Stories

The staff members of the Harvard Map Collection were recently recognized by the Harvard Office for Sustainability (OFS) for earning Leaf One as part of the Green Office Program.

Across Harvard, building managers and University leaders are responding to the urgent need to address climate change by renovating and constructing greener buildings that cut energy use and are healthier, happier places for staff to work and students to learn.

The reports keep rolling in; Harvard is at the top of the class! The Princeton Review ranks Harvard in the top green schools nationwide. We made their 2011 Green Rating Honor Roll.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) has recently received LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Platinum certification, the highest LEED certification level possible, for their latest classroom renovation in Larsen Hall.

Five junk-mail parties and counting and the FAS Eco-Citizens are still going strong. Just this past June, five staff members and an intern threw an hour long junk-mail party that turned out to be very successful.

If you thought a yard sale was a great place to find a bargain, try a yard swap.

DePace Lab is located on the 4th floor of the Harvard Medical School’s Warren Alpert Building at 200 Longwood Avenue in Boston, MA. The renovation project achieved LEED-CI certification at the Gold level in July 2009. This was the first renovation of a wet lab at Harvard University to achieve a LEED certification, and shows the Medical School's strong committment to sustainability.

Looking to give your green thumb some practice, or just want to enjoy the fresh air? Every Wednesday evening this summer, weather permitting, the Harvard Community Garden hosts community gardening night. All are welcome to stop by the garden plot (on the corner of Mt. Auburn and Holyoke, in front of Lowell) between 4 and 6 p.m. to harvest veggies or pull weeds.

Jack Conlin, Group Leader at FAS’s Molecular & Cellular Biology department mailroom, began working to reduce paper waste from mailings years ago, but it was only recently that he realized that he could team up with the Office for Sustainability and with Intra-

A garden on wheels may soon be rolling up to your department or dorm, thanks to GSD student Christina Cho. The project, undertaken this spring with the support of an OFS Sustainability Grant, combines food, public art, and community gardening into a unique setting: the Mobile Ethnic Garden.

Energy data from the first half of Fiscal Year 2010 (July- December 2009), suggest that Harvard Law School buildings consumed 21% less energy than they used during the same six month period in FY2009.  In the same period HLS has reduced its emissions by 600 MTCDE (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) and saved over $300,000 in energy costs.

A Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) office fit-out on the fourth floor of Holyoke Center recently achieved Harvard’s 25^th LEED certification.  This 7,730 square foot space in the north wing of the building is home to the College’s Advising Program Office and the Program in General Education. 

"Environmental stuff happening on campus is the most fun thing to do and has the coolest people working in it" says Gracie Brown, FAS REP and EAC co-chair. Watch our new video to hear testimonies from other College students who drive many of Harvard's environmental efforts, as well as from Harvard staff who are inspired by students' engagement.

On May 2nd, more than 50 Harvard students took a break from studying for finals and picked up caulk guns to help improve the energy efficiency of the Phillips Brooks House in Harvard Yard.

April 22. Since that day in 1970, the UN encouraged Earth Day across the globe and an estimated 184 countries and 500 million people held formal Earth Day celebrations in 2000. People around the world have adapted the Day to their culture and needs.

The HSPH EcoOpportunity Team and Sebastian's Cafe at HSPH won the "Team Project Award" in the "Waste or Water Reduction" category at the first annual Harvard-wide Green Carpet Awards Ceremony on April 23.

Under the leadership of Heather Foley, Staff Assistant, the Center for Health & the Global Environment (CHGE) was the first office to achieve Leaf 4 Green Office Certification at Harvard Medical School.

Harvard Medical School received an Award of Environmental Excellence from Stericycle® for its use of reusable sharps containers in the HIM & NRB buildings. Since HMS began using the reusable sharps containers in May 2009, 6,774 lbs of plastic have been diverted landfills as a result of this initiative.

The HBS Green Living Program partnered up with the HBS Green Team, Women's Student Association and the Volunteers Club to organize the first-ever HBS Spring Cleaning Clothing Swap.

FMO Landscape Services played an integral role in the design and creation of the new Harvard Community Garden—which was officially dedicated on Sunday, April 18. The Garden consists of 25 raised beds spaced along stone dust patios at 27 Holyoke Place.

