Outdoors

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.

Harvard Yard, the organically managed centerpiece of the University, got a little greener with the installation of new recycling containers in the Yard. The receptacles were installed next to five new Big Belly solar-powered trash compactors.

Since 1907, the Harvard Forest’s mission has been to further research and education in the fields of ecology, forest biology, conservation, and climate change. The Forest’s interest in climate change has recently transcended the realm of science and research and has led to efforts to reduce the Forest’s own carbon footprint.

The Kennedy School green team is greening the Malkin Penthouse balcony with a community garden! See all the pictures...

On May 12, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new bike shelter near the Divinity School. Transportation Services Director John Nolan, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Environmental Services Tom Vautin, Manager of CommuterChoice Kris Locke and others gathered for the event. The shelter, on Francis Street, encourages bicycling by providing a covered area for up to 74 bikes.

The Working Forest, a new piece covering David Foster and the Harvard Forest, was recently published in The New York Times Magazine's Green Issue. Foster helped develop Wildlands and Woodlands, a new method for conserving forested land.

Harvard Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) is sharing in the promising results of the recent Harvard Yard Soils Restoration Project. This pilot effort, which started last spring, clearly demonstrated that plant health could be significantly improved even in a highly traveled urban landscape using only natural methods…no chemicals or synthetic fertilizers!

In August 2007, FAS installed an 10.8 kW building integrated photovoltaic system on the Science Center roof. The system's performance is available online.

In 2006, the Sepco single shoe box lighting system was installed in front of the Science Center. The photovoltaic panel produces 2kWh of electricity per day in summer, and approximately 0.6 kWh in winter to power an exterior light. It prevents 1,170 lbs of CO2 from being released each year.

In July 2007, the Harvard Forest installed a 10.2 kW, 60 panel photovoltaic array near their garage. The PV array supplies enough energy to run the garage and is tied to the rest of the campus for when it generates excess energy.