Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
HSPH Green Team Kick-off Meeting
The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) kicked off a new program in March with the first meeting of the inter-departmental HSPH Green Team. This new effort, coordinated by the HSPH Operations Department and Harvard Green Campus Initiative, is designed to engage and include the HSPH community in sustainability efforts on campus.
Over 30 HSPH staff attended the first kick-off meeting, representing the wide variety of departments that play a role in institutionalizing sustainability within an organization. The Team will meet on a regular basis to identify and prioritize resource conservation efforts on campus, share best practices and resources, and serve as the primary communication source for promoting sustainability efforts on campus. The primary goal for establishing the HSPH Green Team is most eloquently described in an email received from one of the Team members shortly after the meeting:
“I had never realized the importance of having an accessible sink (in order to encourage people to use mugs, etc.) until it was mentioned at this meeting. In the next couple months, my department is going to be remodeling - and I had been told we were going to be getting rid of our sink. I immediately went to our administrator - and told her about the potential problems that might cause. After a discussion with her - and a discussion with the carpenters/plumbers - we figured out a way to keep our sink. I thought it was a great testament to the Department - but even more so... a testament to how well this embedded “green team” works.”
Every small effort really makes a difference, and the HSPH Green Team is ready to take on the small and large issues to reduce environmental impacts on campus. The first target area the program intends to tackle is increasing recycling at HSPH.
To increase engagement and add a little fun to the program, HSPH is sponsoring a “Name the Green Team” contest, open to the entire HSPH community. The person who develops the most creative name and logo for the new group will win renewable energy certificates to offset his or her personal greenhouse gas emission for a year!