On Thursda­y, April 22 the Law School celebrated Earth Day 2010 with a festive outdoor fair sponsored by the Law School Green Living Program and Green Team.  Tables stretched out over the Harkness Commons patio, supporting displays f

If you're a researcher visiting this site, you probably already know that fume hoods are voracious consumers of energy, so we have put together some resources for you to help you reduce fume hood energy use.

1) Proper hood usage

Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) participated in the Office for Sustainability's (OFS) Valentine’s Day cosmetics drive this past February. Together the HGSE community donated hundreds of toiletries to a local women’s shelter. Our bins filled up so quick we had to start an extra donation box. Thank you to everyone who participated!

On a bright and sunny Monday afternoon (April 10, 2010) about 15 HBS students made their way across the Western Avenue bridge to visit one of Harvard's shining jewels as far as green buildings go -- the University Operations Services building at 46 Blackstone Street -- Harvard University’s first LEED® Platinum-certified building!

OFS is excited to announce our new Student Sustainability Grants Program, supporting on-campus environmental projects that contribute to Harvard’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Goal and other sustainability efforts.

This seed funding will be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students and student groups in grants ranging from $500 to $5,000.

The HBS Green Living Program hosted its annual RC section competition on reusable bottles and mugs. The goal of the competition was to encourage and incentivize students to use reusable bottles and mugs, at the same time to discourage use of disposable water bottles and coffee cups.

HBS Green Living invites you to a movie screening of the award winning documentary about the bottled water industry, "Tapped," on Thursday, April 1 @ 3:30pm in Aldrich 208 on the Harvard Business School campus. Movie snacks and drinks provided! No RSVP required.

Many residents of Peabody Terrace did something unusual as they prepared to leave their apartment on the morning of March 6, 2010 – they unscrewed their incandescent light bulbs.

Ensuring adequate space for waste disposal facilities and signage is incredibly important both for new lab move-ins and during the ongoing operation of the lab. Ideally, labs will have one or more ‘waste stations’ that include the following:

Harvard Medical School (HMS) unveils an online tool that will help HMS students, staff and faculty to monitor energy use.

Harvard Business School (HBS) sustainability efforts have caught the notice of quite a few people around campus...

Our inaugural key recycling campaign was a huge success, with departments from all across campus sending us keys. We ended up with over 2,000 keys which were brought to Whole Foods for recycling. The $75 made from recycling & selling the scrap metal will be donated to local food pantries.

Kevin Bright, Jessica Parks, and Jesse Foote have just completed a two-day hands-on training on Energy Modeling. This course, held at the Green Roundtable’s Nexus center in Boston, taught a step-by-step procedure for completing building simulation analyses using the eQUEST modeling software.

Michelle Gray and the staff at Dunster/Mather dining hall were searching for a different kind of special project for this year’s Green Skillet, a project with a larger impact than those they have pursued in the past and one that would get the Dunster/Mather community excited and involved. She wanted staff and students to take ownership of their own, individual environmental impact. But how?

The FAS community has noticed a change in their bathrooms- the addition of dual flush handles to many toilets and super low flow aerators on the sinks. The FAS Green Program and the FAS Office of Physical Resources and Planning have been working over the past year to change about 900 sinks and 675 toilets in FAS bathrooms campus-wide.

In today’s economic climate we have to take advantage of free stuff. There is no embarrassment in swiping mini shampoos from hotels and collecting free perfume samples that are tossed at us at department stores. But, what is embarrassing is the sight of our random collection of sample-sized toiletries collecting dust in our bathroom cabinets.

The HLS Green Living Blog, "Sustained!" continues to expand: check out recent posts about double sided printing in Langdell, yummy vegan cupcakes, organic farm shares, and an upcoming film screening. Reps are also soliciting feedback as planning for the HLS Earth Day fair gets underway- be sure to leave a comment!

http://harvardgreenliving.blogspot.com/

The FAS EcoChampions program seeks to recognize and reward staff, students, researchers, and faculty who find creative and interesting ways to improve their department, office, dorm, or building’s environmental footprint.

Last November, Harvard University’s Building Energy Auditing Service completed a comprehensive energy assessment of the Harvard Divinity School (HDS) campus. After completing an assessment at HDS’ Andover Library over the summer of 2009, the audit team won a competitive bid to perform an energy audit of the school's remaining six buildings.

