Office of Energy & Sustainability

News & Events

Events

Information on upcoming Office of Energy & Sustainability events.

Browse below for Weill Cornell Medicine's latest sustainability initiatives. 

Need to Defrost your Freezer? New Back-up -80°C Freezer Available for WCM Labs

A new -80°C freezer is available for short-term storage in the 1300 York Avenue building to encourage WCM labs to conduct annual maintenance on their own units.

Why is this important?
Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers (ULTs), commonly referred to as -80 freezers, are some of the most energy-intensive plug-load equipment utilized in WCM labs. These units should be...

Please use this Resource Sharing Page to advertise items that you no longer need and wish to pass on to a new owner, such as research or medical equipment, an office supply, or a reagent, etc. Specify your contact info, the location, and the date the item needs to be picked up by. If there is no pick up by date, the item will be deleted after 3...

The Office of Energy & Sustainability and Environmental Health & Safety recently launched a new battery recycling program.

We placed two battery recycling bins in the lobby of 1300 York Avenue and Belfer Research Building, allowing faculty, staff, and students to recycle batteries at their convenience. ...

UnPower Hour, held this past March 21, was an event in which participants switched off as many lights, equipment, and appliances as possible to reduce their energy consumption for one hour. Registrants recruited colleagues and coordinated the event in their work area.

30 Green Leaders joined the event and recruited 210 participants.

Based on the reported actions completed during that hour and energy data, we conservatively estimated we saved 162....

To celebrate Earth Month, the Office of Energy and Sustainability organized two annual events, the One Healthcare Ecochallenge and the Stop and Swap.

We participated in the second annual One Healthcare Ecochallenge, a free, virtual, and friendly month-long competition between healthcare organizations that aims to promote healthy, sustainable habits and community health. Forty-four Weill Cornell Medicine employees and students...

Data Center

The Office of Energy & Sustainability worked with ITS to consolidate Weill Cornell Medicine’s three data centers, modernizing the data infrastructure and significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Pre-consolidation, data centers were located in the D building (1300 York Avenue), Weill Greenberg Center (WGC), and Belfer Research Building (BRB). The data centers in the D building and WGC had aged and consumed substantial energy, while the data center in the BRB is...

May is National Bike Month, which celebrates biking as a popular type of recreation and an environmentally friendly mode of transportation that can help reduce one’s carbon footprint. The Office of Energy & Sustainability encourages you to review incentives that make cycling a sustainable way to commute to campus.

Bike Parking

  • Bike racks are available in the...
Stop&Swap event photo
 
Join us on April 25 in the Olin Hall Gym (445 E 69th St, Basement) in this ...
EcoChallenge poster 2024

You are invited to join team Weill Cornell Medicine in the One Healthcare EcoChallenge 2024, a free, virtual, and friendly month-long competition (April 1 - 30, 2024) between healthcare organizations that aims to promote healthy, sustainable habits and community health. Use the EcoChallenge platform to select impactful actions at work and at home, and log your progress to see how your actions add up. You can join the challenge before or at any time...

Join us as a Green Leader and enroll coworkers in your area for WCM UnPower Hour 2024 on Thursday, March 21st from 2 PM to 3 PM. During this one hour, you will work with your colleagues to reduce energy consumption as much as you can by switching off some lights, computers/printers, appliances and/or other equipment.

This event is part of Earth Hour 2024 which will take place on Saturday, March 23rd at 8:30 PM. Earth Hour is an...

Infrastructure equipment, services, and business hours required to maintain operations make Weill Cornell Medicine a significant energy user. For the past six years, Weill Cornell Medicine has participated in summertime Demand Response (DR) programs, which play an important role in maintaining the operation and resiliency of the New York City electric grid. DR programs are collective actions involving suppliers and customers that can help reduce the likelihood of grid outages, defer the...

In recognition of Zero Waste Week, The Office of Energy & Sustainability is sharing our first newsletter, Happenings! Our team recently participated in new student orientation, discussed recycling guidelines for Olin Hall residents, and presented the WCM Green Initiative to postdocs during...

