We’re building on our past progress in reducing emissions with goals to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 and fossil fuel-neutral by 2026.
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Get involvedYou 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
Connect with OFS
- Join our email list
- Follow us on Instagram
- Connect with us on Twitter
- Check out our Facebook Page
Resource Efficiency Program
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.
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 Harvard on sustainability projects, connect and network with sustainability leaders, and provide feedback and recommendations on Harvard's climate, health, and sustainability initiatives.
Harvard Business School Student Sustainability Associate
The Harvard Business School (HBS) Student Sustainability Associate (SSA) Program, founded in 2006, is the school’s peer-to-peer education program that promotes sustainable living and working on campus. SSAs (one per RC section) are hired each year to connect with their peers and engage them in conserving energy and water, reducing waste and promoting health and well-being through activities and information sharing.
Harvard Graduate School of Education Sustainability Fellow
Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Sustainability Fellows work alongside the HGSE Sustainability Manager to develop individual projects that will push the School to become even more sustainable. Past projects have included highlighting global migration spurred on by climate change, raising awareness about how disability and planetary health are intertwined, waste diversion on campus, planning for a food pantry for food insecure students, and a (virtual) bike week.
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.
Climate Leaders Program for Professional Students at Harvard
The Climate Leaders Program for Professional Students at Harvard is a student-led, faculty-advised program for Masters and professional students across all Harvard graduate schools, developed in partnership with the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE).
This program provides students with a hands-on opportunity to engage with others across Harvard who share a professional interest in climate-related work, to mentor one another in their development as practitioners, and to develop professional skills and relationships that support their future careers.
Harvard Climate Circle
Building a climate venture? Harvard connected? Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle is a selective incubation program for climate ventures with emerging traction.
Harvard Creating Climate Ventures
Want to create a climate venture? Join the Creating Climate Ventures class at the Harvard i-lab.
For people who want to found a climate start up to tackle climate change, but do not yet have an idea or whose idea is nascent. Class is held virtually and is open to Harvard students, alums, faculty and staff.
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Apply for project and research fundingClick 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.
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Learn itThe Office for Sustainability is committed to supporting collaboration and learning both on and off campus. Click the drop down menu for sustainability resources! |
Learn It
Office for Sustainability
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Attend an event on climate change, sustainability, and the environment.
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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.
Office of the Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability
The Office of the Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability (VPCS) functions across the University to accelerate and coordinate research and education on climate change, the environment, and sustainability.
James H. Stock, a Harvard professor and economist known for his expertise on energy and environmental policy, has been named the University’s inaugural vice provost for climate and sustainability.
Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability
The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard is a groundbreaking new entity that will advance and catalyze research programs across all of Harvard’s Schools, turn climate research into real-world climate solutions, and enable comprehensive cross-University education in climate and the environment.
Building on work developed over decades at Harvard, the Salata Institute will launch in fall 2022 and be led by Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability Jim Stock with a mission to develop and promote durable, effective, and equitable solutions to the climate-change challenges confronting humanity. The Institute was made possible by a $200 million gift in June 2022 from Melanie and Jean Eric Salata.
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
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Live ItBe 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.
- 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.
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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 14 Blue Bikes stations (and offers a discount).
- The Harvard Shuttle is a free and easy way to get across campus. To track in real time, download the Passio Go app or use shuttle.harvard.edu.
Reuse, compost, and recycle
- Check out our neat, student-created, reuse guide!
- Donate and acquire free items at Harvard Recycling and Surplus Center.
- Participate in a FixIt Clinic or FreeCycle (keep a look out for event dates posted on our website).
- 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.
Students and faculty are using our campus as a test bed to generate solutions that enhance the health of people and planet.
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