'Green Is the New Crimson'

Last Wednesday, former Vice President Al Gore ’69 stood before a packed Tercentenary Theater and proclaimed: “This is a unique moment in which we have to do something unprecedented in favor of the survival of human civilization.” If the faculty and staff who flanked Gore, the President who introduced him, and the thousands of students who gathered to listen were any indication of the future of Harvard’s sustainability work, then Gore could not be more right. The event, which electrified the Harvard student body with a fervor usually reserved for consulting info sessions, served as a testament to the will that exists on this campus to use this moment to combat the pressing environmental challenges that face the world, and offered a sharp rebuke to those who argue that ours is a generation defined by apathy.

At the celebration, students meandered through booths offering everything from samples of sustainable foods to tutorials on carbon trading. The interest in environmental causes was widespread and palpable.

For that matter, the celebration of sustainability that drew over 8,000 people to the Yard on a frigid October afternoon was only one part of a week-long program of sustainability-related speakers, forums, and activities. Throughout the course of the week, students were treated to a remarkably well-coordinated set of events that both informed on environmental issues and demonstrated the capable planning of environmentally oriented campus student groups like the Environmental Action Committee (EAC).

In particular, the actions of University President Drew Gilpin Faust were laudable, as she used the power of her presidential office to build enthusiasm for Wednesday’s celebration, and then lent the weight of her person to the proceedings, introducing Vice President Gore. It is encouraging to see Harvard’s central administration take the lead on this crucial issue, especially since it is one that requires an interdisciplinary approach that can only be achieved through coordinating the actions of the University’s many disparate parts.

Perhaps most importantly, Sustainability Week was about actions, not just words. The event marked the official unveiling of Harvard’s new Office for Sustainability (successor to the Harvard Green Campus Initiative), which will be charged with making good on Harvard’s promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2016. What will truly define the legacy of Sustainability Week will be this body’s actions, and we hope that it will use the goodwill generated by the recent events to catalyze further progress in Harvard’s environmental development.

Harvard must emerge as a leader in the global fight against climate change. Last week’s celebrations proved that there is a will. Hopefully, Harvard’s future behavior will prove that there is a way as well.