On a cold Tuesday afternoon this past November, while most HBS students were busy reading cases, working out in Shad or enjoying our daily naps, a few HBS Green Living Representatives were digging through bags of trash in an Allston facility.

Sparked with friendly competition and the will to help decrease Harvard’s environmental impact, eight finalists came together in early December to present their individual eco-projects and compete for first place in this fall’s Eco-Project Competition.

Achieving Gold Certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors version 2.0 in November 2009, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ (FAS) Schreiber Lab is a 1,700 square foot Chemistry Lab located on the first floor of the Naito Chemistry Building at 12 Oxford Street in Cambridge, MA.

The Harvard Office for Sustainability has teamed up with Whole Foods Medford to collect old keys for recycling. The profits will be donated to a local food pantry. So, clean out your junk drawers and send your old keys via University Mail by January 28^th to us at 46 Blackstone Street.

Learn more: www.keyforhope.org

In recent months, several lights in libraries managed by HCL Operations have been turned off and occupancy sensors installed in other areas, helping the library not only contribute to the green efforts, but save some green as well.

The results are in….Hamilton is the winner of the 2009 HBS Reduce Your Juice Electricity Competition! It was a fight until the end, but Hamilton outperformed Gallatin with a 4% reduction in the last week making their average reduction for the competition 3.5%. Congratulations Hamilton!

For the first time ever, the HBS Green Living program coordinated with HBS Operations to offer students a tour of campus energy conservation projects. In 2008 President Faust announced the University’s greenhouse gas reduction (GHG) goal; to reduce GHG emissions 30% below a 2006 baseline by 2016, including growth. HBS has been hard at work and has since achieved a 27% GHG reduction!

Harvard’s green efforts at the Harvard vs. Princeton football game in October landed it in third place in the 2009 Game Day Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, marking a growing partnership between the athletics center and sustainability advocates at Harvard.

Regular session, intersession, summer session – for years, the heating and cooling systems in several HCL libraries ran virtually all day, whether the buildings were open or not.

During the summer of 2009, HMS Campus Operations relocated over 750 pieces of furniture during an office move-out from the Prudential Center. Over 85% of all the perfectly good furniture that would otherwise have been disposed of in a landfill found a new home within HMS and the local community.

It’s a little bottle that packs a big cleaning punch. FMO Custodial Services is piloting a new product within Blackstone that uses only water, but reportedly cleans even better than bleach.

It takes less than two minutes to become one of the thousands of Harvard community members who commit each year to reducing their environmental impacts in small yet meaningful ways: http://green.harvard.edu/pledge/. 

Did you know that HBS has recently installed a green roof on top of Shad Hall? Are you aware that HBS has achieved a 27% reduction in greenhouse gasses since 2006? Check out this brief presentation to learn how HBS is contributing to the University's sustainability goals and what you can do to help.

The FAS Green Program is giving out free silverware to replace plastic and compostable utensils used in FAS buildings. Though the move toward compostable cutlery is a great green step forward, we ultimately are working toward total reuse and zero waste. So sign up for some free cutlery! Thinking about getting Green Office certified?

In October 2009, the Harvard Office for Sustainability’s Green Building Services (GBS) team completed an 8 hour Direct Digital Controls (DDC) training delivered by Harvard Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO). Digital controls and a Building Automation System (BAS) allow operators to control their buildings in an efficient manner.

Long before there was an established University sustainability program, Harvard College Library had made increasing sustainable practices around the library a priority. To continue that commitment, HCL Operations last month convened the HCL Green Team to assist the unit in identifying ways in which the libraries can contribute to the University’s sustainability goals.

The changes may not be immediately evident, but little by little, Harvard College Library has been "going green" for years, even before the University's newest commitment to sustainable practices.

Visitors to the Harvard Faculty Club have high expectations for the amenities they will find there, including lighting. Meals should be accompanied by soft illumination. Function rooms should be amply lit for reading the program or a new acquaintance’s business card. Guest rooms should provide quality lighting for activities from reading to rouging.

Harvard University announced November 2nd that more than 10 percent of the electricity consumed on its Cambridge and Allston campuses soon will be supplied from a wind farm in northern Maine. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this agreement will make Harvard the largest purchaser of wind power by a university or college in New England.

