Sustainability lab researches SU reaching net-zero carbon emissions

By Faith Bolduc contributing writer

Following the Syracuse University Student Association’s call in December for net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 — 10 years earlier than SU administration’s current goal — the university is working to spread sustainability awareness and solutions through its Dynamic Sustainability Lab.

Harrison Vogt, SA’s director of sustainability, said that although SU is on track to achieving its original 2040 goal, SA wants the school to do more to reduce its carbon footprint with the resources it has.

“Why can’t we aspire to do more? All it takes is investment and commitment,” Vogt said.

The Dynamic Sustainability Lab is one way SU is working to evaluate sustainabilityfocused transitions. The lab, founded in 2021 by Dr. Jay Golden, employs SU students to analyze risks and benefits of new public policy and technology in the pursuit of reaching net-zero carbon emissions.

Golden, who also directs the lab, is SU’s Pontarelli professor of environmental sustainability and finance, and the senior research associate for SU’s Center for Environmental Policy and Development. He said he wanted to create a student-centered workplace to prepare the next set of environmental leaders.

“Our students represent almost every college on campus … and very different socioeconomic backgrounds,” Golden said. “That is what makes us a stronger lab, because we have these different perspectives to help make decisions that affect a larger community.”

Students and faculty involved in the lab conduct research and collaborate with outside groups to develop insight on transitions to more sustainable practices, according to its website. The lab also studies strategies to achieve a netzero carbon economy through focus on energy, bio-based and institutional strategies.

In its efforts to help the university reach its environmental goals, the lab has held waste audits and apparel exchange events. Now, Golden said, the lab is working to create a dashboard that SU can use to track energy consumption, waste production and water use in every on-campus building.

“Those types of things are where the university needs support, and especially when it comes to moving 2040 to 2030, we are there to help,” Golden said.

Melissa Cadwell, SU’s sustainability coordinator, says the university is still committed to working toward its 2040 goal by improving campus facilities and transportation services, as well as by quantifying carbon sinks.

Cadwell also said the Sustainability Management team collaborates closely with the lab for research.

“We look forward to integrating the results of their research into Sustainability Management,” Cadwell said.

SA released its sustainability report in December 2022, which outlines its proposed update to SU’s 2009 Climate Action Plan to move SU’s carbon neutrality date up by a decade to 2030. “We believe that the climate crisis is our generation’s issue,” Vogt said. “It should be our priority to mitigate it and do everything in our power to adopt policies that are more sustainable.”

Golden said that while SU is on track to meet the original 2040 goal, it’s possible to meet the goal earlier, as long as SU remains transparent and committed to sustainability efforts.

Vogt said that in its progress toward netzero carbon emissions, it’s important for SU to reach carbon neutrality through collective action rather than opting for carbon offsets.

The lab will hold events to increase student awareness and involvement in campus sustainability efforts in April, Golden said. Students can also attend SA’s Sustainability Committee meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center room 217.

Over 50 members of the lab will travel to Washington, D.C. for a Sustainability Sym - posium on April 3 and 4. The symposium will include conferences with United Nations and United States government officials, various panels and talks on topics on sustainability and student presentations.

SA and the lab will host a sustainability research poster competition on April 6 and a sustainable film festival, featuring a screening of The Lorax, on April 7. The following week, Tom Steyer, former presidential candidate and environmental activist, will speak at SU.

“There’s only one way of knowing, and that’s by doing, or at least trying,” Golden said. “I don’t think that the university should shy away from ambition and goals, because that’s how leaders are formed.” flbolduc@syr.edu