Accelerating a zero-waste future
Zero Waste
A zero-waste future requires a systemic approach. At Harvard, we aim to sustainably manage all waste streams—including plastics, electronics, recyclables, and organics, as well as construction, demolition, and hazardous waste—while prioritizing waste prevention and reduction.
Framework for Waste Stewardship
Zero Waste Future
In 2025, Harvard launched “Accelerating a Zero Waste Future: A Framework for Waste Stewardship,” a new plan to transition our campuses to zero waste. Developed by the Waste Stewardship Steering Committee in collaboration with University leaders, the framework prioritizes waste prevention, reduction, reuse, and responsible recovery, and aligns with Harvard’s Sustainability Action Plan.
Explore upcoming Zero Waste events:
Calendar of Events
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2 events,
Harvard Voices on Climate Change: The Endangerment Finding and the DOE Climate Science Report
Harvard Voices on Climate Change: The Endangerment Finding and the DOE Climate Science Report
The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability and the Harvard Alumni Association invite you to the next installment of Harvard Voices on Climate Change, a virtual series showcasing Harvard faculty and fellows on different dimensions of the climate challenge.
This session will spotlight two cornerstones of U.S. climate policy: the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, which underpins federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases, and the Department of Energy’s Climate Science Report, which provides essential assessments of climate risks and impacts. Harvard faculty experts will examine the legal, scientific, and economic foundations of these measures and their current implications for climate action and regulation.
Speakers
–Jody Freeman, Archibald Cox Professor of Law; Director, Environmental and Energy Law Program, Harvard Law School
–Peter Huybers, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering
–James Hammitt, Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences, Center for Risk Analysis, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Climate Connection Event: The Salata Institute Climate Collaboration Grant Session 1
Climate Connection Event: The Salata Institute Climate Collaboration Grant Session 1
Student groups interested in applying to the Salata Institute’s Climate Collaboration Grant Program should have members attend one or both of the Climate Connection Events that will be hosted as part of the program. Student leaders will have the opportunity to present speed pitches about their organization, with the purpose of sparking connection and inspiring collaboration with others in the room. The presentations will be followed by a networking hour. Dinner will be provided.
2 events,
Harvard Farmers’ Market
Harvard Farmers’ Market
FARMERS’ MARKET AT HARVARD
Join us at the market every Tuesday through October 28th, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and help support the vital local farmers and food artisans who ensure we have fresh, healthy food!
The market accepts SNAP with a weekly maximum SNAP Match of $15.
June 17, 2025 – October 28, 2025. Every Tuesday. 11:30am – 5:30pm at Harvard’s Science Center Plaza (1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
Carr-Ryan Conversations: Climate Change on Trial
Carr-Ryan Conversations: Climate Change on Trial
Please join us for lunch to converse with Carr-Ryan Center Director Mathias Risse alongside César Rodríguez-Garavito about his new book: Climate Change on Trial: Mobilizing Human Rights Litigation to Accelerate Climate Action.
César Rodríguez-Garavito is Professor of Law and Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law. He is the founding director of the Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA) Clinic and the More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program. Professor Rodríguez-Garavito is an Earth rights and human rights scholar and a field lawyer whose work focuses on international environmental law, Indigenous peoples’ rights and more-than-human rights. His contributions to Earth rights have been recognized with a More-Than-Human Fellowship by the London Design Museum and a spot in the UN Museum’s Top 10 Culture for Impact 2024 List. He is the author, most recently, of Climate Change on Trial: Mobilizing Human Rights Litigation to Accelerate Climate Action (Cambridge Univ. Press).
3 events,
Freecyle at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Freecyle at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Stop by the Rosenau Atrium (next to Sebastian’s Café) for a Freecycle event! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Popular items include books, clothes, and small household goods. Open to Harvard-ID holders only, and no donation is necessary to shop.
Freecyle at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Freecyle at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Stop by the Rosenau Atrium (next to Sebastian’s Café) for a Freecycle event! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods. Open to Harvard-ID holders only, and no donation is necessary to shop.
Fixit Clinic
Fixit Clinic
Have you been holding onto a broken item in the hopes of repairing it? (Or perhaps found a nearly-working item at a Freecycle?) If so, come to our Fixit Clinic on Thursday, February 13th at the Cabot Science Library, between 12pm and 3pm. With help, you’ll disassemble your item, troubleshoot the issue, and (hopefully) repair it! Register your broken item ahead of time here.
Don’t have anything to fix but have some fixing expertise to share? Sign up to be a coach here!
