May 22, 2007
The Harvard Green Campus Initiative, Growing, Growing, Grown!
In early 2000, President Rudenstine provided the seed funding for what would become the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI). With Rudenstine's support, I was recruited to Harvard from Australia by HGCI Co-Chairs Professor Jack Spengler and Tom Vautin to establish and direct a joint academic and administrative University-wide initiative. We had just $70,000 and one year to get things moving.
Within three months of arriving, I had developed a strategic plan for achieving wide-scale transformation across Harvard’s decentralized campus with the end goal of putting campus sustainability firmly on the University’s agenda . The heart of this strategic plan was the creation of an interfaculty initiative, called the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, consisting of 20 full-time professional staff working with all of Harvard’s schools and departments to implement hundreds of campus projects each year. The strategic plan also set a course for establishing a revolving loan fund of $12-15 million for financing campus projects with adequate paybacks.
In the year 2000, the purpose of the HGCI was the same as it is today. The HGCI:
• Creates and maintains an enormous web of relationship across Harvard, actively engaging and coordinating a critical mass of people in conversations and partnerships that continue to lead to new ideas, new priorities and new kinds of engagement.
• Provides the human resources, expertise, business models, education, training, financial incentives and case studies to overcome all existing barriers to wide scale operational change.
• Implements hundreds of successful green campus projects each year , building the confidence and commitment of hundreds of campus operations staff as well as fostering new attitudes and behaviors in thousands of students, staff and faculty alike.
• Ensures continuous improvement by encouraging Harvard to continue on its journey towards innovation and systemic transformation.
In 2000 there was little if any effort underway to address campus sustainability beyond Harvard’s regulatory compliance efforts and waste recycling program. Campus sustainability simply had not emerged as a priority. In late 2001 President Rudenstine and Provost Harvey Fineberg made a critical step towards a sustainable Harvard by approving HGCI for five years of core funding at $150,000 per year and establishing a $3 million revolving loan fund. With this basic support, we were able to begin to build the HGCI to the scale outlined in its strategic plan.
The next challenge was to create the HGCI without the assistance of grants, donations or further central administration funds. Efforts to attract financial support from these arenas had systematically failed. In the end, the HGCI was built by producing financial savings that exceeded its own staff costs. As the financial case was made for new projects, staff were recruited to implement energy audits, assist with green building projects, and run behavioral change programs that had excellent paybacks. Over time schools and departments expanded their investment in the services offered by the HGCI because of the attractive financial model and the quality of the services provided. Using this business model the HGCI has achieved an average annual growth rate of 70% for the last 7 years.
In 2004, President Summers was so impressed with the performance of the Green Campus Loan Fund that he doubled it to $6 million and then to $12 million in 2006. The central administration of the University also became convinced of the value of the HGCI and increased its core funding contribution. Core funding supports base program functions, which are those that are essential to Harvard’s sustainability efforts but which cannot be charged out on a fee-for-service basis. Examples include the production of this newsletter, the development of Harvard’s greenhouse gas inventory and other indicators, creation of Harvard’s green building guidelines and Allston sustainability guidelines, communication of Harvard’s work to the outside world, campus-wide strategic efforts, and more.
This year, the HGCI has achieved complete implementation of the Strategic Plan. We now employ 19 full time professional staff, 38 part-time student employees and manage a revolving loan fund of $12 million. HGCI saves Harvard over $6 million a year and has avoided 80 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Sustainable Endowments Institute, which ranked 115 US Colleges in its “College Sustainability Report Card” report, gave Harvard the highest rating of A-, noting that “Harvard University has one of the most comprehensive green campus programs in the country.” But in truth we have only just begun. We are at the end of the beginning. What we must do now is leverage every success, every lesson and every partnership to date in order to increase efforts across Harvard, raising our shared commitment to the next level. With our new President we are likely to have unprecedented leadership support for this next level of action.
To make the most of this new top-level support, Harvard’s greatest asset in will be the enormous number of people who have found given voice to their own convictions that Harvard become a global model of campus sustainability. The role of the HGCI will remain important as we strive to support the shared vision of this ever growing web of relationships and partnerships that have taken root across this complex and decentralized organization. The HGCI must continue to evolve and provide whatever services and advocacy activities necessary to empower people at every level and in every domain of the University. Our future as an organization will unfold as it has in past, by listening very carefully to what people need and want and by removing any obstacles that block their efforts.
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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.
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Allston Sustainability Update
We are all surely riveted as we watch to see how Harvard will embrace its once in a lifetime opportunity to provide the world with a new campus in Allston that effectively addresses the demands of sustainability. What follows is a listing of some of the many careful steps that have been orchestrated to set the stage for success. It will not be easy but it will happen.
2004: Harvard University Campus-Wide Sustainability Principles set the tone for sustainability in Allston.
2004-2005: Alumni respond to opportunity to provide comment on Allston development plans. Sustainability is the most common concern expressed.
2006: Chris Gordon, chief operating officer for the Allston Development Group, expresses his personal commitment to sustainability. “The goal is to make Allston a highly sustainable campus.”
2006: 600 staff, students, alumni and faculty attend Harvard’s Vision 2020 Campus Sustainability Conference. Substantial interest and support is expressed for sustainability in Allston.
2005-2006: Sustainability design capacity and commitment is scrutinized during selection of all consultants for Allston.
2006: Behnisch Architects are hired to design Harvard’s first science complex in Allston. Behnisch is internationally recognized for their sustainable design work.
2006: Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) hired to design utilities for the new campus. CDM is working to explore a range of renewable energy and on-site water treatment alternatives for meeting campus energy and water needs.
