sight, but waste management plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing a clean and safe environment for community members.

Syracuse University makes a conscious effort to reduce the amount of waste produced on and around campus. The University partners with Syracuse Haulers Waste Removal and the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA) to dispose of any waste. OCCRA is the agency that oversees what happens to waste and recycling in the county. Recycling is mandatory in Onondaga County and therefore, on campus.

Read the full article on Syracuse University News.

Syracuse University continues its efforts to combat climate change and pursue its long-term goal of carbon neutrality by 2040. The University recently upgraded exterior lighting fixtures with more efficient and energy-saving LED lights in the Comstock Avenue and Colvin Street parking lots and SU Soccer Stadium, with additional outdoor lighting upgrades underway on South Campus.

These upgrades will lower power consumption, thereby reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, a direct contributor to a warming planet. The new lights will result in a total reduction of 68.09 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This amount is equal to the estimated greenhouse gas emissions from more than 14 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven in one year or eight homes’ energy use in a single year.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

In 2013, Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel established a food pantry to help students experiencing food insecurity. What started as a pantry in a small space in the chapel has grown into a large operation with two campus locations that serve more than 250 students a week.

The pantry is located on the lower level of Hendricks Chapel (North Campus) and the Carriage House (161 Farm Acre Road, South Campus). Each location is stocked with food, personal care and household items, which are available at no cost to undergraduate and graduate students with valid Syracuse University or SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry I.D.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

What’s the buzz? On South Campus and all across Syracuse University, it’s native plants to support pollinators of all varieties. And that is just one part of the University’s efforts in sustainability management.

Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator in Sustainability Management, spearheads that support and helps move the University forward in its vision of instilling a culture of sustainability on campus. Cadwell has worked at the University since 1987.

Other work in the unit has focused on working with students in Sustainability Management’s internship program on a variety of projects, including Bee Campus USA and Pete’s Giving Garden.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Syracuse University has earned a STARS Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

STARS, a self-assessment, incorporates data accuracy processes 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.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

When Syracuse University’s campus bee hives were damaged by a car in July 2021, Lisa Olson-Gugerty was amazed by her colleague Meg Lowe’s determination to help move the hives to a secure location, despite the 90-degree heat and an injured wrist.

“(Lowe) made sure everything was running smoothly,” said Olson-Gugerty, an associate teaching professor at SU’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. “Every step of the way, she has been there in supporting me beyond what anyone would expect a colleague at work to do.”

Lowe will be leaving her role as a sustainability coordinator at SU this Friday, which happens to be Earth Day. She will be joining Montera Health, a health care company, as a graphic designer.

Read the full story on dailyorange.com.

Despite numerous setbacks after the launch of Bee Orange at Syracuse University in 2019, the project’s leaders managed to continue their community connection and sustainability efforts to sell their honey across campus.

The project, inspired by Bee Campus USA, established six honey beehives on South Campus in the spring of 2020. The project aims to protect pollinator habitats, increase environmental awareness and encourage appreciation of nature, said Meg Lowe, sustainability coordinator and SU Bee Campus USA committee chair.

Read the full story at dailyorange.com.

A new project on Syracuse University’s South Campus could be part of the answer to bringing some much-needed relief to Syracuse’s food desert areas.

Urban beehives like Detroit Hives have already seen such success in turning some of Motor City’s most destitute areas into fertile, growing gardens.

PhotoJournalist Westbrook Shortell takes a dive into the Hive Mind on South Campus to see just how important honey bees are to making it all happen.

See the full story on CNYCentral.com.