Thank you to all who participated in Earth Month 2023 events!

The inaugural Earth Month Stop & Swap was held on April 30, 2023, in the basement of Olin Hall, and we collected 60 bags of clothing (283.5 pounds) and over 90 books! After the event, the remaining items62.9 pounds of clothing and 86 bookswere donated to asylum seekers and migrants via...

You are invited to join Team WCM in the One Healthcare EcoChallenge, a free and friendly month-long competition (April 21 - May 19, 2023) between healthcare organizations that aims to promote healthy, sustainable habits and community health. Use the EcoChallenge platform to select impactful actions at work and at home, and log your progress to see how your actions add up.

Join Team WCM:

  • Log on: ...

The Office of Energy & Sustainability invites you to our inaugural "freecycle" event, Stop and Swap, on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Do you have clothes you no longer wear, books you would like to share, or old batteries that need recycling? Reduce waste and give these items a second life by bringing them to the gym in the basement of Olin Hall on Thursday morning between 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM on April 20.

You are invited to return to the gym between 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM on April 20 to...

 Feil Student Education Center

Written by Dominique Dowd

The Feil Student Education Center officially reopened on October 7, 2019 as the second LEED Gold certified project on Weill Cornell’s campus. Designed with...

Cooking Class Poster

Join our seasonal and sustainable cooking class, "Cooking in Season: Benefits You and The Environment" on Monday, December 9 at 5:30 PM in the Second Floor Café of the David H. Koch Building. Join WCM Sustainability and NYP Integrative Wellness for a healthy cooking lesson featuring squash, pumpkin, and sweet potato. Learn the importance of cooking with seasonal ingredients while creating healthy, delicious meals. ...

Belfer Research Building Tour Poster

UPDATE: This tour is now full, stay tuned for more events!

You may know the Belfer Research Building was certified LEED Gold in 2014, but how does it combine cutting edge translational science with energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint? As part of Campus Sustainability Month, the WCM Sustainability Council invites you to take a look behind the scenes...

Zero Waste Living Presentation Poster

Continuing with Campus Sustainability Month, the WCM Sustainability Leadership Council is hosting a talk with the NY Department of Sanitation next Monday, October 21st at 12:00 PM at the Belfer Research Building, Conference Room 204-A. Learn how to reduce waste and enjoy some light refreshments. Seating is limited, please email wcm-sustainability@med.cornell.edu by Friday, October 18th to register...

Cornell Tech Tour Poster

As part of Campus Sustainability Month, the Sustainability Leadership Council invites you to join us this Friday, October 18, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM for a tour of The House at Cornell Tech and the TATA Innovation Center at the beautiful Roosevelt Island campus. Capacity is limited, please email ...

WCM Campus Sustainability Month 2019 Official Poster and Calendar of Events

October is Campus Sustainability Month, and WCM is joining the celebrations once again! This is a yearly international celebration of sustainability in higher education, held every October by many universities and college campuses. Our first event was tending to t...

Roger Morris Park Garden

October is Campus Sustainability Month, and WCM will join the celebration once again! This is a yearly international celebration of sustainability in higher education, held every October by many universities and college campuses....

Sandra Bitowft

As you know, WCM Unpower Hour was a resounding success this year. We had 20 Green Leaders throughout the institution that ranged from administrative offices, university campus, research labs, the graduate school, and the Burke Medical Reseach Center. 

...

Green Leaders and WCM Sustainability Leadership Council during our Meet and Greet Event

Last week, the Sustainability Leadership Council held a meet and greet event for all the Green Leaders who collaborated in...

Image result for st catherine's park

WCM Government and Community Affairs and Friends of St. Catherine's Park are hosting a park cleanup volunteer event on Saturday, May 4 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at St. Catherine's Park (1st Avenue between East 67th and 68th Streets). 

St. Catherine's Park is a local...