How many times have you wondered if you should recycle a plastic container, which you subsequently threw in the trash because you just weren't sure? If you answered in the affirmative, keep reading…you just might learn something from your HBS green corps.

I don't know; ask Carl Ehrlich to find out:

The DePace Lab in the Systems Biology Department at Harvard Medical School recently achieved LEED (“Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design”) Gold certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. This makes the DePace Lab the first LEED certified wet lab at Harvard!

Thanks to an intrepid team of mid-evening adventurers, the enthusiasm of the building manager, and 77 new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), Harvard’s Expository Writing building on Prescott Street has entered a future of big savings. The light bulb switch took less than an hour to complete and will save the University thousands of dollars in the years to come.

In keeping with October's Green Tip on water conservation, Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) is offering a discounted reusable water bottle. HUDS asks: "Did you know that it takes roughly 2/3rds as much water to make a bottle as it does to fill it?"

Vermiculture has come to Harvard. The FAS Green Program helped set up two worm composting bins at FAS this year – one in our offices and one at a daycare.

Why?

Worm composting is fun, easy, and great for locations like offices where a backyard bin or large-scale pick up is not feasible or too expensive.

Members of the HLS Community, you now have a new resource for sustainability and environment related initiatives at HLS!  Consider "Energy and Sustainability at Harvard Law School" your one stop shop for HLS-specific resource conservation tips, recycling guidelines, sustainability program details, an

In July 2009, Arkhat Abzhanov’s group in OEB became the first FAS lab to achieve Green Labs Certification, led by the tireless effort of postdoc Celine Clabaut.  The certification is designed to recognize the environmental efforts of outstanding labs at FAS, and is coupled with the Green Labs Program’s Lab Sustainability Assessments, which help researchers set tangible, achievable goals re

Where in Harvard Square can you see mobile phones from Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint in one place? When they’re recycled, of course. They have come together in the basement of  the Science Center, where the FAS Green Program has installed a new cell phone recycling bin.

There really aren’t enough environmentally educational, Hawaiian themed, outdoor party games out there. It’s been a real tragedy for, and dare we say a hindrance to, the environmental movement.

But not any more! Thanks to bright minds of Alexa Stern '12 and Molly Bales '10, REP premiered Eco Limbo (otherwise known as “How low can your carbon go?") on September 4th.

Harvard University has spent a considerable amount of effort developing its Green Building Standards, a set of building design standards for projects over 5 million dollars requiring the use of particular materials and power efficiency levels to ensure that all future construction projects meet certain sustainability benchmarks.

With the certification of the Faculty of Arts and Science's Zhuang Lab, Harvard now has 20 new construction, major rehabilitation, and interior renovation projects certified by the U.S.

Got extra office supplies, books, magazines, or mugs that you or your office doesn’t use? Don’t trash them–freecycle them! Need new office supplies? Don’t pay for new ones–pick them up at the Freecycle and save your office money!

Tuesday, September 15
11am-1:30pm (rain or shine)
Science Center Lawn

The Inn at Harvard has officially been approved as an ENERGY STAR building and is listed on the ENERGY STAR website. The ENERGY STAR label is a nationally recognized standard of excellence in energy performance. It signifies that a building is doing its part to fight global warming by using less energy than its peers.

FAS is giving out free timers for energy conservation within its buildings. In order for us to evaluate whether to give you a timer, please fill out basic information about your idea in the following simple form!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHpNbEdwZEpjbWNHaGVPXzNv...

Christine S. Benoit, a contract manager at Harvard’s Strategic Procurement Office, was profiled in the August 2009 issue of the Harvard Gazette:

Harvard Yard, the organically managed centerpiece of the University, got a little greener with the installation of new recycling containers in the Yard. The receptacles were installed next to five new Big Belly solar-powered trash compactors.

The FAS Green Program is proud to announce the requirements for achieving FAS Green Labs Certification!  Since beginning lab visits in Spring 2009, our Lab Sustainability Representatives have seen a wide range of sustainable research practices being implemented across the science departments at FAS, and we would like to recognize the labs that have achieved t

Engineering and Utilities (E&U) is providing the University with a powerful new tool to better manage energy consumption. New hardware, software, and metering are being installed to offer real-time energy usage information which will ultimately enable building operators to improve the efficiency of their buildings.

