Climate Week NYC and Our Year-Round Environmental Commitment
September 23, 2024
Dear Stony Brook Community,
The week of September 21-28 marks Climate Week NYC, the largest climate conference of its kind. As New York’s flagship university and the proud stewards of The New York Climate Exchange, Stony Brook is thrilled to help lead New York in the fight against climate change.
Let this be an occasion, then, to look around our communities and celebrate the important climate work being done. At Stony Brook, we have doubled down on our efforts in climate research and are reinvigorating our identity as a champion for sustainability and conservation, from our School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences to Centre ValBio in Madagascar and the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya. Our collaborative research in sustainable energy includes fascinating uses of hydrogen, research in nuclear technology, and profound strides in wind energy.
Our recently-launched Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) has already made a deep impact on this academic community by starting the annual Stony Brook Environmental Forum Spring Debate, launching the C4E podcast that features stunning discussions between climate experts from different fields, and so much more. In addition, we continue cross-disciplinary collaborations to support new curriculum and programs, like the Climate Communication concentration in our Master of Science in Science Communication program.
The New York Climate Exchange is hosting many events during Climate Week, including a panel on clean transportation and bus electrification as well as a roundtable discussion on how sustainability and climate awareness should inform health education across medicine, nursing, public health, and more.
But just as the tides continue to roll in every evening along West Meadow Beach, protecting our earth is an everyday commitment. Our work at Stony Brook is year-round. Everyone can take small steps—today!—for a better, healthier environment. Attend a “Living World” lecture in the Ecology and Evolution Department. Explore volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary through the Center for Service Learning and Community Service. Learn from Stony Brook Medicine’s fantastic resources and learn to cook more plant-based meals. Listen and learn from the C4E podcast while you take a stroll through the Ashley Schiff Preserve.
I am proud to help lead a university that has risen to the occasion by throwing down the gauntlet as a leader in the fight to protect our Earth. Enjoy Long Island’s beautiful fall and happy Climate Week. Thank you for all you do for Stony Brook.
Sincerely,
Richard L. McCormick
Interim President