This year's Unpower Hour events were an astounding success!

Thank you very much to all the students, faculty and staff who participated in Unpower Hour and Earth Hour. Several departments organized special events all over campus;...

The Green Kits for Unpower Hour are now ready to be picked up by Green Leaders! If you signed up to be a Green Leader, check your email for pickup instructions and contact information.

...

Check out our official video for Unpower Hour 2019, the WCM workday version of Earth Hour!

Join us as a Green Leader and enroll coworkers in your area for both the WCM Unpower Hour 2019 on Thursday, March 28 and ...

The eve of a New Year is a great opportunity to take stock of our progress, as well as write a list of Resolutions that help us achieve personal and professional goals. Why not include Sustainability goals to this list? Here are a few ideas for attainable New Year's...

UPDATE: This contest has now ended. Congratulations to the winner, Soham Gupta!

The holidays are here! While the festivities are a great time to celebrate with friends and family, 25% more trash is produced during this season.

Tell us...

Here are three quick pumpkin carving hacks to reduce waste on Halloween.

Make chipotle chili roasted pumpkin seeds

Boil seeds in salted water for 10 min, toss in olive...

Continuing with Campus Sustainability month, the WCM Sustainability Leadership Council is hosting a talk with NYC DEP next Monday, October 22nd at Weill Greenberg Center Y-214C at noon.

 Join us in learning about the nation’s most extensive municipal...

Tomorrow is our recycling Contest at Olin Hall. Come by the Student Lounge between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM and take on other competitors to show your skills in this interactive recycling challenge. Show us your sorting speed and expertise to win fun and...

Weill Cornell Medicine is currently celebrating its first Campus Sustainability Month! This is a yearly international celebration of sustainability in higher education, held every October by many universities and college campuses. Our first event was the screening of several Story of Stuff documentaries, which had great attendance and sparked conversations on how to reduce waste and energy...

The Story of Stuff screening was a successful kickoff to four events celebrating Campus Sustainability Month in October. The Samuel J. Wood Library and the Sustainability Team hosted the screening of several short subject documentaries by Story of Stuff Project.  Attendees discussed solutions for better stewardship of campus resources and how to get involved at Weill Cornell Medicine as well as in their own communities.  Volunteers supplied snacks and...

Woman receiving bag for unpower hour

Last week, we celebrated UnPower Hour and Earth Hour for the 10th year in a row. Hundreds of students, faculty and staff from almost every department participated either via Web or by signing up locally with the Green Leaders in each area. The events sparked many conversations on how to be "greener" at home and at work, and how small decisions we make in our daily lives have an impact in the environment and the planet.

This year, our Laboratories all over campus participated en masse,...

Bag kit of items for raffle

The Weill Cornell UnPower Hour is the official kick-off of our yearlong energy savings plan. For the tenth year in a row Weill Cornell faculty, students, and staff will power down for one hour on Thursday, March 22, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

Click here to sign up for Unpower Hour ...

Man and woman posing for photo with green bag

For the tenth year in a row,  we are gearing up to kick off Weill Cornell Medicine's year-long energy savings plan, and need your help to make it happen.

Holiday gift wrap

Update: this contest hasCongratulations to Jessica Alequin, the very lucky winner of our Giveaway! Stay tuned for more contests and raffles coming up soon.

Did you know that US household waste increases by 25% in the holiday season? Head over to our Facebook page and show us how you're making your holiday presents more eco-friendly for a...

Picture of bike

Since 1956, National Bike Month has been celebrated every year in the US. This nationwide event aims to unite bicyclists and new riders all over the country to challenge themselves and encourage each other to stay healthy and reduce their carbon footprint by finding their reasons to ride, and advocate for better bicycle-friendly infrastructure in their communities. 

This year, the NYC Department of Transportation has joined Transportation...


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Did you know

We use 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans a year.

Office of Energy & Sustainability 1300 York Avenue, LC006, Box 14, New York, NY 10065