Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
Green Milestones
2000: President Neil Rudenstine provides the seed funding for the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI), to be established as a joint academic and administrative initiative. With Rudenstine's support, Leith Sharp is recruited to Harvard from Australia by HGCI Co-Chair Professor Jack Spengler and Tom Vautin to establish and direct this new University-wide program.
2000: HGCI Strategic Plan developed setting forward an innovative business model to finance a professional interfaculty organization (HGCI) dedicated to greening Harvard’s campus operations.
2001: President Neil Rudenstine approves request for five years of HGCI core funding and the Green Campus Loan Fund, administered by the HGCI. The $3 million fund offers no-interest loans that are repaid over time from the savings realized by the projects.
2001: Summer – a group of 11 interns work on seven projects across the University. Sponsored by the HGCI. A number of these students are recruited by the HGCI into full time professional positions working with Harvard Real Estate Services, FAS and HMS.
2001: Fall – Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health partners with HGCI to establish the Longwood Campus Energy Reduction Program. Harvard Real Estate Services partners with HGCI to establish the HRES Green Buildings Program and the FAS partners with HGCI to establish the FAS Campus Energy Reduction Program targeting computer energy use.
2002: HRES and HSPH pilot Harvard’s first LEED green buildings. HGCI completes a comprehensive review of the pilot and determines that LEED should be recommended for all projects at Harvard.
2002: Fall – HGCI establishes its Green Building Service to support schools wanting to adopt cost effective green building renovations and construction.
2002: October, for the first time the FAS Inter-House Resource Efficiency Program (REP) pays 15 undergrads to teach and preach environmental awareness. Sponsored by UOS, HUDS and HGCI.
2002-03: REP saves University more than $200,000 in reduced energy usage, waste decreases, recycling increases, and water conservation efforts gain ground. Program becomes model for other universities. Yale and the University of New Hampshire create programs based on REP. HMS and HSPH save over $120,000 a year through the Longwood Campus Energy Reduction Program.
2002: October. Holyoke Center installs Vending Miser, “smart” vending machines that know when to turn on and off.
2002: November. Harvard sets recycling record, collecting 311 tons, the largest monthly volume ever.
2003: October HGCI establishes class at the Extension School, Sustainability: The Challenge of Changing Our Institutions, achieving largest enrollment of any new class. Leith Sharp and Jack Spengler co-teach class.
2003: November. FAS and Longwood campus square off in inaugural energy-saving duel, “Go Cold Turkey.”
2003: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the HGCI for their energy conservation efforts.
2003: A 36-kilowatt solar panel array, the second-largest in Boston, is installed on Harvard Business School’s Shad Hall.
2003: Harvard Green Campus Initiative now 10 full time professional staff and 20 part-time students funded predominantly by partnering schools and departments who are seeing significant financial and environmental savings as a result.
2004: The University adopts six Sustainability Principles to guide its planning and operations.
2004: Cambridge awards Harvard its Go Green business award for efforts to preserve the environment and the quality of life in Cambridge.
2004: March. University becomes the first Ivy League school to use biodiesel – a mix of 20 percent soybean oil and 80 percent diesel fuel – as the primary fuel for its entire fleet of diesel vehicles. Because only one retail biodiesel pump existed in all of eastern Massachusetts, Harvard opens its own biodiesel filling station to supply its vehicles.
2004: Harvard School of Public Health becomes the first school to achieve a real reduction in energy use across its entire campus. HSPH also purchases renewable energy certificates to further offset 50% of its electricity related greenhouse gas emissions.
2004: December. President Lawrence H. Summers announces that the University will double the Green Campus Loan Fund — to $6 million.
2005: the University wins the Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA, the U.S. Energy Department, and the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions.
2005: University Operations Services switches its entire custodial service to using green cleaning projects.
2005: January. Utilities and Maintenance Focus Group is formed and starts meeting. Initiated by Larry McNiell, the group comes together monthly to share thoughts, tips and techniques for making Harvard buildings more energy efficient.
2005: February. Harvard announces that energy-efficient program in Harvard-managed buildings saves University $700,000 annually.