2006: Boston Redevelopment Authority encourages Harvard in relation to its comprehensive approach to integrating sustainability in Allston.
2006: HGCI hired to act as the University’s representative on sustainability in building design. The HGCI is providing comprehensive LEED project management for the first science complex and the Harvard University Art Museum. LEED Gold is the goal for both projects.
2007: HGCI hired to act as the University’s representative on sustainability in utility design. The HGCI is providing ongoing utilities sustainability review and research (renewable energy, on site water treatment etc). Current goals include clean and renewable energy for 22.5% of campus energy, comprehensive on-site storm water treatment and a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for every unit of non-renewable heat, cooling and power produced or procured as compared to a 2006 Harvard baseline.
2005-7: Comprehensive Allston sustainability guidelines developed and finalized. Staff, faculty and students engaged in 2 annual review workshops during the development process. University Operations Services and HGCI provide extensive input and review. Allston Development Group requests all consultants to meet the requirements of the Allston Sustainability Guidelines. The Guidelines will be review and updated every 3-5 years with input from the Harvard community.
2007: Boston Mayor Menino commits the city of Boston to achieving an 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050. Harvard’s Allston Sustainability Guidelines already reflect a similar goal.
Aerial Image: Proposed Allston Redevelopment Map
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46 Blackstone Becomes Harvard's First LEED Platinum Building April 2007
Embracing principles of sustainability from the project's inception, the renovation of the 46 Blackstone Street complex is the most ambitious green building project Harvard has ever undertaken. Dedication to sustainability throughout the process was formally recognized when Blackstone was awarded a Platinum Rating by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This is the highest level possible in the LEED system and is Harvard’s first LEED Platinum building!
The client, University Operations Services (UOS), set sustainability goals early in the process by including sustainability language in the Request for Proposals to the designers. A primary objective was to learn from the project and to provide an example of how high-performance building renovations can be done in a cost-effective way. This ensured that sustainability was a primary focus at every stage of the design and construction process.
In June 1888 the Cambridge Electric Light Company built the Blackstone power station to provide sufficient electricity for the growing city. The power station has provided steam to heat the Harvard campus since 1930. Harvard UOS purchased the Blackstone plant and its several outbuildings in April 2003. The 40,000 square foot renovation of the former Standard Diary Company Building was completed in May 2006. The building houses several formerly decentralized UOS departments: Engineering & Utilities, Environmental Health & Safety, Facilities Maintenance Operations, Transportation Services, the Operations Center, the Green Campus Initiative, and the UOS administrative, financial, and technology groups. A few highlights of the building include:
Site
• former impervious parking lot converted into pervious green space with permeable paving and a bioretention pond system – expected to reduce stormwater runoff by over 37%
• no permanent irrigation system through the use of native/adapted planting
• exterior lighting designed to reduce light pollution and trespassWater
• occupant water use is reduced by 43% compared to Energy Policy Act of 1992-compliant plumbing fixtures using dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals, and low-flow fixturesEnergy
• ground source heat pumps for cooling
• designed to be 42% more efficient than a code-compliant building
• valance units for heating and cooling, decoupled from the ventilation system
• enthalpy wheel for latent and sensible heat recovery
• demand control ventilation
• machineroom-less elevator, 60% more efficient than a conventional hydraulic elevatorMaterials
• diverted 99.42% of construction and demolition waste from landfills – including salvaging materials for use in Guatemala and Jamaica
• environmentally preferable materials include products with recycled content and manufactured locally rapidly renewable materials such as bamboo and marmoleum flooring
• over 60% of the new wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship CouncilIndoor Environmental Quality
• extensive daylight and views
• low-emitting paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets, and composite wood
• green cleaning program
Thanks to the hard work of many people in UOS and the project teams, Blackstone earned 56 LEED points in five environmental categories. This project is not only a great historic (and now LEED Platinum) building, but it shows how an effective planning process and leadership commitment can achieve phenomenal results. It will serve as an example of Harvard’s commitment to environmentally responsible construction for years to come.
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HGCI Engaged by FAS to Write Plan to Achieve GHG Reduction Goals
In the fall of 2006, 86% of undergraduates voted to ask FAS leadership to reduce GHG emissions by 11% below 1990 levels. Students chose 11% because Yale, their rival school, has committed to a 10% reduction. The HGCI is currently developing a business plan that will identify the best strategy to achieve this GHG reduction goal. The first step involves engaging a wide number of stakeholders across FAS in the process of identifying opportunities to reduce energy demand, improve utility efficiencies and re-invest savings from FAS’ ongoing conservation projects to a combination of on-site renewable energy projects, renewable energy certificate purchases, and other carbon offset programs. An advisory group of staff, students and faculty has been established to assist in the plan’s development, which should be completed in time for the new academic year.
The HGCI team heading up this effort are Michael Crowley and Leith Sharp. The FAS project leaders are Linda Snyder and Jay Phillips.
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The Leadership Tide Has Turned on Climate Change
In April 2007 the City of Cambridge, in partnership with the Kendall Foundation, launched an ambitious initiative called the Cambridge Energy Alliance. The goal of this alliance is to direct $70-100 million of private funds into supporting energy conservation across the City of Cambridge, making the city a global model of energy conservation. The alliance is using the HGCI’s revolving loan fund model and plans to work closely together with Harvard.
In April 2007 Mayor Menino issued a public commitment that Boston will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050. The City of Boston will continue to partner with the HGCI to exchange ideas and develop strategies for success.