Harvard Law School’s 2009 Commencement Luncheon was its greenest yet, with over 65% of meal leftovers, by volume, reclaimed for recycling or composting.  Three key components led to this recycling victory: a central “Recycling Tent,” effective communication among various event planners, and invaluable on-site help from event staff and volunteers.

The FAS Green Program is giving out free plug timers (while supplies last!)

We have successfully installed them in five labs (hot plates, water baths, fluorescent lighting, and heat blocks) and water coolers in offices.

The University now has a new and powerful tool for determining, among other things, how much energy is being consumed. Energy Witness® is the new utility billing and reporting system replacing the Progress® online utility reporting tool.

Every year, Harvard produces over 24,000 phone books that are distributed across the University, but this year - 6,000 (25%) fewer phone books will be produced (about 6,300 lbs - the size of 7 male polar bears!).

In the spring of 2009, Harvard Real Estate Services (HRES) installed solar thermal collectors at two of our residential properties - 472-474 Broadway and 20-20a Prescott Street. Heat collected by the panels is used to supplement the boilers in heating the buildings’ hot water.

Two groups at Harvard Law School have set the pace for the Green Office Program, an online University resource which provides offices with tools and information to help them reduce their environmental impacts.

The Kennedy School green team is greening the Malkin Penthouse balcony with a community garden! See all the pictures...

She’s majestic. She’s elusive. She’s three feet tall and spray painted green.

Yes, the Green Cup is all of these, and after a hard fought year, she’s found a new home.

Congratulations to CommuterChoice for winning a 2009 Bike Friendly Business award.  Boston Mayor Tom Menino hosted the awards ceremony at the Boston Children’s Museum on April 16.  Mayor Menino presented Manager of CommuterChoice Kris Locke and Associate Director for Parking Services Jim Sarafin with the award for their extensive efforts to promote bicycling on

On May 12, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new bike shelter near the Divinity School. Transportation Services Director John Nolan, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Environmental Services Tom Vautin, Manager of CommuterChoice Kris Locke and others gathered for the event. The shelter, on Francis Street, encourages bicycling by providing a covered area for up to 74 bikes.

Want to know what’s going on at FAS in 140 characters or less? Follow the FAS Green Program on Twitter!

The Problem: peripheral devices, such as desktop computers, monitors, chargers and printers, that are plugged in to typical power strips draw “phantom power,” even when the devices are not in use. In a building with as many tenants as the Holyoke Center tower, this can quickly add up, both in terms of cost and energy usage.

Earth Week 2009 was a rousing success. Check out some of the photos in our new slideshow.

The office buildings at 46 Blackstone Street, home to Harvard's UOS Department, began composting in March 2008. Small green buckets were placed in every kitchen and kitchenette to collect compostable wastes and composting will take place at all Blackstone barbecues.

From plates to paints, the Ed School is looking a lot greener these days thanks to the groundbreaking Green Program. A partnership between the school and the Harvard Green Campus Initiative [now Office for Sustainability], the program is aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of Ed School operations and fostering environmentally conscious students, faculty, and staff.

Scientists at Harvard University have found that tropical cyclones readily inject ice far into the stratosphere, possibly feeding global warming.

Last October, Harvard developed a list of ten actions most of us can take to have a great impact as individuals on our collective environmental footprint.

This year, faculty, students and staff across Harvard modeled the Top Ten in a humorous poster series that's been sweeping the schools.

Green, greener, greenest… An office building's journey to resource conservation

People in University Hall have surprised themselves with the success of their conservation efforts.

Harvard Law School’s Langdell Library now supplies all its printers and copiers with paper made from 30% recycled content. Prior to the switch, the Library had only stocked recycled paper in its printers; copiers were prone to jamming when processing recycled pages.

On March 18, 2009, Harvard Law School's (HLS) Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, the Harvard Environmental Law Society, and the Office for Sustainability (OFS) partnered for the first time to co-sponsor a screening of the award-winning 2008 documentary FLOW: For Love of Wat

One department's trash is another one's treasure! Sarah Gordon of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Human Resources department helped other FAS departments clean out their closets, save money, and keep waste out of the landfill by organizing the first FAS Supply Swap. Held on December 17th at Lowell Lecture Hall, the swap was a huge success, despite the pouring rain.

