Cornell has reduced its energy usage in existing buildings by 5 percent since 2000 and is striving toward another 15 percent reduction by 2012 according to Lanny Joyce, manager of engineering, planning and energy management at Cornell.

Speaking as a panelist May 7 in Phillips Hall, Joyce said that since 2001, seven new maintenance workers have come on board and, because of their attention to energy-usage detail, have helped the university save $2 million a year in energy costs. The meeting was held to address "Climate Neutral Cornell: Implications of the President's Climate Commitment."

Also on May 7, Cornell issued its first Green Report to measure the university's environmental footprint and to provide benchmarks as Cornell strives toward a greener, more sustainable campus. Cornell also is forming a committee of students, faculty and staff to help guide the formation of a plan for Cornell to achieve climate neutrality -- leaving a net-zero impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Skorton committed the university to climate neutrality Feb. 23 when he signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment.

Since 2001, when student members of KyotoNow! asked the university administration to adhere to Kyoto Protocol standards, the Kyoto Task Team, under Joyce's leadership, has guided the Energy Conservation Initiative, which includes conservation-focused maintenance, energy studies, conservation projects, outreach and education.

The $5 million spent on energy conservation projects since 2002 have saved the university an additional $1 million annually in energy costs, said Joyce. And the new combined heat and power project will provide highly efficient electricity and heat generation.

However, other panelists noted, reduction in energy use and increases in efficiency are not enough to achieve Cornell's goal. Renewable energy sources are expected to become even more important. Cornell's hydroelectric plant on Fall Creek now provides 2 percent of the university's electricity needs, and the Lake Source Cooling project has reduced campus electricity use by about 9 percent annually. Recently, a 15-kilowatt photovoltaic array was installed on the roof of Day Hall, and a 2.2 kilowatt system is planned for the south face of the Cornell Store to demonstrate this emerging technology, said Joyce.

Panelist Zellman Warhaft, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, credited students as being a major impetus behind the push toward sustainability. Today, he said, a wide array of advanced energy-related courses are available across campus, as are a range of student groups -- including Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Solar Decathlon team -- that are devoted to sustainability.

"It is the role of students to remain engaged," said panelist Emily Rochon, a graduate student, noting that the KyotoNow! campaign, which started at Cornell in 2001, has since given rise to more than 300 groups at universities across the country. She added that students need to continue to inspire and "say to the administration, 'you can do this, we have the talent, we have the resources ... let's sit down and solve this problem to make Cornell an institution we're even more proud of than we are today.'"

Other panelists at the meeting included Cornell Executive Vice President Stephen Golding, Vice President for Planning and Budget Carolyn Ainslie, Cornell's sustainability coordinator Dean Koyanagi and several professors and students.

Jack Hoge '07 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.