Within a few short months over 200 University and College presidents have signed the College and University President Climate Commitment, committing their institutions to spend the next two years developing a strategy and timeline for making their campuses climate neutral (eliminating all campus related greenhouse gas emissions). http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/html/signatories.php
At this stage President Bok and President Elect Drew Faust are not planning to sign the Presidents Commitment and have instead asked the HGCI to work with the Harvard community to give further consideration to the matter of adopting campus sustainability targets such as a greenhouse gas reduction goal for Harvard.
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Renewable Energy at Harvard
Harvard continues to purchase renewable electricity credits (RECs), which represent the environmental attributes of a kwh of renewable energy to offset GHG emissions caused by our electricity use. In 2006, we purchased 20,500 MWh, which means that 6.6% of the University’s total electric use was supplied or offset by renewable sources.
Harvard participates in the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, which brings corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions together to encourage the purchase of renewable energy. This year, our purchases were not enough to place us on EPA’s Top Ten List of College and University Partners; however, Harvard is still the second largest purchaser of green power within the Ivy League!
The Business School, the Design School, the Divinity School, FAS, the Medical School, the Radcliffe Institute, and the School of Public Health all made renewable power purchases in 2006. Also, several buildings purchased green power independently. The solar array at the Business School produced 38 MWh of power in 2006.
In the coming year, HGCI will work to get Harvard back onto the Top Ten List of Colleges and University Green Power Partners.
University Operations Services (UOS) also finalized a purchase agreement to procure energy and renewable energy credits from the Hull wind turbine, bringing the benefits of green power closer to home. Even closer still UOS is also working to install a wind anemometer in Harvard’s athletics field to collect one year of wind data in efforts to determine the feasibility of wind turbines on Harvard’s own campus.
Looking forward the HGCI is working with the Allston development group to assess a range of renewable energy options for the new campus including deep well geothermal (or dry hot rock geothermal), biomass or biofuels, wind, sewer to heat recovery and solar thermal or photovoltaics. The HGCI’s project team working on renewable energy include, Emily Martin, Leith Sharp and starting July 2007, Dara Olmsted.
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May 18, 2007
Green Building Guidelines in Development for Harvard University
Even though Harvard has the most LEED registered buildings of any University in the country and even though we have established LEED Gold as the standard for all buildings in Allston, there is still one last step that we are now taking to ensure that cost effective green building becomes business as usual here. We are developing a set of University-wide green building guidelines that will be thoroughly integrated into the University’s capital approvals processes.
The University Construction Managers Council (UCMC) asked the HGCI to convene a steering group of School project management representatives to develop the guidelines based upon the experience that Harvard has had to date in building green. This Steering Group has met twice and is already setting a course that will likely include a LEED certification requirement (minimum Silver and Gold aspiration), a minimum energy performance requirement that exceeds code, a requirement for the use of integrated design, energy modeling, life cycle costing and continuous commissioning. Draft guidelines will be finalized for approval by the UCMC and Harvard’s Capital Planning Review Committee late in FY07. Once approved, the guidelines will then be integrated into standard university contracts, Harvard’s online capital approvals process, the CPRC’s budget approval process and university-wide project management trainings. The HGCI’s team leader working on this project is Leith Sharp.
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LEED Certification Arrives for 60 Oxford St
On January 15th, 2007, 60 Oxford Street was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the US Green Building Council. 60 Oxford St. was one of Harvard's first three building projects to agree to pilot the LEED framework back in 2002, when LEED was a very new idea for Harvard.
LEED provides a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environment quality, and innovation in design. A significant portion of Harvard’s new construction and major renovation projects are emphasizing sustainable design and construction and the University has an additional 17 LEED projects on the way.
60 Oxford Street is a 94,000 square foot building housing University Information Systems and the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ faculty offices and computer labs. The building is located at the corner of Oxford and Hammond Streets, adjacent to a residential district. The landscaping and scale of the building were carefully designed to respect and complement its surroundings and to maintain a strong relationship to the adjacent community.
The building was designed by Perry Dean Rogers and Partners architects with Eichorn Yaffee Prescott as MEP engineers. Lee Kennedy Company provided construction management services. Facility Dynamics commissioned the building to ensure systems operated as designed. The Harvard Green Campus Initiative’s New Construction Program facilitated the LEED appeal process to finalize the certification.
Green design features include a rooftop garden, ample daylighting via glass atria and use of light wells, and a 26% reduction in energy use when compared to a code-compliant building. The building is expected to save approximately 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 500 million British thermal units of steam energy annually. This represents a reduction of 71 metric tons of CO2 equivalent each year, or the average emissions of more than 9 single family houses. What energy the building does used is offset by the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from wind energy produced in the Midwest. The project team that had worked on this project include Nathan Gauthier, Mike Crowley and Leith Sharp. The HRES project leaders include Dennis Ferris, Peter Riley and Jonathan Lavash.
Sustainable Design Elements Include:
• Bicycle racks and changing rooms
• Rooftop garden and Energy Star roof
• Exterior light pollution reduction
• Rain sensors to control irrigation
• 26% energy savings over code
• 100% of energy offset by RECs
• Environmentally-friendly refrigerant selection
• Independent engineering design review
• 75% of construction waste recycled or salvaged
• Refurbished wall panels
• 23% of materials manufactured within 500 miles
• 51% of wood from certified sustainable forests
• Low-emitting/non-toxic material selection
• Smoking is prohibited w/in 25 feet of building
• Light shelves direct sunlight into building interior
• Green cleaning program
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HARVARD'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
Over the past six years, Harvard has experienced a boom in green new construction and renovation. These projects demonstrate the University's commitment to sustainability and occupant health and comfort, while providing lessons learned for each new project that the University undertakes. This is best demonstrated by the 20 Harvard projects registered or certified with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), seven of which have already received a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Certification. The most recently certified building is 46 Blackstone, which was awarded a Platinum rating, the highest possible level, and the first Platinum building at Harvard.
