Green Sprouts

SU ceases direct investment in fossil fuels
By Jake Cappuccino
April 1, 2015 - 1:24pm
The announcement came after months of student groups calling for the university to divest.

Syracuse University announced Tuesday that it would formally commit to prohibiting investment of the endowment in coal mining and other fossil fuels.

The university administration officially decided to stop investing the endowment in publicly traded companies dealing in fossil fuels, according to an SU News release. 

SU looks to gain ground in Reyclemania competition
By Jake Cappuccino
March 2, 2015 - 2:48pm
SU has a short history with Recyclemania, but it is just the beginning in a step forward in improving on-campus recycling.

Recyclemania is running wild. Started in 2001, Recyclemania is a competition that pits universities against one another in a recycling competition.

More than 50 SU students will march in historic climate change rally
By Shannon Hazlitt
September 16, 2014 - 5:06pm
Busloads of local activists will participate in the largest climate change demonstration ever.

Ben Kuebrich, a Syracuse University graduate student in English, has been to many protests in the past – Occupy Wall Street, the protest against the Keystone Pipeline in Washington D.C. and the march in New York City after Hurricane Sandy.

However, he said he thinks the People’s Climate March in New York City on Sunday will be the biggest of them all.

Is divestment the right answer for dealing with fossil fuels?
By Zachary Goldberg
November 20, 2013 - 5:32pm
Students all over the country are pressuring their administrations to remove their investments from fossil fuels. But as time passes and the campaign gets little reaction, questions arise as to whether this approach is actually beneficial.

In October 2012, Bill McKibben, renowned climate change activist and founder of 350.org (and a personal hero of mine) kicked off the “Go Fossil Free” campaign, encouraging students to encourage their institutions to divest their massive endowment funds from fossil-fuel based companies. Roaming the country on his “Do The Math” tour, McKibben put it simply: fossil fuels are causing climate change, and unless we “rise up to stop them,” fossil fuel companies will keep doing what they do – making money by destroying our planet.

Journalist: Why aren't we doing anything about global warming?
By Zachary Goldberg
October 22, 2013 - 8:18pm
The world is warming -- and scientists are confident that humans are at least partially to blame. So Dan Grossman wonders why aren't we doing anything about it?

Last week, Dan Grossman, a George Foster Peabody Award-winning journalist addressed my class for a guest lecture. He posed a very blunt, striking question: Why aren’t we doing anything about global warming?

New Sadler Dining Hall serves as green stepping stone
By Zachary Goldberg
October 8, 2013 - 11:58am
With trayless and paperless dining, the newly renovated Sadler Dining Hall is the starting point for a new wave of sustainable changes at SU.

When students returned to campus late this August, they found a completely new Sadler Dining Hall. Now fitted with an updated décor, expanded seating, and a more efficient food service set-up, there’s something a bit more noticeable that’s missing: The trays and napkins. Saddler dining hall, in addition to its renovation, was also transformed into what is theoretically now the campus’s most sustainable dining hall.

Earth Day 2013 events roundup
By Ellie Wilkinson
April 17, 2013 - 11:56am
Cleanups aren't the only way to show your love for the planet on April 22. Check out some of these other local events, and you can celebrate Earth Day all week long.

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, but Central New York has started the party for our planet a week early.

Nearly 5,000 volunteers picked up trash last Friday and Saturday in Onondaga County as part of the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency’s Earth Day cleanup. In those two days, they collected over 8,400 pounds of garbage. Cleanups are planned through this week and into the weekend around the county, if you’re looking to help out.

Sea turtles illustrate the harmful effects of light pollution
By Gwendolyn Craig
March 19, 2013 - 11:53pm
Renowned photographer Jim Richardson used examples from nature to explain how too much light affects all kinds of life.

Jim Richardson has been all over the world.  He’s published photos for over 25 stories in National Geographic and he's taken pictures from Kansas to Scotland.  But Richardson doesn’t flaunt his travels.  Rather, he started off his lecture at Hendrick’s Chapel on Tuesday night by showing us a place we all share, but so often forget — our place among the stars. 

"We live here,” Richardson said, pointing to a photo of a starry night.  “We live in the galaxy up there, the Great Milky Way." 

Valentine's Day green gift guide
By Ellie Wilkinson
February 13, 2013 - 7:26pm
Have an eco-friendly V-Day in Syracuse with our overview of sustainable and organic treats for your sweetheart — or for your sweet self.

Happy Valentine's Day from TheNewsHouse.com Roses are red, violets are blue, and your Valentine’s Day can be green this year with a few smart gift picks.

The Christmas question: Are real or fake trees greener?
By Jingnan Li
December 23, 2012 - 5:22pm
Artificial Christmas trees may last longer, but experts say that real trees are ultimately more sustainable and Earth-friendly.

With Christmas around the corner, people are flooding into stores for presents and thinking about how to decorate their homes for the holiday. One of the biggest decisions is about the centerpiece decoration, the Christmas tree. If you're environmentally conscious, you may be wondering which is better: the real tree, or the artificial tree?