Harvard University

Profile

Harvard University is a large urban university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an enrollment of more than 18,000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and students in 10 graduate and professional schools, 13,000 students within the Harvard Extension School, more than 2,000 faculty members and 14,000 staff members. The university embodies a very strong research emphasis, evident in its active approach to envi-ronmental issues, including global warming. Established in April 2001, the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) coordinates and supports the variety of academic and research-oriented endeavors regarding global warming and other environmental issues. Harvard has been working with Clean Air - Cool Planet since 2002, focusing primarily on measures to identify and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Past Initiatives

The Harvard University Center for the Environment developed the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI), to establish the university as a model for responsible and sustainable environmental practices, policies and initiatives with a strong network of supporting research.

Faculty of Arts & Sciences Computer Energy Reduction Program (CERP), founded in 2001, works to realize the greenhouse gas, energy, and monetary savings that result from more efficient computer use, aiming to reduce costs by $200,000 and CO2 emissions by 1,300 metric tons per year. CERP, in partnership with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, advises 13,000 computer users to: turn off computers and monitors not in use; enable monitor and CPU “sleep” settings, and to buy energy-efficient systems. They provide technical support and information in these areas.

In 2001, HGCI established the Best Practices Exchange, which brings together those involved in campus planning, building, design and maintenance to share cost-effective practices that conserve resources, improve efficiencies and reduce environmental impacts. The exchange empowers decision makers with the coordinated support that allows them to implement new policies that lessen Harvard's environmental impact.

The year 2002 marked the beginning of FAS - Inter-House Resource Efficiency Program, a joint student-administration effort that allows students to teach other students how to reduce waste production and resource consumption in their dorms.

HGCI has established the Green Campus Loan Fund, a $3,000,000 interest-free revolving loan fund that was created to finance environmentally and economically beneficial projects throughout Harvard University.

Current Initiatives

The Computer Energy Reduction Program (CERP) on Harvard’s Longwood campus promotes efficiency in the use of some 8,000 computers, asking that users run downloadable power management software and shut off computers not in use.

The HPRE Sustainable Buildings Program coordinator develops resources to support sustainable building design, operation, renovations and planning efforts. Currently under development are a database of products and service providers, green building specifications, and construction waste management plans. The coordinator also disseminates green building information to staff and documents green building efforts. Also under development are education strategies for tenants, clients, and contractors.

The University Operations Services (UOS) is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program to develop energy efficient operations through UOS Projects within the university as part of a response to a continually changing understanding of how UOS can best assist the University identify and address energy-efficiency opportunities.

Future Initiatives

HGCI and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Harvard are sponsoring a plan to launch a comprehensive university-wide Greenhouse Gas inventory. The project will compile university-wide energy consumption data, calculate the associated greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents using Clean Air - Cool Planet’s inventory tool, and analyze the resulting data in order to track long-term emission trends and identify potential measures to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency. To deal with the intense mass of such an inventory, the project is being launched with a pilot survey at the Longwood campus, one of the three campuses at the University.

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