Sustainability at Harvard

Home & Dorm

A sustainable lifestyle starts at home, and with 98% of undergrads and most graduate students living on campus, reducing Harvard's environmental impact begins there too. Harvard tackles this issue from two sides - making institutional changes to reduce building impact while also reaching out to the residents to green their own habits. Living green at home saves time and money, and creates a healthier living environment for everyone.

[Featured story]

Living in the green zone at ‘Rock Hall’

“Rock Hall” - the nickname for John D. Rockefeller Jr. Hall at Harvard Divinity School (HDS) - looks just like what it is: a spare, elegant building in the Modernist tradition.

But its straight lines, wide windows, and understated functionality nicely conceal what it has become: one of the most energy-efficient buildings at Harvard.

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Recent Stories

Introducing the HBS Green Corps

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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.

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Recycling and Composting at Home Made Easy

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Now it is even easier for Boston and Cambridge residents to recycle and compost at home. Both cities’ programs recently expanded their services and offer great resources that detail how to properly recycle and compost in the community.

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HBS Green Living Program is Hiring

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Join a team of six HBS students who will work approximately four hours per week earning $18 per hour engaging peers in Harvard’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Commitment and Sustainability Principles. As a Green Living Representative, you'll work with other Representatives to promote recycling, waste reduction, and energy and water conservation to your peers through a variety of activities and events.

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Solar THERMAL Coming to HRES

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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.

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Adams House wins 2008-09 Green Cup

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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.

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Small steps… big impacts

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Most of us take those important small steps that make a big difference: turning out our lights when we leave a room, recycling our bottles, cans and paper, and power-managing our computers. However, every now and then, a student, tutor, or House master goes one step further and takes on a larger personal project that makes the entire campus a little greener.

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Renewing Houses, connecting research to action

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Hard as it is to admit, climate change won’t be stopped simply by turning out your lights, or by taking shorter showers. Those are certainly parts of the solution, but it’s going to take the innovation and creativity of a lot of our best and brightest.

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Earth Day & Week 2009

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

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Harvard Business School hosts a one-stop green shop

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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.

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Leverett House takes 2007-2008 Green Skillet

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It was a fight to the end, but in the end, Leverett House took home the 2007 Green Skillet, crushing any dreams Quincy House had of being a two-time champion.

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