Hosted by Harvard Libraries and Harvard Recycling & Waste. Contact dailey_brannin@harvard.edu with questions.
1 event,
Bullard Lecture: Managing Pollution of Urban Waters: Sources and Solutions
Bullard Lecture: Managing Pollution of Urban Waters: Sources and Solutions
We are excited to announce that our 2025 lecturer will be Sarah Hobbie, Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
This annual distinguished lecture series focuses on forests and climate change, and is named after the gift that has, since 1962, brought scholars working on forests to Harvard. The goal of the Bullard Lectures is to celebrate and amplify ecologists who have significantly advanced our understanding of the terrestrial biosphere while also serving society through application of their science and mentoring.
The Lectures are supported by the Charles Bullard endowment and are closely associated with Harvard’s long-running Bullard Fellowship, a distinguished scholar-in-residence program for forest research. Hosted in partnership with the Harvard University Center for the Environment at the Salata Institute.
1 event,
Bullard Lecture: Managing Pollution of Urban Waters: Sources and Solutions
Bullard Lecture: Managing Pollution of Urban Waters: Sources and Solutions
We are excited to announce that our 2025 lecturer will be Sarah Hobbie, Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
This annual distinguished lecture series focuses on forests and climate change, and is named after the gift that has, since 1962, brought scholars working on forests to Harvard. The goal of the Bullard Lectures is to celebrate and amplify ecologists who have significantly advanced our understanding of the terrestrial biosphere while also serving society through application of their science and mentoring.
The Lectures are supported by the Charles Bullard endowment and are closely associated with Harvard’s long-running Bullard Fellowship, a distinguished scholar-in-residence program for forest research. Hosted in partnership with the Harvard University Center for the Environment at the Salata Institute.
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3 events,
Talk Trash
Talk Trash
Come say hi! Throughout October, Harvard’s waste experts will be popping up at different campus spots to talk trash with you. Learn about what should go in each bin and how to handle your unique items like batteries and e-waste. Hear more about what the university is doing to reduce waste, and how you can be part of the solution!
The Uncomfortable Truths of Public EV Charging
The Uncomfortable Truths of Public EV Charging
In this Energy Policy Seminar, Elaine Buckberg, Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability and the former Chief Economist of General Motors, will give a talk entitled “The Uncomfortable Truths of Public EV Charging.” Buckberg will explore the realities of charging electric vehicles in public, from empirical work on highway charging data, to how much time it takes to charge in cities without a home charger.
RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome to attend via Zoom.
Climate change: Seeking bipartisan solutions during turbulent times
Climate change: Seeking bipartisan solutions during turbulent times
Climate change poses an enormous threat to people worldwide. How can we most effectively address it? This program brings together Gina McCarthy, who led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama, and former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis for a dynamic conversation. They will discuss the merits of regulatory and free market solutions and explore opportunities to work across political divides. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to discover hopeful, pragmatic approaches to today’s most pressing environmental issues.
1 event,
Harvard Farmers’ Market
Harvard Farmers’ Market
FARMERS’ MARKET AT HARVARD
Join us at the market every Tuesday through October 28th, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and help support the vital local farmers and food artisans who ensure we have fresh, healthy food!
The market accepts SNAP with a weekly maximum SNAP Match of $15.
June 17, 2025 – October 28, 2025. Every Tuesday. 11:30am – 5:30pm at Harvard’s Science Center Plaza (1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
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1 event,
Protecting America’s Public Lands
Protecting America’s Public Lands
Join Patagonia Cambridge for an event focused on recent and ongoing threats to public lands and how to defend against them, led by the Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard University.
One third of the United States is publicly owned. This figure includes National Forests and Parks and arid lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. These lands are under multiple threats and so are the lifeways of Native peoples who have lived on these lands for time immemorial. Learn about some of these threats and issues from Harvard Law students working with the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic.
The student volunteers will be presenting on a variety of public land law topics, including the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and subsistence fishing in Alaska.
All are welcome! Come mingle, have food and drink, and learn about public lands issues!
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Apply by Monday, Oct. 13: Student Sustainability Grants
The Student Grant program funds creative projects that contribute to Harvard’s commitment to climate and health and help create a more sustainable community. Applications are due Monday, October 13, 2025.
3 events,
Harvard Farmers’ Market
Harvard Farmers’ Market
FARMERS’ MARKET AT HARVARD
Join us at the market every Tuesday through October 28th, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and help support the vital local farmers and food artisans who ensure we have fresh, healthy food!
