Harvard University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

The Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) is responsible for implementing Harvard’s campus-wide sustainability principles. It maintains a staff of 20 full-time professionals and 40 part-time student interns and offers an extensive website and a revolving $12 million Green Campus Loan Fund. The HGCI is responsible for more than 12 university committees and steering groups established to promote sustainability initiatives on campus and encourage student involvement.

Harvard was recognized by the EPA as one of the top Ivy League purchasers of renewable energy credits in the country, accounting for 7 percent of its energy use. Three behavioral change programs encourage students to reduce energy and water use and waste production. Harvard is establishing a university-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitment with specific targets.

Harvard dining services purchases from approximately seven local farms in addition to almost 60 local producers. Depending on the season, 35 to 70 percent of produce provided in the dining hall is grown locally. Dining services successfully established a farmers market on campus. Half of the dining halls compost postconsumer food waste.

Harvard has LEED-certified 7 projects, registered 21, and has 3 in the planning stages. Recently, a building was awarded the LEED Platinum designation. Harvard has also made a commitment to achieve LEED Gold certification for all buildings on the new Allston campus.

Harvard’s Commuter Choice program offers subsidized public transit passes at a 50 percent discount, preferred parking for carpools, and other incentives. As a result of this program and many other efforts, the university’s single-occupant vehicle trips have been reduced by 10 percent in the last six years.

The university publishes an annual financial report that includes information about Harvard’s endowment. Information about specific endowment holdings, however, is only available to the board and senior administrators. Detailed proxy voting records on issues of social responsibility are available to the public upon request.

In 1999 Harvard announced a $20 million investment in local community development loan funds and community development financial institutions focused on making low-interest loans to support affordable housing in Boston and Cambridge.

Harvard has two committees to assist the university in addressing its ethical responsibilities as a large institutional investor: the Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (CCSR) and the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR), which includes students. The CCSR publishes an annual report that provides details on the work of the two committees.