2005: March. Harvard’s waste management supervisor Robert Gogan announces a 42.37 recycling rate, up from 38 percent in 2004.
2005. March. President Lawrence H. Summers announces a new renewable energy fund to promote the development of renewable energy on campus.
2005: April Harvard begins using rainwater to wash as many as 250 University-owned vehicles each week, saving 25,000 gallons of water each year.
2005: April. A two-year pilot program testing the use of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and techniques is ready for University-wide distribution.
2005: June. Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School and Harvard Real Estate Service partner with HGCI to establish Graduate Green Living Programs in all graduate residential buildings. A two year target of increasing recycling by 40% and reducing energy use by 10% is set.
2005: July. Harvard Business School Establishes Harvard’ first Green Team to engage staff in buildings across the campus to reduce campus environmental impacts.
2005: September. Dunster-Mather dining hall opens after renovation that includes composting
2005: Harvard Divinity School offsets 100% of its electricity related greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing renewable energy certificates.
2006: HGCI hosts Harvard’s first campus sustainability conference. Over 600 alumni students, staff and faculty attend. Keynote speakers included President Summers and Mayor Menino. At this event, President Summers doubles HGCI fund for second time, now reaches $12 million.
2006: New fund is created with the aim of researching Harvard’s renewable energy options.
2006: Harvard Medical School promotes it “Shut the Sash” campaign that encourages the closing of fume hoods. Energy costs generated by a single hood is between $2,000-$3,000 each year.
2006: 30 buildings win renewable energy certificates for having 50% of occupants sign an online pledge to conserve.
2006: In June, Harvard announces it will purchase the renewable energy credits from the town of Hull’s 1.8 megawatt wind turbine for the next 10 years
2006: Graduate School of Education and FAS partner with HGCI to establish Green Teams to implement school wide conservation efforts.
2006: Radcliffe achieves LEED rating for its Schlesinger Library renovation. The renovation is modeled to be 25% more energy and water efficient.
2006: Harvard University Dining Services partners with HGCI to establish Green Skillet, a kitchen-wide program engaging over 500 staff in reducing kitchen related environmental impacts.
2006: December. 86% of FAS undergraduate student vote in favor of FAS adopting a greenhouse gas reduction commitment of 11% below 1990 levels by 2020, 1% better than Yale’s commitment. In response FAS establishes a committee and partner with the HGCI to develop a business plan for achieving this reduction target.
2006: Harvard Real Estate Services sets energy reduction goal and partners with HGCI to undertake extensive energy audit of residential buildings. 200 new energy conservation projects are found.
2007: The Sustainable Endowments Institute gives Harvard an A- grade for having “one of the most comprehensive campus sustainability programs in the country.”
2007: January HGCI partners with Jack Spengler to co-teach a new class at the Extension School, Green Building Design and Construction.
2007: Radcliffe (62%) and HBS (61%) fight it out for the highest recycling rates on campus.
2007: Harvard’s Stuff sale raises a record $90,000 for charity from the resale of abandoned “dorm stuff”.
2007: Green Campus Initiative expands the repayment terms of its Green Campus Loan Fund to encourage the inclusion of sustainable features in the design and construction of new buildings.
2007: American Forest and Paper Association gives its 2007 recycling award to Harvard for its school-wide paper recycling efforts, which reclaimed 2,616 tons of paper fiber between July 2005 and June 2006
2007: In April, the United States Green Building Council awarded the 46 Blackstone St. building Harvard’s first platinum rating, the highest possible certification under the LEED green building program. This was achieved at no added cost to the project and is the third highest rating of any building in the USA, and the highest rating of any renovation project.
2007: Harvard’s University Construction Management Council approves the development of green building guidelines to be incorporated into the approvals process for all building renovations and construction at Harvard. HGCI convenes an interfaculty steering group of project managers to develop these.
2007: Harvard’s Allston Development Group establishes comprehensive Sustainability Guidelines for the Allston campus. Guidelines include a LEED Gold aspiration for all buildings along with goals to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emisons.