The market accepts SNAP with a weekly maximum SNAP Match of $15.
June 17, 2025 – October 28, 2025. Every Tuesday. 11:30am – 5:30pm at Harvard’s Science Center Plaza (1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
Recycling Webinar + AMA
Recycling Webinar + AMA
Confused by what goes in which bin? Join Harvard staff from Recycling & Waste and Environmental Health & Safety for a fun webinar on October 14 at 2:30 pm, where we’ll cover the dos and don’ts of recycling and composting, new waste programs on campus, and why your pizza box is recyclable after all. Stick around for an Ask Me Anything session where we’ll answer your waste-related questions live!
Climate Connection Event: The Salata Institute Climate Collaboration Grant Session 2
Climate Connection Event: The Salata Institute Climate Collaboration Grant Session 2
Student groups interested in applying to the Salata Institute’s Climate Collaboration Grant Program should have members attend one or both of the Climate Connection Events that will be hosted as part of the program. Student leaders will have the opportunity to present speed pitches about their organization, with the purpose of sparking connection and inspiring collaboration with others in the room. The presentations will be followed by a networking hour. Dinner will be provided.
3 events,
Freecycle at Smith Campus Center (SCC)
Freecycle at Smith Campus Center (SCC)
Stop by the Smith Campus Center for an October Freecycle! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods.
Everyone is welcome, and no donation is necessary to shop.
October 2025 Freecycle at Smith Campus Center (SCC)
October 2025 Freecycle at Smith Campus Center (SCC)
Stop by the Smith Campus Center for an October Freecycle! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods.
Everyone is welcome, and no donation is necessary to shop.
Climate Crossroads: Debating Energy’s Next Frontier with Patrick Pouyanné
Climate Crossroads: Debating Energy’s Next Frontier with Patrick Pouyanné
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, joins Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim for a discussion about the future of energy. At a pivotal moment in the global energy transition, Pouyanné will reflect on TotalEnergies’ transformation into a multi energy company, the complex trade-offs between decarbonization, energy affordability, energy security, and investor expectations, and the company’s views on the complex and evolving role of climate and energy policy. The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A.
The Salata Institute’s speaker series, Climate Crossroads: Debating Energy’s Next Frontier, brings leading voices to Harvard University to confront the intertwined challenges of climate change and the global energy transition. The Institute is guided by the conviction that durable progress is forged through rigorous, intellectually honest dialogue. By openly presenting competing ideas—including those that provoke vigorous disagreement—the Institute intends to cultivate deeper understanding, illuminate pragmatic pathways, and inspire collaboration.
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4 events,
Talk Trash
Talk Trash
Come say hi! Throughout October, Harvard’s waste experts will be popping up at different campus spots to talk trash with you. Learn about what should go in each bin and how to handle your unique items like batteries and e-waste. Hear more about what the university is doing to reduce waste, and how you can be part of the solution!
Exxon Mobil’s Approach to the Energy Transition
Exxon Mobil’s Approach to the Energy Transition
In this Energy Policy Seminar, Vijay Swarup, Senior Director of Climate Strategy and Technology at Exxon Mobil, will give a talk entitled, “Our Approach to the Energy Transition.” His talk will examine energy’s critical role in advancing global progress. It will highlight how affordable, reliable energy continues to enhance quality of life and explore how accelerating policy and technology adoption can enable a successful transition to lower-emission energy solutions. Through cross-sector collaboration, we can meet rising energy needs while advancing shared climate goals.
Energy Seminar at Harvard: Anil Achyuta, Partner, Energy Impact Partners
Energy Seminar at Harvard: Anil Achyuta, Partner, Energy Impact Partners
The Energy Seminar at Harvard hosts weekly seminars with leading voices in climate and energy, offering a unique opportunity to engage with the founders, investors, executives, and policymakers driving decarbonization.
Join on 10/20 for a seminar with Anil Achyuta, partner at Energy Impact Partners, for a presentation titled “Peace time and war time VC.” Anil Achyuta is a Partner at Energy Impact Partners’ Frontier Strategy, where he spearheads global investments in early-stage climate tech startups. He oversees fund strategy, portfolio development, and high-impact investments that align financial returns with climate innovation. Previously, Anil was one of the founding members and Managing Director at TDK Ventures, a global frontier tech corporate venture capital fund. While at TDK, Anil spearheaded numerous investments and exits, and served as an Observer on seven Boards.
1 event,
Harvard Farmers’ Market
Harvard Farmers’ Market
FARMERS’ MARKET AT HARVARD
Join us at the market every Tuesday through October 28th, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and help support the vital local farmers and food artisans who ensure we have fresh, healthy food!
