Student Guide

Get involved You can make Harvard a healthier, more sustainable community. Help us advance solutions to evolving global health and environmental challenges. Click the drop down menu to find ways to get involved!

Get involved

• Join our email list
• Follow us on Instagram
• Connect with us on Twitter
• Check out our Facebook Page

The Resource Efficiency Program (REP) is an undergraduate peer-to-peer engagement program that focuses on sustainability and health and employs students to be thought leaders in their community. Interested students can apply to be a REP or email repcaptains@gmail.com for more information. 

Green Think

First-Year students can get involved with our sustainability think tank to make change on campus. More information coming soon!

Council of Student Sustainability Leaders

The Council of Student Sustainability Leaders (CSSL) provides an opportunity for Harvard graduate and undergraduate students to work together with students from across the University on sustainability projects, connect and network with sustainability leaders, and provide feedback and recommendations on Harvard's climate, health, and sustainability initiatives. This year CSSL will work on Harvard's second-generation Sustainability Plan and other emerging campus priorities such as social equity and environmental justice.

Harvard Business School Student Sustainability Associate

Are you a first-year MBA student? Do you want to work on projects to improve the sustainability of the Harvard Business School (HBS) campus? Are you interested in educating your peers on topics like environmental justice, energy reduction, and sustainable food? If so, apply today to be a Student Sustainability Associate. 

Graduate School of Education Sustainability Fellow

Pursue your own campus sustainability project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) as a Sustainability Fellow. The HGSE Sustainability Fellows Program is a new platform for current HGSE students to pursue their own actionable projects aimed at weaving sustainability further into the fabric of HGSE. Students may work independently or in teams to develop their projects and benefit from monthly coaching sessions with the HGSE Sustainability Coordinator, as well as feedback from the other fellows and the Green Team. This year, students are encouraged to envision projects that address the intersection between sustainability and the current challenges of, the impact of Covid-19 on education and childcare, the climate crisis, systemic racism and inequality, civic education.

Internships

Check our Jobs & Opportunities page to apply for internships with the Office for Sustainability. 

You can also check with your career services office for internship and job opportunities in energy, sustainability, and environment fields. 

Apply for project and research funding Click the drop down menu to learn more about how apply for project and research funding!

Apply for funding

Student Grants

Our Sustainability Student Grant Program funds creative projects that contribute to Harvard's commitment to climate and health, and which help create a more sustainable campus community.

This year, the Student Grant program will fund projects that take place both on- and off-campus. Support for Student Grant projects will be provided virtually.

The Office for Sustainability is hosting virtual Information Sessions on September 16 and September 30 from 2-2:30 pm for students to learn more. RSVP to william_fabian@harvard.edu for a Zoom link. The Student Grant Application deadline is October 23. Apply today.

Learn it The Office for Sustainability is committed to supporting collaboration and learning remotely in 2020-2021. Click the drop down menu for sustainability resources!

Learn It

Office for Sustainability

• Attend an event on climate change, sustainability, and the environment.

• Read up on Harvard’s progress and the roadmap we have used to get there, the Harvard Sustainability Plan, as well as where we are headed next with our climate action plan. 

Partners

Follow our peers at the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Business School (HBS), the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI), the Planetary Health Alliance, Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS), and the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. 

• Harvard Center for the Environment (HUCE) Course Guide
• Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE)
• HBS Business and Environment Initiative  
• HGHI Climate and Health program
• HUDS Food Literacy Project
• Harvard Votes Challenge

Live It Be part of an inclusive community that contributes to the intergenerational well-being of people and the planet. Click the drop down menu for tips and tricks to live sustainably on or off campus!

live it

Be well

• Prioritize your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
• Visit the Harvard Socialize Remotely Website to find remote events and ways to connect.
• Follow the Healthy Eating Plate and Plant Based Eating Guide.
• Take advantage of Harvard Recreation and Harvard Wellness Center, even from a distance.
• Get Outside by visiting the Arnold Arboretum or starting a walking meeting or group.
• Shop the Harvard Farmers Market.

Walk, bike, or opt for public transit

• Check our our complete guide to sustainable transportation at Harvard.
• Bicycle parking and storage is widely available across campus.
• Harvard sponsors 12 Blue Bikes stations (and offers a discount).
• The Harvard Shuttle is a free and easy way to get across campus. Download the App to track in real time. 

• Students ID cards come with a CharlieCard chip. You can add money to your ID card and travel by T.

Reuse, compost, and recycle

• Check out our neat, student-created, reuse guide!
• Donate and acquire free items at Harvard Waste and Recycling Surplus Distribution Center.
• Use a reusable mug or bottle and many local stores offer a discount (e.g. Flour Bakery, Peet’s Coffee, Starbucks Coffee, and Blue Bottle Coffee).
• Participate in a FixIt Clinic or FreeCycle (keep a look out for event dates posted on our website).
• Check out Facebook Groups like Harvard Free and For Sale.
• On move out days, look for pink donation bags around campus and donate things you are parting with instead of sending them to landfill.
• Many Schools and offices offer composting. Learn what can and can't go in your compost bin.
• Single stream recycling is deployed campus-wide. Everything that's recyclable can go in one bin. 

Reduce energy and electricity use

• Report drips and window leaks.
• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Take short showers.
• Turn off lights, power down, and unplug electronics when not in use and especially during break.