Sustainability
Harvard Dining Expands Waste Reduction Efforts, Earns Third Straight ‘Greenest University’ Honor
Harvard University Dining Services has expanded efforts to cut food and water waste across its dining halls, changes that helped Harvard earn a top sustainability designation for the third consecutive year.
HMC Subsidiary Sells Controversial California Vineyard Property
A Harvard Management Company subsidiary has sold its central California vineyard property after years of backlash and legal challenges over its water use, according to Santa Barbara County records.
Harvard Researchers Turn City Trash into Sustainable Jet Fuel
Everyday trash, food waste, and even discarded metal and rubber scraps can be used as a source of sustainable aviation fuel, Harvard researchers concluded in a new study published last month in the journal Nature Sustainability.
Climate Change Is Making Cambridge’s Winters ‘Weird,’ Local Sustainability Experts Say
Climate change is leading to warmer winters in Cambridge — meaning more snowfall, more flooding, and more headaches for residents, according to two local sustainability experts who spoke at the Cambridge Public Library on Tuesday.
Cambridge Officials Say Lead Contamination Could Close Gold Star Mothers Park Through Spring 2027
Gold Star Mothers Park could remain closed until 2027 or beyond after routine testing revealed lead and other soil contaminants that could pose a significant risk to the health of children playing at the park, Cambridge officials said on Thursday.
Harvard Still On Track To Reach Fossil Fuel-Neutral Status by 2026, Sustainability Report Finds
Harvard’s 2024 sustainability report found that campus net greenhouse gas emissions continued to flatline for the ninth straight year — keeping the University on track to reach its goal of being “fossil fuel-neutral” by 2026.
HUDS Rolls Out New Artificial Intelligence System to Combat Food Waste
Harvard has a food waste problem. University administrators think that artificial intelligence can help.
MethaneSAT Went Dark in June. What’s Next for the Harvard Scientists Behind It?
In March 2024, a state-of-the-art methane-detecting satellite — the product of nearly a decade of work in Harvard labs — soared into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But a year later, MethaneSAT lost power in space, and its stream of data on emissions of the potent greenhouse gas went dark.
Massachusetts Governor Healey Spotlights Climate Workforce Development at Harvard Symposium
Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 touted her administration’s climate initiatives for workforce development at a Friday event for the Salata Institute’s annual Harvard Climate Action Week.
Women Founders Discuss the Future of Climate and Sustainability at Earth Day Panel
Female leaders in climate and sustainability discussed their initiatives at a Harvard College Women’s Center event in honor of Earth Day on Wednesday.
Harvard Students Recycle and Swap Items at Annual Earth Day Event
Harvard students celebrated Earth Day at the Office for Sustainability’s annual celebration on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.
Harvard Salata Institute Announces 8 New Seed Grants for Climate Research
The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability has awarded grants to eight new climate research projects working on “understudied and emerging topics in climate and sustainability,” the Institute announced on Tuesday.
Cambridge Earth Day Celebration Offers Sustainability Resources and a Pile of Free Compost
At the City of Cambridge’s annual Earth Day celebration on Saturday, city officials offered residents information on local sustainability programs — and free compost to haul away by the bucketful from a heap in front of the Cambridge Public Library.
Climate Accountability Group Calls On Harvard To Cut Ties with Lobbying Firm Connected To Tesla
Climate accountability company F Minus is set to release a report connecting Harvard to Tesla through a shared lobbying firm, Tremont Strategies, and is urging the University to cut ties with the lobbyists.
Harvard Salata Institute Announces Grants to Two New Climate Research Clusters
The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability has awarded grants to two new interdisciplinary research clusters targeting carbon pollution from vehicles and buildings, the Institute announced on Tuesday.
HLS Environmental Experts Criticize Trump’s ‘Illegal’ Environmental Protection Agency Rollbacks
Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program Executive Director Carrie Jenks and HLS Professor Richard Lazarus discussed the “chaos” of President Trump’s recent Environmental Protection Agency rollbacks at a Salata Institute forum on Tuesday.
Utilities May Charge Public to Offer Discounts for Big Tech, HLS Report Finds
Members of the public pay a portion of energy bills for the world’s largest tech players as electric utility companies aim to subsidize the rapid growth of data centers from corporations including Meta and Amazon. The findings were reported by the Harvard Law School’s Electricity Law Initiative last month.
Harvard Affiliates Anticipate Uncertain Landscape for Climate Research Funding
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted environmental regulation — withdrawing from the Paris Accords, cutting staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, and even issuing an executive order banning paper straws at federal agencies. In late February, the administration cut funding to any research that mentions the word “climate.”
Janet Yellen Joins the Salata Institute’s Inaugural Advisory Board
Former Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen will join the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability as a member of a newly formed external advisory board, the organization announced last week.
Local Black-Owned Soapmaking Business Wins State-Wide Sustainability Award
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts recently recognized a Cambridge Black-owned business as one of the most environmentally conscious small businesses in the state.
Harvard Will Purchase Power from Two Renewable Energy Projects Through Climate Consortium
Harvard announced Wednesday that it will help finance two utility-scale renewable energy projects through the Consortium for Climate Solutions, an agreement with institutions including MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Harvard Updates Standards, Increases Funding for Sustainable Infrastructure
Harvard University announced its 2024 Sustainable Building Standards and the tripling of the University’s Green Revolving Fund from 12 million to 37 million this month.
Harvard Hires 8 New Climate Faculty Across FAS, Graduate Schools
Harvard hired eight new climate faculty members in 2024 as the Salata Institute continues to expand climate research and hiring, the University announced earlier this month.
Harvard Kennedy School ‘Greenplexity’ Tool Debuts at COP29
Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab debuted an interactive online tool — dubbed “Greenplexity” — to help countries identify opportunities for green growth at the United Nations’ COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday.
First ‘Freecycle’ Event of the Semester Held in Smith Center
The Harvard Office for Sustainability hosted its first Freecycle event of the semester at the Smith Campus Center on Tuesday.
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