environment

SUNY-ESF professor conducts conservation research in the Galapagos Islands
By Shweta Karikehalli
October 12, 2017 - 10:44am
Professor Margaret Voss works with professor Stephen Teale to preserve the endangered Darwin's finch while continuing her work as a professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

One sunny afternoon, Margaret Voss examined several bird nest boxes with her colleague in the backyard of his home in Fabius, New York.

“They’re home to any species that wants to move in,” Voss said as she unscrewed the small wooden door to a box. As they peered inside, they commented on the appearance of the nests briefly before moving onto the next one. The scene unfolded like any two bird enthusiasts enjoying a day outdoors.

Students represent local issues at People's Climate March
By Valerie Crowder
September 23, 2014 - 2:58pm
Hundreds of SU and SUNY-ESF students marched alongside more than 300,000 other demonstrators in New York City at the largest climate change march ever.

At the People’s Climate March, students from Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF called for their universities to stop investing in fossil fuels, as well as other ways to make their campuses more sustainable.

Conscious Consumption discusses industrial food system
By Jessie Yuqing Shi
April 24, 2014 - 3:33pm
The culminating event of Earthfest, put on by Students of Sustainability, asked students to examine what they eat and the effect it has on their health and the environment.

Boxes of couscous and noodles lined the table as event planners prepared for the presentation at Watson Theater. Conscious Consumption, sponsored by Students of Sustainability, closed out this year’s Earthfest activities.

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.

Syrac-ew: day two and campus is already bugging me
By Allie Caren
August 27, 2013 - 9:28pm
A Jersey girl finds herself surrounded by a giant swarm of gnats after a long second day of class. Hilarity ensues.

I had a long day. Don’t get me wrong – it was a fulfilling “day two” of learning and getting back into the swing of things, but it was also an early-to-leave, late-to-return kind of Tuesday for me.

I was walking from Newhouse 3 towards the bus stop, tired, hungry and catching up on some text replies, only glancing up every now and then to admire the beautifully sunbathed buildings that lay atop our wonderful hill.

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." 

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?