Harvard Rises to Second In Energy Rankings

Harvard was propelled from third to second place among American universities in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) renewable energy rankings thanks to the University’s third annual Go Cold Turkey Energy Conservation Challenge, which was held last month.

In the challenge, students pledged to reduce their energy consumption by turning off computers, lights, and appliances and lowering the heat this winter. Buildings with participation of 50 percent or more were awarded energy certificates, which allow half of their power for next year to come from wind energy.

Fifteen buildings—eight from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and seven from Harvard Medical School—won these certificates for this year, paid for by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, which sponsored the initiative.

“We were very pleased with the result—it was more than three times the response that we had last year,” said Alayne Moody, outreach coordinator for the FAS Computer Energy Reduction Program. “More than a quarter of the students at Harvard participated, and we received more than 500 pledges from the faculty and other staff members.”

The FAS buildings that won the renewable energy certificates included Eliot House, Quincy House and Weld Hall. According to EPA calculations, the renewable energy that will be purchased for the program is the equivalent to preventing almost five million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, or to planting more than 600 acres of trees.

“The university is leading the way by making an exemplary commitment to green power purchasing,” Matt Clouse, director of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, said in a statement released yesterday to Harvard’s Green Campus Initiative.

The program, which is unrelated to the wind referendum that passed this week, received 3,550 pledges, of which 2,309 came from FAS. This included pledges from 521 employees of the College.

“I think that the results definitely stand for themselves, and this is a step in a very good direction for the University,” said Moody. “It shows that both students and staff are on board for renewable energy and it’s a really promising step for our effort.”