LEED Certification recognizes buildings that have selected and improved a sustainable site, improved water efficiency, minimized energy use, selected environmentally preferred building materials, provided an improved indoor environmental quality and utilized innovative strategies to improve building performance. The state of Massachusetts currently has 32 LEED certified buildings, including the seven at Harvard.
Harvard continues to build upon past successes as lessons learned from one project are transferred to the next. This has allowed for such innovations as flat screen plasma televisions showing real-time energy use, ventilation rates that are directly tied to carbon dioxide levels inside a building, and reductions in energy use by as much as 40% better than a traditional code-compliant building.
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HRES Partners with the HGCI to Take Charge of Energy Conservation
This spring, the HGCI continues to work closely with Harvard Real Estate Services (HRES) to compile utility baselines and audit more buildings in the search for energy conservation solutions. For HRES Residential Real Estate alone, the HGCI has conducted extensive building performance audits on over 1 million square feet of residential buildings resulting in the identification of over 200 possible Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) that will now be implemented. This will go a long way to meeting HRES’s goal of achieving a 25% energy reduction over a five year period.
This year’s work is laying the foundation for HRES to create a comprehensive energy management program that is focused on:
• Utility monitoring
• ECM prioritization
• Innovative ECM funding and re-investing mechanisms
• Standardized ECM project management protocols
• Training and education
• Coordination and integration amongst key HRES staff
• Measurement and verification
This energy management strategy is enabling HRES to reduce both green house gas emissions and utility bills, proving that energy efficiency is synonymous with business efficacy. The HGCI’s team leaders working on this project are Darien Crimmin and Jesse Foote. HRES staff working with the HGCI include David Dower, Joe Gregory, and Mike Quinn.
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HUDS are Cooking with a Green Skillet
The competitive juices are flowing in the residential dining hall kitchens, as staff compete to see which kitchen can reduce energy consumption the most and win the green skillet. This program (previously called green apron in the last newsletter), a partnership between Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) and the HGCI, is now nearing the end of its first year and has shown that it pays to get everyone actively involved in conservation. Following the basic format of the HGCI’s peer-to-peer model of engagement, Green Skillet is a program that fosters the engagement of over 500 kitchen and dining services staff.
As of February, the 9 residential dining halls have seen a combined reduction of 3.4% in electricity consumption and 4.9% in natural gas consumption, compared to a baseline of the previous three fiscal years. The Adams house kitchen and Quincy house kitchen have both achieved an impressive 20% reduction in electricity. Annenberg Hall and the Leverett kitchen also surpassed the 10% electricity reduction goal with 11.2% and 15.9% reductions respectively. Currier House Kitchen nearly hit the goal with a 9.7% reduction. Other kitchens struggled in the early months of the competition, but are now starting to see good reductions as well.
So, how are they doing it? There’s no magic bullet – just the combined hard work from a lot of exemplary staff. Equipment is turned off between lunch and dinner in kitchens like Lowell/Winthrop where cook Cleonir Bonifacio knows he will have plenty of time to warm them up again before dinner. Receivers like Richard Kennedy are waiting an extra half hour to turn equipment on in the morning because they know that most equipment takes only 8 minutes to warm up. And dishwasher conveyor belts are turned off when they’re not needed in kitchens like Currier where Eric Ayoub says he saves energy in order to reduce costs.
Beyond all of these individual actions, the Green Skillet competition has also got Dining Services staff on the lookout for opportunities to save energy by upgrading equipment. Most kitchens have swapped inefficient incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs in their kitchens and serveries. Occupancy sensors have been installed in storage rooms and basement spaces so that lights are not mistakenly left on. Mather/Dunster and Adams are both testing new low-flow sprayers in their sinks that use half the water as their existing sprayers (and also save on energy to heat that water). Adams house purchased a smaller toaster, so that they can leave their large toaster off during lunch and dinner when fewer students toast bread. Leverett house is looking into capturing the waste heat from their refrigerators’ condensing units and using it to pre-heat domestic hot water. Dining Services has also made a number of larger investments in energy efficiency by installing variable volume fume hoods, high efficiency dish washers, composting systems, and more.
All of these combined efforts are adding up to a greener future for Harvard University Dining Services. Michelle Gray, Customer Service Manager at Mather House, says she used to wonder what she could do to make a difference, but now knows individual efforts really do count. She believes: “This is our world, we have to do our part.” The HGCI project leader is Jesse Foote. The HUDS project leader is Bob Leandro.
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Low-Emitting Vehicle Parking at Harvard Business School
Guess who's getting preferred parking in Harvard Business School (HBS) parking lots? Here's a hint... it isn't people who drive Hummers. HBS is partnering with Harvard University Parking Services and Harvard Green Campus Initiative to pilot preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. In addition to the spaces already reserved for handicapped and carpool parking, HBS commuters will now have the option of preferential parking if they drive environmentally friendly vehicles.
Beginning this September, the HBS community will be able to apply for LEV (Low-Emitting Vehicle) parking permits. LEV permit only spaces will be designated in the most desired locations in the HBS lot. In order to qualify, commuters will need to demonstrate they drive a vehicle that meets the EPA SmartWay Elite certification. The SmartWay Elite certification indicates a vehicle has received at score of 9 or 10 (on a 10 point scale) in both the EPA Greenhouse Gas Score and the Air Pollution Score. To achieve a Greenhouse Gas score of 9, a gasoline vehicle must have a combined mile per gallon rating of at least 36. Air Pollution scores of 9 or 10 are awarded to vehicles whose officially certified exhaust emission levels (NOx, NMOG, CO, PM and HCHO) place them in Bin 1 or 2 of the EPA’s Tier II Emissions Standards (the Hummer H2 scores an embarrassing 3 for being in Bin 8).
