Why Sustainability? Real Challenges – Real Opportuni8es For all of us! Mike Hoffmann Associate Dean, Director College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Cornell University Agricultural Experiment StaAon Why Sustainability? than you who you care 1.  Think of one person younger deeply about. 2.  Say their name to yourself. 3.  Shout it out! 4.  You have just defined sustainability Sustainability “MeeAng the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generaAons to meet their own needs” UN Brundtland Report Why Sustainability? Lots of people; many deserving a beAer life Unsustainable Growth •  How many “planet Earths” do we need to sustain our current growth rates? •  Right now the land and water area we need to produce the resources we consume and absorb our waste, using prevailing technology, is about 1.5 Earths. Having only one planet makes this a rather significant problem. Paul Gilding (2011). Why Sustainability? Global Warming Get Real, The Truth •  1.50F increase globally (warmer at poles) •
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Alaska, AntarcAca HoZest decade: 2000-­‐2009; 2010 Longer summers, warmer winters Warming very fast (100X) 8-­‐100F by 2100 (usual business) •
5,000 land based staAons, 1000 buoys, ships, satellites The ul8mate challenge Global Warming Summer heat index: How hot summers will “feel” in Upstate New York Evidence More extreme weather events Droughts in US, Russia, Australia, floods in Pakistan, severe storms in US 2012 drought 50% NYS apple crop lost Owego, NY, 2011 Glaciers and Arc8c Sea Ice Retrea8ng 1917 2005 Glacier NaAonal Park will not have glaciers in 2020 ArAc ice free in 2030 vs. earlier predicAons of 2100 Arc8c Tundra Warming and less snow cover. Releases of carbon dioxide and methane. More brush may mean more fires. •
Greenland miles of ice 660,000 square •  “8,652 gazillion gin & tonics” •  GravitaAonal Force •  47 cubic miles melAng/yr. •  Los Angeles uses 1 cubic mile/yr. •  Gone in 50,000, 1,000, 88 yrs.? •  Adds 22 l. to sea level •  And then there is the East AntarcAc AcidificaAon: Absorbs 30 million tons CO2/day Cause is Us •  Tyndall (1857) •  Carbon12 Carbon Dioxide (ppm) •  1800: 270 •
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A good thing 2012: 394* 2050: 450 2100: 900+ 350 is important! InerAa – no turning back *Highest in 2 million yrs. Transporta8on 13 % Sources of GHG’s Total per year? (Worldwide) How many cars? How many flights/day? Elect and Heat 26% Industry 19% Agriculture 14% The Anthropocene Na8onal Security: Near Term Impacts •  Water •
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India-­‐Pakistan (nuclear states) border region; changes in seasonal glacial melt and monsoons Mekong River water; persistent drought, increasing demand for ouqlow from China where dams are under construcAon to manipulate diminishing glacial melt from high Asia •  Food Security •
China -­‐ DepleAon of ground water and drought, China turns to others for food (Brazil, Russia, Africa) overall increasing compeAAon for available agricultural Lands •  Sea Level Rise •
Mass migraAons – Bangladesh, Vietnam, Egypt, Maldives… •  Opening of the Arc8c •
Increased Russian and emergent Chinese presence Are You Depressed, Overwhelmed? Op8ons: –  Deny? –  Ignore? –  Avoid? –  Move? –  The Truth! •  Take a first step – get real, face the truth, let it sink in. –  A really big challenge When asked if I am pessimisAc or opAmisAc about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimisAc, you don't understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't opAmisAc, you haven't got a pulse. Paul Hawken (2009) Cornell ‘06 I am on trial! Cornell ‘10 In 2050, what will my daughters say about their dad? Did he try? Sustainability at Cornell -­‐ Incredible Capacity -­‐ Academic & Opera8ons Sustainability Across Cornell -­‐ Academic -­‐ •
