University Outlines Green Initiatives

The University has substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions, food waste, trash, water use, and the number of commuters who drive solo to campus, according to a University-wide Sustainability Impact Report released by the Office for Sustainability on Monday.

The report—the first of its kind—also highlighted programs designed to forward research related to energy and the environment and also detailed progress made by way of 78 LEED-certified green construction projects. Twenty-three more LEED projects are now registered and in the works.

“Every member of the Harvard community has contributed to our success, and, as always, I am proud of the creativity and commitment I see at work on our campus every day,” said University President Drew G. Faust in a message to the Harvard community.

The report states that, despite 3 million square feet of physical growth, the campus has achieved a 16 percent drop in its greenhouse gas emissions. This reduction lines up with the 2008 University goal to decrease such emissions by 30 percent by 2016.

In her message to the community, President Faust described Harvard’s previous approach to sustainability in 2008.

“In addition to pursuing our innovative research and teaching in this area, it was critical that we look inward to expand our on-campus efforts to make Harvard a healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable place to work, learn, and live,” she wrote in an email and said in an accompanying video.

The report also focused on changes in human behavior.

The number of commuters who drive alone to the Cambridge and Allston campuses has decreased by half since 1999.

Currently, 79 percent of commuters bike, walk, or use public transit to get to work.

—Staff writer Alyza J. Sebenius can be reached at asebenius@college.harvard.edu.