Motor gasoline is estimated to account for 60 percent of all carbon dioxide (a major green house gas) emitted in the US in the last 20 years. The LEV preferred parking program represents a significant commitment by HBS and Harvard to address global climate change and environmental degradation. It is hoped that the success of the pilot program at HBS will result in LEV preferred parking campus-wide. While walking, biking, using public transportation, or carpooling are the means of commuting with the lowest environmental impact, Harvard hopes to encourage those people who feel the need to drive to do so in a more responsible manner. The HGCI team leader is Nathan Gauthier. The HBS representative is Meghan Duggan and from UOS, Jim Sarafin.
Posted by sheldon at 7:19 PM | TrackBack
Harvard Green Campus Building Resource
The Green Building Resource, a project of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, is an online project tool and database developed to assist in driving continuous improvement in the implementation of Harvard's Sustainability Principles and the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system.
The HGCI’s Green Building Resource, under development for the last 18 months, is a sophisticated website that has been specifically designed to be user friendly and continuously updated as new projects emerge across Harvard. The Green Building Resource will house all LEED submittals and documentation from each of Harvard’s LEED projects, so that future projects can benefit from the lessons learned by these projects. This will ensure that the documentation effort associated with LEED certification becomes a valuable resource for continuous improvement at Harvard.
The Green Building Resource will also provide specific, experience based guidance for maximizing cost effectiveness of the high performance building design and LEED certification from initial planning, through design and construction, to post-occupancy training and maintenance. As clients, designers, and construction professionals lead the challenge in the implementation of high performance buildings, the HGCI’s Green Building Resource will provide a continually evolving and expanding library of successful approaches, technologies and lessons learned based upon Harvard’s own projects. By doing this effectively, the HGCI will be able to further maximize environmental responsibility and promote human health, while minimizing capital and operational costs.
The Green Building Resource is organized by three major LEED building types (LEED-New Construction, LEED-Commercial Interiors and LEED-Existing Buildings), which draw on the experience gained by the HGCI in over five years of working on LEED projects, and includes specific information on processes, materials and systems used at Harvard to streamline the process for current and future projects. The New Construction section can be navigated by:
Team Optimization: A guide to managing the project team, including model RFP language
Design Phase: Outlines optimal timing and responsibilities for the implementation of project goals during design and construction. An integrated, whole-systems approach is stressed.
Design Element: A roadmap outlining an ideal process to achieve each goal, model Harvard LEED submittals, information on design intent and sustainability principles, financial considerations, LEED requirements, and additional resources for each design element.Specifications: Guidelines and tools for writing and meeting project specifications, including model language and materials tracking tools.
Innovation at Harvard: Innovations that have been successfully implemented at Harvard, such as in plumbing, materials, HVAC systems, etc.
Energy Modeling: A roadmap, case studies, and software recommendations for energy modeling, which allows in-depth comparative analysis of potential building systems and strategies to create the most efficient building possible.
Life Cycle Costing: Life cycle costing is a method of economic analysis for all costs related to building, operating, and maintaining a project over a defined period of time. This section contains implementation, training, calculations, and case studies.
Harvard Case Studies: Comprehensive case studies of Harvard University’s 20 buildings that have used the LEED guidelines highlight successes, lessons learned, examples of life cycle costing, and include model submittals.
The Resource will be ready for use by the Harvard community and Harvard project teams in Fall of 2007, timed with the approval of Harvard’s University-wide Green Building Guidelines. The HGCI project team includes Leith Sharp, Michael Crowley, Andrea Ruedy, Nathan Gauthier and Jesse Foote. The Resource is currently funded by Harvard’s CAPS Office. Continued funding for the project must be secured by October 2007.
Posted by sheldon at 7:19 PM | TrackBack
Harvard's Undergraduate Resource Efficiency Program (REP) Continues to Thrive
The Undergraduate Resource Efficiency Program (REP), a joint initiative of the HGCI, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University Operations Services and Harvard University Dining Services, trains student representatives, ("REPs"), to be environmental leaders and peer educators in Harvard's undergraduate residential houses. REPs communicate conservation with the 6600 students in their residential communities and act as liaisons between students and administrators about sustainability, comfort, health, and efficiency. REPs teach their peers why and how to conserve energy, water, and materials. The REPs also suggest infrastructure and policy improvements that remove barriers to student conservation.
Fall ’06 was particularly successful for REP. With 7 returning REPs, we got an earlier start than ever before, advertising the Habitat for Humanity Move-In Sale and distributing compact fluorescent light bulbs to incoming freshmen. Our freshman “eco-Reps” program burgeoned to 76 volunteers.
Cabot celebrates a tie for 1st place in Green Cup 2007.
Our dedicated crew has capitalized on this early momentum, and we’ve made strides in all our campaign areas, with record results from the Habitat sale, record recycling numbers, lower food waste during audits, reduced energy use, and a record 40% of all undergraduate students signing the Campus Sustainability Pledge, for which 5 houses and 2 dorms won renewable energy purchases by reaching 50% participation.
The home Harvard-Yale football game tailgate was a highlight for REP this fall, as our presence, vigilance, and advocacy resulted in 1/3 of all refuse by weight being recycled at the undergraduate tailgate, an extremely high recycling yield for a crowded public event with alcohol.
