The Harvard Office for Sustainability (OFS) works as a catalyst for change by partnering with faculty, students and staff at all Schools and administrative units to foster a culture of sustainability and use the campus as a living laboratory for innovation. OFS oversees the implementation of Harvard’s sustainability goals and convenes the community to share best practices and develop new programs and policies that strive to serve as replicable models to inspire our students and future leaders, and seek to influence the higher education, government and business sectors.
The OFS team in partnership with all Campus Services groups works to expand the integration of sustainability into operational practices throughout Harvard. OFS was formally established in 2008, growing out of a faculty/staff initiative, which had been in place since 2001.
OFS works to leverage the collective knowledge of our partners across Harvard. Key areas of focus include:
Advocacy & Innovation
Provide expertise & foster a spirit of innovation and leadership.
Culture Change
Promote culture change by developing university-wide outreach and education campaigns, programs, and incentives.
Policy Implementation & Development
Convene University-wide stakeholders to implement existing goals as well as work together to develop new policies to institutionalize principles & goals.
Communications
Work with Communications leaders University-wide; manage internal and external communications about sustainability efforts and foster information sharing among stakeholders.
Faculty & Student Connection
Leverage faculty expertise & research along with student projects and input to inform our programs.
Accountability & Reporting
Create reporting frameworks to ensure accountability & transparency.
Best Practices
Identify lessons learned and facilitate best practice sharing & implementation University-wide.
Resources & Tools
Develop educational resources and tools in support of key sustainability goals.
Sustainability Expertise
Support the Schools/units in the development and implementation of sustainability plans and programs to achieve our sustainability goals.