As part of Radcliffe's "Lectures in the Sciences" series, Christina Ravelo of University of California at Santa Cruz delivered the lecture "Regional Expressions of Global Warmth: Lessons from the Pliocene."

A video of this February 11, 2008 talk is available on the Radcliffe Institute website (click on the screenshot below):

If it hadn't been for the urging of Marty Leape and Charlie Allen, long-time members of the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR), the Division of Continuing Education (DCE) would not have entered the 2009 FAS ECO-Competition, let alone emerge as one of its leaders.

Earth Week 2009 was a rousing success. Check out some of the photos:

Byerly Hall, a handsome slate-roofed building at 8 Garden St., opened in 1932. Its Georgian Revival exterior, exterior clock, and white-trimmed windows complement the stately 19th century ambiance of Radcliffe Yard.

But beneath old red brick now beats a 21st century heart, including water and energy systems that meet modern standards for sustainability and efficiency.

Want to learn about what the Harvard Divinity School Green Team is up to? The information is now at the tip of your fingers! The Divinity School’s prolific green team has expanded their reach at the school with a new website.

A team composed of Harvard students and alumni was among the winners of the World Bank’s Lighting Africa 2008 Development Marketplace competition, held in Accra, Ghana, from May 6 to 8, 2008. The team’s innovation, microbial fuel cell-based lighting systems suitable for sub-Saharan Africa, netted the Harvard group a $200,000 prize.

Harvard Medical School (HMS) began a green cleaning program in fall 2006. HMS Campus Operations began this program out of their concern for the environment, occupant health, and a desire to be consistent with the medical credo of "first do no harm."

The “Take the Stairs” competition is part of a campaign aimed at improving human health by getting people to take the stairs more often, and reducing our environmental impact by using the elevator less, and thereby using less energy.

On a foggy March evening, Harvard Medical School (HMS) proudly joined with the rest of the Harvard Schools in order to participate in Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

A step-wise approach

First things first

The Harvard Divinity School (HDS) Green Team is on a quest to reduce the school’s waste as much as possible, and they have made huge strides toward reaching that goal through a multi-pronged plan.

The first step in the process was to grow and strengthen the recycling program. Through the tireless efforts of Roy Lauridsen, Jyoti Rana, and the rest of the Facilities & Operations staff, that goal was reached this past summer.

Imagine a flat, black, south-facing roof the size of three football fields. What comes to mind? If you’re in a green mood, the answer is: “solar!”

The Harvard Business School (HBS) Green Team held the first ever Green Fair on Tuesday, October 21. Present at the fair were the HBS Green Team, MBA Business and Environment Club, Restaurant Associates, Harvard University Commuter Choice, Harvard University Farmers Market, the Charles River Conservancy, the Trustees of Reservations and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

On St. Patty's Day (the perfect day to celebrate all things green), the energy conscious students of Morris Hall had a nice spread awaiting them at the 4th Annual Reduce Your Juice Award dinner. After winning the energy competition at the end of the fall semester, Green Living Rep Jenny Liu planned a tasty thank you for her friends and neighbors.

Here at Harvard, we try to insure that you leave with a good head on your shoulders; what you didn't know is that we’re also making sure you have a good head on your showers while you're here!

One of the things that the Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Green Team is most proud of is the fact that their recycling rate is so high; over 60% of the waste at the HGSE is recycled. In an effort to capitalize on the environmental ethos that so clearly pervades the school, the Green Team has a few events and collections to expand the program even more.

One look around campus and it is clear that bottled water is in hot supply. Perhaps we missed the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration's standards for bottled water.

There was something conspicuously absent from Harvard Kennedy School's (HKS) annual summer picnic on July 9–garbage. The "zero waste" event was one of the first of its kind held at Harvard and was organized by the HKS Green Team, a group of staff who are dedicated to the pursuit of campus sustainability.

Patrons of the café at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) are getting some effective green messaging along with their meals thanks to new signage spotlighting the environmental and social benefits of the products they buy.

Harvard is embarking on a University-wide effort to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and University Operations Services (UOS) is helping to lead the way. The scope of this initiative is substantial and every UOS employee has an important role in ensuring its success.