The market accepts SNAP with a weekly maximum SNAP Match of $15.
June 17, 2025 – October 28, 2025. Every Tuesday. 11:30am – 5:30pm at Harvard’s Science Center Plaza (1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
1 event,
International Law & Climate Interventions – Is There a There There?
International Law & Climate Interventions – Is There a There There?
What does international law say, if anything, about climate intervention research and deployment? What might it say? What should it say? Join us for a lunch seminar titled “International Law and Climate Interventions — Is There a There There?” featuring Daniel Bodansky, Regents’ Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Daniel Bodansky is the author of The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law (Harvard University Press, 2010; 2nd edition co-authored with Harro Van Asselt, OUP, 2014), which received the 2011 Sprout Award from the International Studies Association as the best book that year on international environmental politics. He also co-authored International Climate Change Law (with Lavanya Rajamani and Jutta Brunnee) (OUP 2017), which received the 2018 Certificate of Merit from the American Society of International Law as the best book that year in a specialized area of international law. Prior to joining the ASU faculty in 2010, he taught at the University of Washington Law School from 1989-1999, served as Climate Change Coordinator at the U.S. State Department from 1999-2001, and held the Woodruff Chair of International Law at the University of Georgia from 2002-2010. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, served on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law from 2001-2011, and is a graduate of Harvard (A.B.), Cambridge (M.Phil.) and Yale (J.D.).
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Science Spotlights: Where Did All the Animals Come From?
Science Spotlights: Where Did All the Animals Come From?
The world today is filled with millions of animal species of every size, shape, and color, but where did they all come from? You might be surprised to learn that our animal-filled planet is a relatively recent development in Earth’s long history! Join paleontologist Walker Wayland as he uncovers how fossils reveal the story of ancient ecosystems that existed long before the dinosaurs and discover how these prehistoric worlds help scientists understand the origins of animal diversity on Earth today!
Presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.
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4 events,
Freecycle at HGSE Gutman Cafe
Freecycle at HGSE Gutman Cafe
Stop by the Gutman Cafe for a Freecycle event! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Popular items include books, clothes, and small household goods. Open to Harvard-ID holders only, and no donation is necessary to shop.
Freecycle at HGSE Gutman Cafe
Freecycle at HGSE Gutman Cafe
Stop by the Gutman Cafe for a Freecycle event! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods. Open to Harvard-ID holders only, and no donation is necessary to shop.
Talk Trash
Talk Trash
Come say hi! Throughout October, Harvard’s waste experts will be popping up at different campus spots to talk trash with you. Learn about what should go in each bin and how to handle your unique items like batteries and e-waste. Hear more about what the university is doing to reduce waste, and how you can be part of the solution!
1 event,
The Environment Forum with Michael Lobel | Van Gogh and the End of Nature
The Environment Forum with Michael Lobel | Van Gogh and the End of Nature
Vincent van Gogh has become indelibly identified with depictions of the natural world, from the variegated colorations of flowers, trees and other types of vegetation to the manifold forms of the terrain. Yet nature— both as concept and experience — was being profoundly reshaped in Van Gogh’s time, particularly through the intense and widespread impact of industrialization. This lecture reconsiders the imagery, historical circumstances, and artistic approach of one of modern art’s most iconic figures, as well as his art’s relevance to threats of climate change and environmental despoliation we face today.
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How is Harvard reducing waste?

Harvard is taking a systemic approach to waste prevention and reduction, aiming to ensure the materials that the University purchases and handles are used effectively and for as long as possible. Harvard is also strategically preventing waste throughout our value chain, while minimizing on-campus municipal solid waste (or trash) and sustainably managing other waste streams.
We are focused on piloting solutions on campus to reduce waste. The Waste Stewardship Committee is developing guidance and resources to help Schools and Business Units create their own zero-waste plans and goals.
Harvard will continue to measure and report data annually for Harvard’s major waste streams and aims to develop a strategic zero-waste plan by the end of 2024.

Harvard Recycling & Waste Management
The primary campus waste hauler office at Harvard manages all waste streams across Harvard’s Cambridge, Allston, and Longwood campuses. Explore their resources:
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Piloting Solutions
A Zero-Waste Future
New life for Harvard’s compost
Compostable materials collected on Harvard’s campus are used to produce energy.
How We Operate
Harvard is accelerating new systems that enable healthier, low-carbon living—creating systems that can be scaled and adopted more broadly.