This spring, REP and its partners have:
1) Achieved great increases in first-year dorm recycling, and maintained increased recycling rates in the upperclassman houses;
2) Reached 11% reduction in electricity use in our buildings relative to our 2000-2002 pre-REP baseline, helped in part by REPs and REP-recruited volunteers swapping out over 1100 light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent in student-owned desk lamps;
3) Facilitated the submission of more than 60 “eco-projects,” designed to reduce waste throughout the dorms in innovative ways
Highlights of the spring included public art displays, light bulb swaps, paper waste reduction, and clothing swaps, in addition to our annual campaigns -- the Green Cup competition, CERP’s cartoon competition, RecycleMania, and Green Move-Out donations.
The HGCI’s project leader is Philip Kreycik and other team participants include Meryl Brott and Leith Sharp. Other partner leaders include Jay Phillips of FAS, Bob Leandro of HUDS and Rob Gogan of UOS.
Posted by sheldon at 7:18 PM | TrackBack
Graduate Green Living Program Enters Its Second Year
The Graduate Green Living Program is a peer-to-peer education program based on the model of the undergraduate Resource Efficiency Program. The pilot for this program began in the fall of 2005 with the primary goals to increase recycling by 30 – 40% and decrease water and energy use by 10%. Program partnerships are with the Harvard Business School (HBS) Operations and Housing, Harvard Law School Facilities Management, and Harvard Real Estate Services Residential Real Estate and effectively include over 3000 graduate students and their families.
A display during Green Week at HBS emphasizes the environmental impact of bottled water.
Twenty Green Living Representatives work to engage their peers in conservation. The breakdown is as follows: Harvard Business School (HBS): five Green Living Representatives for the dorms, one for the common areas. Harvard Law School (HLS): four Green Living Representatives for the dorms. Harvard Real Estate Services (HRES): four representatives at Peabody Terrace, six at Soldiers Field Park/One Western Avenue.
To achieve the program’s goals, representatives run campaigns with a variety of activities. Some highlights include:
• Compact fluorescent light bulb swap
• Harvard Sustainability Pledge campaign, including 100% participation from residents of Hamilton Hall, a HBS dorm
• Energy Competitions in HBS and HLS dorms
• “Thanks for using reusable dishware” dining hall campaign
• HLS recycling bags distribution
• Showing of “An Inconvenient Truth” at HLS, HBS and Peabody Terrace
• Green Fest at Peabody Terrace with singing program “EarthTunes”
• Environmentally themed social events / study breaks at Peabody Terrace and Soldiers Field Park/One Western Avenue
The program is a great opportunity for residents to ask questions and learn and to know that they are not alone as they embark on incorporating more green living actions into their daily routines. It is also a program that helps to build community, and another benefit is that building operators also learn what barriers are keeping residents from conserving as well as how the residents are experiencing the HVAC systems (too warm / too cool).
The HGCI’s project leader is Meryl Brott. Other project leaders include Dara Olmsted, HGCI; Rebecca Andreasson from HLS; Meghan Duggan from HBS and David Dower from HRES.
Posted by sheldon at 7:04 PM | TrackBack
FAS Engages Staff, Students and Faculty in Saving Energy
Having grown beyond the projects addressing energy consumption solely related to computer use, CERP is now tackling other direct and indirect sources of greenhouse gas emissions, such as labs, waste reduction, water conservation and green cleaning. The success of our many projects would not have been possible if it was not for our eco-citizens, a group of talented environmental advocates, who have partnered with us to get the word out about reducing the environmental impacts of FAS buildings. Our growing team of eco-citizens are a key link between CERP and the larger communities across FAS.
HGCI has also been working with building managers and occupants participating in the first ever FAS Building Energy Competition. The contest was highly successful and a few buildings achieved an over 10% reduction in their energy consumption compared to a 5-year baseline. Building occupants’ actions led to electricity savings of over $50,000 and overall energy savings added up to over $200,000. The latter is also a result of the many energy conservation measures implemented by the building managers and the FAS Energy team.
Hoffman won the Energy Competition with a spectacular decrease of 19.63% in its energy consumption. Jefferson and the Science Center also did very well, with a decrease of 13.6% and 7.85% respectively. As a prize, Hoffman will receive a special trophy made from recyclable, salvaged materials and a highly visible resource conservation feature that will further reduce its environmental impacts.
Our communication with building occupants has also been made easier thanks to the FAS-wide, centralized Energy E-mail. Staff, faculty and students can now e-mail us at energy@fas.harvard.eduwhenever they notice energy inefficiencies in their building or whenever they have energy related questions.
The HGCI team leader for this project is Gosia Sklodowska and Jaclyn Emig. The FAS project leaders include Jay Philips, Chris Trent, Larry McNeil and Steve Robichaud.
Paul Kelley, Lab Director in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department holds the eco-trophy in honor of Hoffman’s winning the Energy Competition. The trophy was created by Meredith Lanoue, the REP Yard Captain and is made from recycled and salvaged materials.
Posted by sheldon at 6:58 PM | TrackBack
CERtoon 2007: Students create cartoons about climate change
CERtoon is an annual competition run by the FAS Campus Energy Reduction Program to raise awareness about resource conservation and renewable energy in a humorous, unexpected way. Every year, we tap into the creativity of our undergraduates to encourage all members of the FAS community to make environmentally sound decisions in their own lives. CERtoon 2004 and 2005 were focused on computer energy reduction; CERtoon 2006 addressed renewable energy. This year, the contest was of particular importance to our school, as its topic was tightly aligned with the recent students’ referendum: “A Greener Harvard” that passed last December with 86% of the vote. The referendum asked Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to a level 11% below total emissions in 1990 by the year 2020 and led to the creation of the FAS Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Advisory Committee.
