Andrea Lista

Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County

Years in current role: 10

What sustainability initiative or environmental goal has your organization made the most progress on in the past year?

This past year, we strengthened urban agriculture and workforce development to serve youth, adults and neighborhoods. Our on-site South Lawn Farm puts knowledge to work alongside Seed to Supper (teaching people to grow food) and support for community outreach gardens. We prioritized soil health and integrated pest management to protect people and ecosystems. Programs that bring neighbors together to beautify city blocks and expand pollinator gardens across the county advance ecological sustainability while building social cohesion. The result: research-based skills becoming everyday climate solutions — more local food, healthier soils and resilient neighborhoods aligned with CCE Monroe’s mission.

What gives you confidence about how Rochester businesses and institutions are addressing environmental challenges?

Across Rochester, coordinated work is taking shape in key areas: waste reduction; community gardens, urban agriculture and soil health; water and greenspace; transportation; and education and workforce. These efforts are increasingly collaborative and measurable at the neighborhood level. Still, scaling them, especially in under-resourced areas, will require continued investment, shared metrics, and policy alignment so progress keeps pace with the climate challenges ahead.

What area do you think needs more attention or collaboration to strengthen Rochester’s environmental future?

Rochester’s efforts are growing, but scale and equity lag the challenge. What’s missing? Stable funding, continued collaboration, and neighborhood-centered implementation that prioritizes under-resourced areas, so progress becomes durable, measurable and felt block by block.

What advice would you offer to individuals or organizations that want to start making a measurable environmental difference?

Start by listening, and make it easy for residents to share challenges, ideas and input: meet in trusted spaces, offer translation and childcare. Capture what you hear in plain language and reflect it back quickly. Then connect the dots — link neighbors, block clubs and practitioners already doing the work, so efforts reinforce each other. Seed small, visible pilots and share tools and micro-grants to lower barriers. Momentum grows when we all work together.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy the natural beauty of the Rochester area?

Hiking Rochester’s trails or enjoying our waterways is the perfect reset for me. Every walk reminds me why local stewardship matters and how small actions add up to healthier ecosystems and neighborhoods.