IC News

In 2024, IC identified transportation as a key area to focus campus- and community-wide efforts.

For one, it’s hard to maintain the use of an electric vehicle (EV) when there’s nowhere to charge it. Prospective buyers of EVs cite lack of reliable and available public charging as the most significant barrier to owning electric vehicles. According to PlugShare, the Ithaca area has some 150 public charging stations, and some are more convenient and reliable than others.

As of this spring, thanks to support from the New York State Electric and Gas’s Make-Ready program, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Charge Ready 2.0 program, and other federal incentives, IC’s campus will now provide 36 public-use EV charging stations. This new complement, including 30 level-2 units and two, dual-port direct-current fast chargers, increases the town of Ithaca’s quantity of public charging stations significantly and further allows IC to more comfortably add EVs to the college’s fleet. Whether community members are attending concerts, performances, sporting events, or just looking for a place to charge and explore a bit of South Hill, they are welcome to rely on IC to make their excursions convenient and more eco-friendly.

Starting last fall, IC partnered with the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) system to subsidize unlimited access to public transportation for all students, faculty, and staff. The hope is that the arrangement will reduce the college’s carbon emissions and alleviate traffic congestion around campus while encouraging students to take advantage of Ithaca’s businesses, restaurants, performances, and cultural attractions.

IC worked with community partner the Center for Community Transportation to facilitate greater access to Ithaca BikeShare on South Hill last year, making more pedal-assist electric bikes available to students, faculty, and staff for trips across campus and to and from the city. This improved access helps “flatten the hills” and reduces the need for short car trips, cutting down carbon emissions while encouraging a healthier, more sustainable transportation choice.

Since 2007, IC’s Eco-Reps organization has proven a major player in promoting sustainability and environmental awareness on campus and in the region. The program empowers student leaders to encourage sustainable practices in residence halls and across the college community.

Students in Eco-Reps serve as sustainability ambassadors across campus. They promote sustainability, fostering a culture of eco-consciousness among students who may not have considered the environmental impact of their daily habits. Efforts by the Eco-Reps group usually focus on four primary targets: waste reduction, energy conservation, water efficiency, and sustainable food practices.

One of the most visible functions of the Eco-Reps organization is organizing sustainability awareness campaigns. These range from campus apartment initiatives such as compost collections to more specific actions, like encouraging the use of reusable containers or clarifying what items can be recycled. They also work with community partners to promote composting and recycling.

In return, Eco-Reps members gain valuable leadership experience. By organizing campaigns and engaging with their peers, they develop communication, project management, and community engagement skills as well as practical experience that can help them forge career paths in environmental science, conservation, and advocacy.

Ongoing projects include Take It or Leave It (TIOLI), a free campus reuse resource, somewhat like a thrift store, that encourages the IC community to pick up or drop off clothing, books, dishware, art supplies, and office supplies. Additionally, every Friday during the academic year, Eco-Reps members package extra food from the dining hall and work with volunteers at the Friendship Donations Network to distribute the food in the Ithaca community. 

Eco-Reps students also work closely with community centers, such as IC’s food pantry, Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management, and community events, to provide easier access to sustainable practices.

Last July, several students and recent graduates teamed up with other volunteers and the locally operated and veteran-owned Dish Truck to reduce waste at the annual Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. For more than 30 years, this midsummer festival has drawn musicians, artists, food vendors, and thousands of tourists to Trumansburg for four days. The Dish Truck provides clean, nondisposable dishes, cups, and silverware for attendees to use instead of disposable dishware—reducing garbage, water use, and greenhouse gases. Dish Truck washes dishes for use another day and hauls the dishes and compost away.

In all, the IC team washed some 11,000 items after the 2024 festival —including plates, cups, silverware, and bowls—that otherwise would have been routed to landfills.

Alicia Menduni ’25 reported on this fun and impactful experience: “Being involved with such a successful waste diversion effort was tedious work at times but also very rewarding and fun! This effort of keeping over 10,000 items out of the landfill over the course of four days shows how possible it is to implement waste diversion efforts for smaller events.”