
Working with engineering PhD candidate Rob Elliott, we imagined a green roof and blue roof system that would serve as a space for environmental education and student wellness, the culmination of a semester spent examining and taking action on stormwater management issues in New York City.

The Earth Institute’s Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) program provides undergraduate students of all majors from all accredited colleges or universities with a global understanding of ecology and environmental sustainability.

Today marks our sixth day aboard the R.V. Melville on a journey to a remote region of the Pacific to retrieve seismic instruments that have been quietly recording earthquake signals on the ocean floor for the past year. We have covered more than 2,600 km thus far but must cruise for another two and a…

On December 18, 2012, the Research Vessel Melville departed San Diego to recover remainder of the NoMelt instruments and data. The expedition includes two scientists from Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Post-doctoral scientist Patty Lin and graduate student Natalie Accardo. Natalie is sending regular reports from the ship.

As shocking as the coastal devastation caused by Mega-Storm Sandy was, the prolonged electrical blackouts in the region were much more troubling. They never should have happened, and if any did, power should have been restored sooner.

Thanks to the support and advocacy of our donors, partners, volunteers and students, the Earth Institute made great strides toward sustainable development in 2012. We wanted to share a list of ten accomplishments made possible through our combined efforts.

Some 40 million people depend on the Colorado River Basin for water but warmer weather from rising greenhouse gas levels and a growing population may signal water shortages ahead.
Impressive seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations for the Fall 2012 to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. The workshop is unique in that it requires students to work collaboratively on a specific, client-based…

This semester, visiting professor Laurence Tubiana, head of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in France, will be bringing her professional experience to bear as the instructor for two courses in the Earth Institute’s education programs, Political Economy of Energy and Climate Policy at the School of Continuing Education (SCE) and the…