Student Assembly

Dear President Skorton,

I would like to formally communicate Student Assembly Resolution 15, “In Support of a Green Revolving Fund,” sponsored by Energy Corps President Jacob Reisch, S.A. CALS Representative Sarah Balik and Jill Marshall, At-large Representatives Anisha Chopra and Jaeil Lee, Engineering Representative Gregory Braciak, Women’s Issues Representative Narda Terrones, Minority At-large Representative Cameron Pritchett, International At-large Representative Enrico Bonatti, Transfer Representative Inge Chen and Freshman Representative Thomas Lovely. The resolution passed 24–1−0 earlier this semester.

The resolution calls on the administration join peer institutions in the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s “Billion Dollar Green Challenge” and create a Green Revolving Fund for Cornell University. Green revolving funds invest in energy efficiency projects to reduce energy consumption and reinvest the money saved in future projects. They are called “revolving funds” because the funds loan money to specific projects, which then repay the loan through an internal account transfer from savings achieved in the institution’s utilities budget. To date, there are over 75 institutions benefiting from these types of programs, including peer institutions such as Harvard University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and Princeton University.

The Student Assembly believed that the establishment of a Green Revolving fund is aligned with the university’s mission to achieve “a sustainable world for all.” S.A. members agreed with the resolution’s sponsors in that a Green Revolving Fund would expand student learning and research opportunities and enhance energy conservation efforts.

I have attached Resolution 15 and its appendix for reference. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Adam