Gosia Sklodowska & CERtoon 1st Prize Winner Mitch Hunter
Posted by sheldon at 6:55 PM | TrackBack
The 2006 Harvard Sustainability Pledge
The annual online Harvard Sustainability Pledge was a huge success this year; over 7,000 students, staff, and faculty at Harvard pledged to support Harvard's Sustainability Principles and incorporate actions in their daily lives to minimize their impact on the environment. This occurred in the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.
The Sustainability Pledge Campaign serves as an annual reminder to the participating school communities of the many impacts our day-to-day activities have, and that simple actions can make a big differences. A few examples of actions people committed to include:
- 5,700 people pledged to turn off computers and lights at night.
- 5,400 people pledged to enable sleep mode on their computer.
- 3,700 people pledged to buy paper made with at least 30% recycled paper.
- 4,600 people pledged to double-side when they make copies.
- 3,821 people pledged to bring their own mug or water glass instead of using a disposable one.
A record 31 buildings met the 50% pledge rate challenge, earning wind power to offset 10% of the building GHG emissions. The resulting purchase of 6 million kWh of wind power will offset 56 million pounds of greenhouse gases, equivalent to removing over 2,000 cars from the road for a year.
The campaign is run by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative and sponsored by the participating schools: Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Harvard Medical School, and School of Public Health, and the Law School and Business School Green Living Programs. The HGCI project leaders are Jaclyn Emig and Gosia Sklodowska.
The list of winning buildings with at least a 50% pledge rate include:
Harvard School of Public Health
Kresge Building
Shattuck International HouseHarvard Medical School
Countway Library
Gordon Hall
Tosteson Medical Center
Vanderbilt Hall
160/164 Longwood Avenue
641/643 Huntington AvenueHarvard Business School
Hamilton Hall
McCulloch Hall
Morris Hall
Wilder HouseHarvard Law School
Wyeth Hall
Gannett HouseFAS
Adams House
Cabot House
Kirkland House
Leverett House
Pforzheimer House
Massachusetts Hall
Weld Hall
8 Prescott Street
69 Dunster Street
77 Dunster Street
Carpenter Center
Dudley House
Geology Museum
Hoffman Lab
Paine Music Hall
Phillips Brooks House
William James Hall
To learn more about the online Harvard Sustainability Pledge go to:
http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/pledge
Posted by sheldon at 6:52 PM | TrackBack
HGSE takes action to lessen its contribution to climate change
In the fall of 2006, the HGSE partnered with HGCI to reduce the environmental impacts of its campus' operations and to promote sustainable practices within its community.
The HGSE Green Program is the newest addition to the HGCI's family of educational programs and with its first GSE Earth Day event on Monday, April 23rd, the program kicked off to an official, solid and inspiring start.
This new program has three major components:
* HGSE Green Team brings together representatives from key GSE groups and departments to create GSE-wide sustainability guidelines;
* Educational Program, to raise environmental awareness and encourage GSE students, staff and faculty to integrate green actions into their daily routines;
* High Performance Building Practices to implement resource conservation measures in the GSE buildings’ operations and in its upcoming renovation projects.
To find out more about the HGSE Green Program, please e-mail us at greenteam@gse.harvard.edu.
Posted by sheldon at 6:51 PM | TrackBack
Harvard Medical School Develops Harvard First Ever Sustainability Report Card
How do we know if we are on the right track toward sustainability? What are the environmental impacts of operating the campus? Where should we be focusing our efforts? The Harvard Medical School (HMS) is trying to answer some of these questions by completing their first “Environmental Sustainability Report Card”, and identifying the key indicators for tracking impacts and progress over time and to benchmark the institution against similar facilities.
This first version of the report card, which is available on the Longwood Green Campus website, was completed this winter and includes data on campus and population, energy use, water use, solid waste and recycling, and transportation. The HGCI project leader is Jaclyn Emig.
Posted by christine at 6:47 PM | TrackBack
Green Cleaning at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical Custodial Services initiated a green cleaning program throughout the entire campus this past fall, in line with the school's concern for the environment, occupant health, and a desire to be consistent with the medical credo of "first do no harm".
So what does “green cleaning” actually mean? At HMS it means using Green Seal-certified cleaning products that are less toxic and safer for both occupants and cleaning staff (and are vigorously tested to make sure they clean well). It means using toilet tissue and paper towels made from 100% recycled content paper and chlorine-free bleach. And it means training custodial staff on the proper use of chemicals, equipment, etc. to ensure all precautions are taken to reduce human health and environmental impacts.
Green Cleaning was first piloted at Harvard by Harvard’s University Operations Services group in 2005. Through the generous support of a donor, the HGCI was able to partner with UOS to conduct extensive research to determine how Harvard could move forward to reduce its use of cleaning chemicals. As a result, over a very short period, UOS has been able to prove to the entire university community that green cleaning produces great results, improves occupant and environmental health and is cost effective. As a result many other Schools are now taking action to adopt clean cleaning. This is great news for everyone! The HGCI project team includes Leith Sharp, Dara Olmsted and Jaclyn Emig. The UOS project leader is Jason Luke. The HMS project leader is Bob Christiano.
Posted by christine at 6:44 PM | TrackBack
Energy Conservation Comes to Labs at Harvard's School of Public Health
Laboratories are one of the most energy-intensive building typologies, often consuming 3-5 times the MMBtu per square foot compared to office buildings. This is mostly due to the need for single pass ventilation in the building, resulting in high heating and cooling requirements.