Harvard Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) is sharing in the promising results of the recent Harvard Yard Soils Restoration Project. This pilot effort, which started last spring, clearly demonstrated that plant health could be significantly improved even in a highly traveled urban landscape using only natural methods…no chemicals or synthetic fertilizers!

Recycling at Harvard is now a whole lot easier. That’s because paper, cans, bottles, and cardboard can all be discarded into the same recycling bins. It’s a process known as Single Stream recycling and it’s sure to increase the amount of material that’s recycled here at the University.

Harvard's largest wind power study ever is now underway. Engineering and Utilities (E&U) began planning for the complex project back in 2006, and now the structure stands tall as a symbol of Harvard's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Students enrolled in the College’s Environmental Science and Public Policy 10 (ESPP-10) course are getting some real world experience, thanks in part to University Operations Services (UOS).

As part of Radcliffe's Lectures in Science series, the video of a talk entitled "The Changing Carbon Cycle: How Fast Will Atmospheric CO2 Increase?" is available on the Radcliffe website.

Inez Fung, Professor of Atmospheric sciences, Co-director, Berkeley Institute of the Environment, University of California at Berkeley
Monday, October 29, 2007.

On September 11, 2008, a total of 60 grill orders were left abandoned in Cabot and Pforzheimer dining halls. Plates of chickwiches, cheeseburgers, bean burritos, grilled chicken breasts, and Boca burgers all waited patiently to be claimed, but to no avail. Food was ordered but ultimately forgotten. This was food waste at its worst.

As U.S. automakers plead for a government bailout, the next great automotive revolution is already under way, as Japanese automakers plan for a generation of lightweight cars that vastly increase mileage and whose advanced materials pay for themselves through dramatically streamlined assembly and smaller engines, a leading energy expert said yesterday.

During the 2008 calendar year (January 1 - December 31), Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) was able to divert 36,565 paper cups from the trash through its 23 Pound Mug and discounted coffee refill program. The re-usable travel mug, whose name comes from the amount of paper trash that will be diverted by one using the cup daily for a year, is sold at cost at HUDS retail dining locations. Coffee purchased in that, or other re-usable mugs, is discounted at all retail sites.

On July 8, 2008, President Faust issued a statement on the new report by the Harvard Greenhouse Gas Task Force. In her statement, she announced her intention to proceed with several recommendations from the Task Force.

People who drive to the Holyoke Center for work, a doctor’s appointment, or a jaunt in Harvard Square, might take the parking garage for granted. It’s safe, convenient, and always open. And that means its 120 light fixtures burn 24 hours every day of the year.

Restaurant Associates (RA) has planted a small herb garden in the Elements Café, as part of the Sustainable Dining Program that was initiated last year, which focuses on using local and sustainable produce in the menus.

Currently, the basil, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and various other herbs are growing nicely in innovative “Earth Boxes” that are specially designed for growing food plants in small spaces with minimal water usage.

“We take the comfort of our guests very seriously,” says June Cuomo, Director of the Faculty Club. So seriously that in their efforts to become greener, she and General Manager Heinrich Lutjens settle for nothing less than top-notch solutions.

In a strange new place, the first turn of the key and push of the door can give way to feelings of anticipation, excitement, and even exhaustion for students coming to Harvard from all over the country and the world.

The Harvard Faculty Club is well known for its regal décor and sumptuous meals. Step beyond the swinging doors into the kitchen, and you’ll find a staff dedicated to delivering excellence and quality with a high degree of efficiency.

Ground source heat pump systems take advantage of the constant temperature of the earth at shallow depths to serve as a heat source or sink for a building. When used for heating and cooling, these systems are much more efficient than conventional fossil fuel or electric based space conditioning. Harvard has six ground source heat pump systems on campus, at the following locations:

The solar thermal hot water system was installed on 3 Sacramento Street, an FAS undergraduate co-op dorm, in June 2008. The project was funded as a prize for HGCI’s 2007 Sustainability Pledge. For each person that took the pledge, $1.50 was put in a fund for an on-campus renewable energy system and 3 Sacramento’s solar thermal system won the funding.

Biodiesel began fueling the 25 diesel vehicles in Harvard’s fleet during Spring 2004 as the University Operations Services constructed its very own biodiesel filling station. The 20% soybean oil, 80% diesel oil blend promises to reduce the emissions of particulates and greenhouse gases.