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Agriculture: local to global Energy: biofuels, geothermal, fuel cells… Water: quality and quanAty Climate: extreme weather, global transport Social issues: poverty, hunger, equity InsAtute for Climate Change and Agriculture Biodiversity: ladybeetles to frogs Incredible capacity – research, teaching, outreach Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future •  ACSF advances mulAdisciplinary research in Energy, the Environment and Economic Development, and culAvates innovaAve collaboraAons within and beyond Cornell to foster a sustainable future for all. •  $80 million Atkinson gil makes ACSF permanent •  Academic Venture Fund (grants) –  Novel, high risk, mulAdisciplinary research •  Faculty cluster hires •  Making connecAons – topical lunches Cornell’s Commitment -­‐ Opera8ons -­‐ •  Climate AcAon Plan •  President's Sustainable Campus CommiZee •  Recyclemania and R5 •  Energy ConservaAon IniAaAve •  Smart Growth •  Take Back the Tap •  And much much more President's Sustainable Campus CommiAee (PSCC) •  Oversees all aspects of sustainability in campus operaAons and faciliAes •  Reps. from operaAons and academic staff, students and faculty •  10 focus areas of sustainable campus acAviAes: energy, climate, water, food, waste, buildings, people, land, purchasing and transportaAon Sustainability – All around you at Cornell Lake Source Cooling No mowing! CO2 70,000 tons/yr LEED buildings Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Sta8on, Ithaca (CUAES) •  Seven farms – 2400 acres •  Vegetables, field crops, ornamentals, organic… •  Student run farm •  55 staff •  Greenhouses – 4 acres •  Plant growth chambers – 150 •  Forested properAes •  4 acre compost facility •  Supports research, teaching, extension •  $5.6 m/yr in support of applied research CUAES -­‐ Adop8ng a Culture of Sustainability •  Emphasis on cost reducAons, efficiencies, carbon footprint •  Staff EMPOWERED (generate ideas, implement) –  Sustainable AcAon Team -­‐ inspiring –  Promote professional development/leadership •  Partnerships with faculty and Cornell operaAons •  A model that is being shared Sustainability – All around you at Cornell Energy savings in Plant Growth FaciliAes ComposAng 13,000 tons/year Farm to Dining, Dilmun Hill Total pledged savings (as of 9/16/11): 2 million lbs CO2, $230,000 savings Impact of Office Ac8ons •  Turn computers and monitors off at night (rather than standby or sleep): $44/620 lbs •  Double sided prinAng and copying: $36/122 lbs •  Set copiers & printers to switch to standby mode aler 10 min of inacAvity: $22/219 lbs •  Turn lights off in public area when not in use: $144/1282 lbs (25,000 light switches at CU!) •  Close fume hood sash: $3,000/25,000 lbs hAp://green.cals.cornell.edu/ Savings are per year, per person and based on averages Now it’s your turn! -­‐ Infuse Sustainability in the Workplace -­‐ Make it part of the culture Keep the carbon in the ground Sustainability: a Skill for Success Advancing Cornell’s commitment to a sustainable campus. Every performance review, every person, every year Social Sustainability Economic Sustainability Environmental Sustainability Live Sustainably •  TransportaAon – walk, bike, use the bus, carpool. Increase efficiency: smaller car, check Are pressure & air filter, slow down. •  Electricity – turn it OFF, unplug it, CFL bulbs, power strips, Energy Star appliances, hang laundry to dry, turn drying cycle in dishwasher OFF, computer: standby/sleep mode aler 20 min. •  HeaAng & cooling – free home energy assessment (Upgrade Upstate NY), thermostats, 68F in the winter (cooler at night), 74F in the summer, keep windows closed. •  Water – fix leaking faucets & toilets, reduce shower Ame, run dishwasher & washing machine only when full, water garden rarely & only in early a.m. or late p.m., use mulch. •  Waste – reusable shopping bags, bring your own coffee cup, avoid disposables & excess packaging, buy bulk food, opt out of junk mail, double sided prinAng, recycle, compost. Eat less meat • Plant a tree • Grow a garden • Endless opportuniAes Sustainability -­‐ Thoughts to Take Home -­‐ •  We need: – To respect and heed the science •  Would you ignore a diagnosis of cancer? – A sense of urgency -­‐ there is not much Ame – A Great Awakening -­‐ not enough people understand the threat – Make it personal – that younger person – Leaders – We need you! Real Challenges Real Opportuni8es -­‐ For all of us – Thank you! Be Sustainable! Resources •  Upgrade Upstate NY www.upgradeupstate.org Upstate NY resident's portal for home improvement projects •  Get Your GreenBack Tompkins hZp://getyourgreenbacktompkins.org Save energy and $$ in Tompkins County •  Sierra Club Green Tips www.sierraclub.org/Aps •  EarthShare Green Tips www.earthshare.org/green-­‐Aps.html