The School of Public Health has installed a new technology in one of its largest lab building, the FXB Building, that will allow for demand control ventilation in the labs, resulting in significant energy savings for the building. It is estimated that this project will reduce energy use by almost $25,000 per year in FXB with less than a 2.5 year payback.
The OptiNet AirCuity controls system uses a multi-point sampling system to cost-effectively monitor multiple indoor environmental parameters in the air, such as temperature, CO2 levels, humidity, particulates, and total VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The monitoring system is connected to the HVAC system and allows the HVAC system to react to the actual operating conditions in the building. For example, if the minimum allowable level of particulates is triggered, from a spill or chemical leak, the HVAC system will automatically increase air changes per hour (ACH) in the space to a set level.
The real-time data is also transmitted wirelessly to a web page, allowing facilities staff to have more information on the actual operating conditions of the building. The HGCI is hoping that the HSPH project will open the way for the HGCI to promote these kinds of strategies to other laboratory buildings around campus. The HSPH project leader is Danny Beaudoin.
Harvard School of Public Health
Francis Xavier Bagnoud Building
Architect: Payette Associates
Photo: Brian Vanden Brink
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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!
Posted by christine at 6:36 PM | TrackBack
Fresh, local, sustainable food at Harvard Medical School
When was the last time you thought about where that apple you are eating comes from? What resources such as fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water went into producing that apple? Did it travel across the world from New Zealand or was it grown here in Mass? Who was the farmer? These are just a few of the important questions the Medical School and its food services contractor Restaurant Associates have begun to ponder.
Providing healthy, high quality food has always been a priority for the Harvard Medical School (HMS), where researchers, faculty, staff, and students understand the important role food and nutrients play in our bodies. And just recently, partnering with Restaurant Associates (RA), the School has initiated a Sustainable Food Program to assess where and how the food served in the campus cafes is grown, transported, and produced, with the ultimate goal of increasing the use of local, farm fresh, and organic foods in the meals and products offered in the cafes.
This new program is just getting started and HMS and RA are still in the early planning process, but keep an eye out for healthy, locally produced, eco-friendly food choices coming soon.
Posted by christine at 6:35 PM | TrackBack
Green Tip of the Month at Longwood
For over a year, the Longwood Green Campus Initiative has posted a "Green Tip" poster and email each month as a simple reminder of the many things each of us can do to reduce our environmental impacts.
The Green Tips are a great way for people to get involved in the greening the campus at Harvard by posting the flyer in your office or lab, bringing up the green tip each month at your staff meeting, or using the tip as an inspiration for staring a green team in an office or department.
Would you like to receive the green tip email each month? Contact Jaclyn Emig jaclyn_emig@harvard.edu to get on the email list. The HGCI’s project leaders for this initiative are Jaclyn Emig and Dara Olmsted.
A few examples of recent Green Tips include:
• Take the Stairs for your health and the environment
• Eat Local: Good for you, good for the environment, good for Massachusetts
• Bring a mug
Posted by christine at 6:29 PM | TrackBack
Green Campus Loan Funds for New Construction
The Green Campus Loan Fund (GCLF), a $12 million revolving loan fund managed by the HGCI, known for its success as a provider of capital for high performance campus design, operations, maintenance and occupant behavior projects is launching a new fund for New Construction projects in FY08. The mission of both the old and new Green Campus Loan Fund is to facilitate organizational decision-making that seriously considers the environmental sustainability of campus life by funding innovative infrastructure and behavioral education projects aimed at reducing Harvard’s environmental impacts. The GCLF for New Construction covers the cost difference between a project in compliance with ASHRAE standard 90.1 2004 (Energy Standard for Buildings) and the environmentally preferable project. To qualify for the new loan, the project must have an internal rate of return (IRR) of 9% or greater (equal to a payback of about 10 years, adjusted for energy rate increases).
The current GCLF, which will remain in operation, is specifically designed for existing buildings, funds the full capital cost and is available to projects with payback periods of less than 5 years. Projects can be bundled together to allow for shorter payback projects to offset longer payback projects.
A special category of loans has also been established for onsite renewable energy installations in either existing or new constructions projects. Loans are provided regardless of the actual payback as long as the loan is fully repaid within 5 years. On Tuesday, April 3, 2007 the Green Campus Loan Fund Advisory Group approved the first Ground Source Heat Pump application under our renewable energy loans for the Byerly Hall Renovation at Radcliffe Institute.
To assist the HGCI in covering the mounting costs associated with managing this $12 million fund, an annual administrative fee will be introduced in FY08. As of March 2007, GCLF projects are projected to save the University $3,912,099 per year with an average project ROI of 35%. Along with the fund’s financial achievements, GCLF projects have also created significant environmental impact reductions for the University, including the following reductions:
GHG: 27,414 metric tons of eCO2
Water: 15,269,877 gallons
Waste: 200,000 lbs
The HGCI team leaders for the GCLF are Leith Sharp, Michael Crowley and Christine Benoit.
Posted by christine at 6:28 PM | TrackBack
Harvard wins AF&PA SCHOOL RECYCLING AWARD!
The American Forest & Paper Association presented Rob Gogan, Harvard Waste and Recycling Manager, with its annual award for the best Campus Recycling program in the nation. Rob accepted this award on behalf of the enormous number of people he says makes it all work at Harvard.
The AF&PA is committed to boosting the U.S. recovery rate for all paper to 55% by 2012, and wants to capture all the recyclable fiber possible. With strong demand both domestically and overseas, and an interest in conserving forests, the paper industry wants maximum recycling at all institutions and businesses. Harvard is honored to win this prize! Thanks Rob and thanks to all of you who made this possible.
Photo Credit; www.paperrecycles.org