Take Action

All students, faculty, and staff interested in making our campus healthier and more sustainable are welcome to join the HGSE Green Team!  Here are a few ways to get involved:

• Attend the quarterly HGSE Green Team meetings, which are held four times throughout the year (in September, November, February, and April).  At each meeting, we take time connecting with each other, sharing our current sustainability projects, and brainstorming new ideas and collaborations.  For dates and to RSVP, please read the monthly HGSE Sustainability News or visit sustainable.harvard.edu/hgse.
• Subscribe to the Green Team listserv for weekly updates.
• Join the HGSE Green Team Microsoft Team to learn, share your ideas and projects, and connect with others.

Conserve resources:

• Carry and use a reusable mug or bottle to avoid single-use disposable cups and bottles.
• Reuse, recycle and compost to reduce the amount of waste incinerated or sent to landfills.
• Responsibly dispose of used batteries, printer cartridges and university electronics by dropping them off at the e-waste collection point at the 3^rd floor computer lab in Gutman.
• Walk, bike or opt for public transit, and take the stairs instead of an elevator, if you can.
• Power down your office while working remotely, at night, on weekends, and over holiday breaks.
• Report drips and window leaks

Make your events sustainable and aspire to zero waste:

• Showcase plant-based proteins with vibrant flavors.
• Choose reusable items.
• Encourage guests to empty drinks before disposing of them, recycle, and compost, pointing out at the start of your event where the bins are in the room and what they should put in them (recycle papers and containers, compost leftovers, and the biodegradable utensils, plates, cups, and napkins provided by HGSE Catering).
• Find more tips with the Harvard-wide Sustainable Meeting and Event Guide.

Our popular Freecycle events promoting reuse are on hold for now out of an abundance of caution around Covid but you can still choose to reuse at the Harvard Recycling and Surplus Center in Allston, currently open on Thursdays, 10 a.m. -2 p.m.:

1. Shop there for a previously loved item before buying new. There you will find clothes, school supplies, home goods, furniture and much more.
2. Donate items you no longer need instead of tossing them in the trash during their Thursday hours. If that isn’t convenient for you, consider donating to an organization close to home (check out Earth911 for suggestions). Some organizations will even allow you to schedule a pick up.

Staff and faculty, as you prepare to return to campus, make your department HGSE’s next certified Harvard Green Office by taking the following steps:

1. Register your office online at green.harvard.edu/greenoffice 
2. Download and review the application form
3. Collaborate with your colleagues to earn points for green actions

Green Offices

• Recycling poster
• Filtered water map
• Bike rack map
• Green Office Program
  • Interested in becoming an HGSE Green Office?  The Green Team has made it easier than ever with the HGSE Green Office “Starter Kit,” featuring a pre-selected workbook with Green Office criteria already in place campus wide, as well as tips and resources specific to the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
  • Feel free to contact the Green Team with any questions on the Green Office Program at HGSE.
• HGSE Freecycle Process

• Recycling in Gutman Café
• Composting in Gutman Café