GSD Green Design Team contributes to 2008-2009 Harvard Climate Collaborative Annual Report
“Approach sustainability as an evolving and truly interdisciplinary effort.” “Encourage big ideas to tap existing student innovation, intellect, and ambition.” “Imagine culture- and behavior-changing programmatic shifts.”
These are just a few of the charges advocated in the newly released 2008-2009 Harvard Climate Collaborative Annual Report—a benchmark assessment to which the GSD’s Green Design Team contributed along with student leaders from every other school at Harvard. The report is the first independent, student-led analysis of the relative effectiveness of the University-wide, sustainability program since Harvard President Drew Faust issued the Greenhouse Gas Emissions initiative last February, calling for a 30 percent cut in 2006 baseline emissions by 2016.
In identifying positive student contributions to the greenhouse gas reduction effort, and providing criticism of the program's first steps, student leaders hope the report will improve student participation and shape the administration's strategies.
“The report is also intended as a resource for university administrators and faculty who are working towards emissions reductions at other colleges and universities,” says David Lewis, MUP candidate and the GSD’s HCC representative along with Green Design co-chair Shannon Simms, MLA candidate. “The report will also be useful for those in the community at large who can cull lessons from our collective process of working towards emissions reductions at Harvard,” he said.
Aron Chang, MArch candidate and past Green Design co-chair, led the Harvard Climate Collaborative and was a lead author of the report.
Harvard Climate Collaborative Annual Report >>
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Building Design & Construction, May 8, 2009 >>