Sustainability was the word of the day as Cornell President David Skorton, deans from Cornell's Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Ecology, and Cornell Cooperative Extension converged in Syracuse Aug. 21 for the opening of the 162nd New York State Fair.

Gov. David Paterson officially opened the fair, a 12-day event that includes more than a fair helping of green Cornell involvement.

A big draw for Cornell at the fair is the pilot vehicle for a 100-miles-per-gallon car being developed by Cornell's Automobile X Prize (AXP) team. The high-mileage hybrid vehicle, once it is designed and built, will compete for the $10 million Progressive Automobile X Prize competition in 2010. The test car is on display at the Center of Progress Building. Nearby, under the same roof, is Cornell's extensive "Greener Horizon" exhibit that showcases many of Cornell's sustainability projects and initiatives.

Cornell Cooperative Extension and its 4-H Youth Program, which connects youth to Cornell's resources, has returned to the fair this year with an update of its "Choose Health" initiative, now titled "Choose Health for You and Your World." The program, which aims to raise public awareness about childhood obesity prevention, gave out pedometers last year and tracked 4-H members' steps at the fair. This year, the campaign connects healthy lifestyles with preserving natural resources, saving energy and improving the environment, highlighting how sustainability efforts are good for personal and world health.

Cornell's Nanobiotechnology Center will be at the fair Aug. 29-Sept. 1; visitors to its booth will learn a little chemistry while making slime.

The exhibit partners include the Center for a Sustainable Future, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Office of Environmental Compliance and Sustainability, the Division of University Communications, the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, 4-H, the Office of the Vice President of Land Grant Affairs, the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization, Cornell Plantations and RPM Ecosystems.