A Snapshot of Environmental Sustainability at Harvard

The University reports progress on a variety of fronts.

Courtesy of the Office for Sustainability

In celebration of Earth Day, on April 22, Harvard has released its annual sustainability report for 2016. Although the most notable achievement—a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2006—was described earlier in this magazine, the full report details progress on other fronts, such as human health, ecosystem management, and campus operations. Did you know that there has been a 24 percent reduction in campus water use since the 2006 fiscal year? That 60 percent of campus landscaped areas are managed organically? Or that 86 percent of Harvard commuters use sustainable transportation? A one-page graphic (above) summarizes these and other milestones. The full online report appears here.

 

 

Read more articles by Jonathan Shaw
Related topics

You might also like

The University will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

Most popular

Social Media Use and Adult Depression

A survey reveals suprising links between social media use and depression in adults.

The Franklin Stove—A Historical Climate Change Adaptation

Historian Joyce E. Chaplin reinterprets an early era of invention, industrialization, and climate challenge

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

Explore More From Current Issue

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

Colorful cartoon animals, including dogs, cows, rabbits, and a fence, on a pink background.

Inseparable cows, big dogs fostering a tiny kitten, and a show beagle’s second act

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.