Building Managers

In October 2009, the Harvard Office for Sustainability’s Green Building Services (GBS) team completed an 8 hour Direct Digital Controls (DDC) training delivered by Harvard Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO). Digital controls and a Building Automation System (BAS) allow operators to control their buildings in an efficient manner.

The changes may not be immediately evident, but little by little, Harvard College Library has been "going green" for years, even before the University's newest commitment to sustainable practices.

Visitors to the Harvard Faculty Club have high expectations for the amenities they will find there, including lighting. Meals should be accompanied by soft illumination. Function rooms should be amply lit for reading the program or a new acquaintance’s business card. Guest rooms should provide quality lighting for activities from reading to rouging.

Harvard University announced November 2nd that more than 10 percent of the electricity consumed on its Cambridge and Allston campuses soon will be supplied from a wind farm in northern Maine. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this agreement will make Harvard the largest purchaser of wind power by a university or college in New England.

On a dreary March afternoon, Roy Lauridsen, Harvard Divinity School’s Facilities Manager, stopped me outside of his office. A group of students, he told me, had gotten the idea of putting in a garden somewhere on the grounds of Harvard Divinity School–but most had never done any gardening. Would I be willing to help? I accepted without hesitation.

The DePace Lab in the Systems Biology Department at Harvard Medical School recently achieved LEED (“Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design”) Gold certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. This makes the DePace Lab the first LEED certified wet lab at Harvard!

Harvard Real Estate Services, in conjunction with Harvard Parking Services, has placed two 10 kW wind turbines atop the Soldiers Field Park Garage. After almost two years in planning stages, the structures were at last erected and set spinning on a bright day in September, 2009.

The Center for Health & the Global Environment (CHGE) at Harvard Medical School has been active in greening its office practices through the Harvard Office for Sustainability’s Green Office Certification Program.

The University banded together during the August heat wave to significantly reduce energy consumption.

The Inn at Harvard has officially been approved as an ENERGY STAR building and is listed on the ENERGY STAR website. The ENERGY STAR label is a nationally recognized standard of excellence in energy performance. It signifies that a building is doing its part to fight global warming by using less energy than its peers.