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Data & Progress

Harvard Office for Sustainability

Accelerating Action for a sustainable future

OUR COMMITMENTS 

A holistic approach to address climate, equity, and health 

Working to protect the climate and environment, advance a more equitable society, and promote the wellbeing of people at Harvard and beyond. 

View our Sustainability Action Plan

How We Power

Accelerating a fossil fuel-free Harvard and world.

How We Build

Harvard is accelerating sustainable building to enhance health, productivity, equity, and quality of life on…

How We Operate

Harvard is accelerating new systems that enable healthier, low-carbon living—creating systems that can be scaled…

How We Lead

Harvard is generating and leveraging innovative knowledge to advance solutions to the climate crisis and…

Our Goals

Fossil Fuel-Free by 2050, Fossil Fuel-Neutral by 2026

Learn more about Harvard’s Fossil Fuel-Free by 2050 Goal (Goal Zero).

Harvard’s Fossil Fuel Goals

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The Harvard Healthier Building Academy

The University is taking steps to eliminate harmful chemicals on campus

We are enhancing the health, productivity, and quality of life of our students, faculty, and staff by making smart, informed decisions about the design and maintenance of our built environment.

Explore the HHBA

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Facts and Figures

How we’re modeling sustainability

Purple solar icon

3MW

As of 2022, Harvard has installed 3 megawatts of solar panel capacity on campus, enough to power more than 250 homes.
Yellow illustration that looks like an outline of a power plant with a leaf coming out the top.

30%

Between 2006 and 2016, Harvard reduced greenhouse gas emissions 30% from 2006 levels, despite a 14% increase in the size of its campus during that time.
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218M gallons

As of 2021, Harvard's water use was down 35%—or 218 million gallons, equivalent to filling Harvard's Blodgett Pool 291 times.
Graphic illustration of a green building and leaf

144+

As of 2022, Harvard has 144 LEED-certified buildings on campus.
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16%

The shift toward plant-based foods as part of the Cool Food Pledge reduced greenhouse gas emissions per plate at Harvard by 16% between 2019 and 2021.
Icon of a person on a bike

436,279 miles

In 2022, more than 1,500 students and staff utilized the Harvard discounted membership of Bluebikes bikeshare, taking over 100,000 trips totaling 436,279 miles.

Harvard Living Lab 

Harvard is uniting students, faculty, and staff to unlock the campus’s potential as a test…

Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards

Harvard’s Sustainable Building Standards incorporate holistic requirements for significant emissions reductions, better indoor air quality,…

Connect with Sustainability at Harvard

Connect and get involved with sustainability groups and initiatives at Harvard.

Healthful and Sustainable Food

Harvard pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food by 25% by 2030.

Sustainable Transportation

Harvard is developing and investing in sustainable modes of transportation, ensuring that walking, cycling, and…

Sustainable Water Management

Harvard aims to reduce University-wide potable water use and pollution.

Waste

At Harvard, we aim to sustainably manage all waste streams—including plastics, recyclables, and organics, as…

Scope 3 Emissions

Working to reduce Harvard’s value chain emissions.

Data and Sustainability Progress

We are using data to uncover new insights and drive continual improvements in how we operate our campus.

Learn more

Screenshot of the Tableau dashboard with different colorful graphics representing data for the Office for Sustainability.

Sustainability at Harvard

Get Connected

Whether you are a student, staff member, alum, or simply interested in learning more about sustainability at Harvard, there are many opportunities to get involved and take action.

Connect with us

Students pose for a photo near the river holding trash removal tools during the 2022 Charles River Clean-Up event.

News

Latest Efforts

Featured

Harvard’s updated Sustainability Action Plan identifies priorities, strategies
Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: Amna Pervaiz
Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: Harshika Bisht
Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: Sneha Harsh
Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: Viviana Urra
Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: Q&A with Charles Hua ’23
News

How climate change may threaten soil’s ability to capture carbon

Community Engagement

Upcoming Events

June

08

Thursday
1:00 pm-2:00 pm GMT+0000

Community Event

More or Less in Common: Environment and Justice in the Human Landscape

Environmental Justice
Geography
Radcliffe Institute

Human geographer Garrett Dash Nelson will explore the uneven distributions of harm, responsibility, vulnerability, and power, in both historical and local perspectives.
June

12

Monday
5:00 pm-7:30 pm GMT+0000

Community Event

Climate Health Summer Welcome Reception

Health

At this event, you will have the opportunity to learn about the climate landscape at Harvard and find ways to plug in during your time in Boston.
June

21

Wednesday
3:00 pm-4:00 pm GMT+0000

Community Event

Predicting Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission in a Rapidly Changing World

Climate
climate change
epidemiology
Radcliffe Institute

Disease ecologist Courtney Murdock will focus on understanding the climate variables that influence mosquito-borne disease transmission. Deploying advanced models of climate-based disease spread, Murdock’s research seeks to predict transmission patterns in order to respond to the epidemiological effects of the climate crisis.
July

14

Friday
All-day

Community Event

Harvard Climate Forum

Climate
Conference

A day of action-focused learning, bringing Harvard’s multi-disciplinary climate impact expertise to our community. This one-day event will engage Harvard thought-leaders and learners in an interactive experience – inspiring action, collaboration, leadership, and change across all sectors and industries.