Film Screening: Who Killed the Electric Car

HBS Green Living invites you to a movie screening of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" on Monday, March 8 @ 8pm in Aldrich 107 on the Harvard Business School campus. (Campus Map)

About the movie: "Who Killed the Electric Car?" is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the early 1990s. The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the US government, the Californian government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology.

Harvard Energy Expo!

COME LEARN ABOUT FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES IN ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND CLEAN TECH!

Hear about new technologies or products and get advice from 30 different organizations working on cutting edge solutions. Talk to companies and organizations about research, internships and future job opportunities.
EVENT: Harvard Energy, Environmental and Clean Tech Expo
DATE: Friday March 5th
TIME: 1:30pm-4:00pm
LOCATION: Radcliffe Gym (near the old Crate and Barrel store on Brattle Street)
AUDIENCE: Open to all Harvard University Students
BRING: Copies of your resume to share

Areas include
• Innovation in the Commercial Sector
• Alternative Energy
• Lifecycle and Full-system Analysis
• Federal and State Policies and Programs
• Energy Efficiency, Green Construction
• Venture Capital and Start-up Companies

For a list of participating companies and organizations or for additional information please see the EnergyExpo website.
We look forward to seeing you at this inaugural educational event!

Office of Career Services
The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Co-sponsors: Harvard Center for the Environment, Office for Sustainability at Harvard, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Public Policy Department, Harvard College Council on Business and the Environment (student group), Harvard Energy & Environment Network (student group), Harvard Extension Environmental Club(student group)

Click here for more information.

Lighten Your Paper Load

The average American uses more than 748 pounds of paper per year.* And here at HBS, it is probably safe to assume we consume more paper than the average American. Use these simple instructions to lighten your paper load. Tips include printing multiple pages per sheet, scaling document to fit the page, and printing multiple PowerPoint slides per page while also printing pure black and white- to avoid printing dark backgrounds which not only waste ink but are hard to read. And don't forget to reuse paper before recycling it, simply feed used paper into your printer and print on the blank side or use the blank side for notes. First Reduce- then Reuse-and then recycle!

*source: http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf

Waste audit results are in: 23% of HBS trash is recyclable!

On a cold Tuesday afternoon this past November, while most HBS students were busy reading cases, working out in Shad or enjoying our daily naps, a few HBS Green Living Representatives were digging through bags of trash in an Allston facility.

Yes, you read correctly - trash - smelly, slimy, completely uncensored garbage generated by all the HBS dorms, Spangler and Aldrich. Armored in surgical gowns, industrial dust masks and heavy-duty latex gloves, the reps were at least physically prepared for the task. But psychologically? Well, that was another matter. Let's just say that every bag was full of unmentionable surprises. But something was consistent in each bag of trash, whether it was from Chase, Morris or Spangler: each bag contained a substantial portion of items that are actually recyclable (i.e. paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, metals, etc.) In fact, 23% of the audited HBS trash is recyclable or reusable (by weight). In addition, 36% of the trash was organic material (i.e. food, napkins or paper towels).

Read the full Harbus article to learn what this all means in dollars and carbon dioxide emissions and how we can all do our part to reduce this percentage come the audit this spring.

New Sustainability Webpage for Students

Check out the new webpage specifically for students on the HBS Operations Sustainability site. Here you will find quick tips and resources for water conservation, energy conservation and recycling and waste reduction. There is also great information about sustainability at HBS and the University at large. Enjoy!

Greening the Holidays

Want to be environmentally conscious this holiday season? There are plenty of ways to be mindful of the planet while still spreading holiday cheer.


Go Local: when looking for the perfect gift, look no further than Cambridge! Check out the list of locally owned businesses that are members of the non-profit organization, Cambridge Local-First. In particular, check out Greenward, a store on Mass Ave that sells "eco-modern" goods. Or, consider a gift certificate to a local certified Green Restaurant.

Green Gifts: Check out these 101 Green Gift Ideas for an array eco-friendly gift ideas. And, learn the art of re-gifting and getting away with it...something we all are tempted to do every once and a while! You're sure to find an appropriate green gift for everyone on your list.

Give Less Stuff: Take your sister to a movie, make a donation in your mother's name, cook your boyfriend an organic dinner. There are plenty of ways you can give this season without giving stuff. And, think outside the box with these these alternative gift ideas.

Wrapping Reuse: Wrap your gifts with things you have around the house; magazine pages, retail shopping bags, old maps or even pickle jars (washed out of course). Give a gift within a gift by placing it inside a canvas bag, reusable gift wrap cloth, or wrapping it in a scarf. Reuse ribbon and add some natural flare, like a pine cone, instead of a bow. Green gift wrapping can be fun, functional, and save you money.

Mindful Decor: Save and reuse decorations, make garland out of cranberries or popcorn, buy a real tree (you can't beat the smell), nix the tinsel and fake snow and be crafty by making original decoration or ornaments from that junk-drawer of yours. Reduce what you send to the landfill this holiday season. Natural decorations can be beautiful (and tasty) and old/reused decorations add character.Checkout more ideas here.

Green Cuisine: Buy local, sustainable and organic for your holiday feast. And even better, do so on a budget. Wherever you will be this holiday, check what is in season for a fresh and delicious meal.

Photo Credit: jek in the box/CC-NA-ND 2.0

Hamilton Hall Wins the Reduce Your Juice Competition

The results are in, Hamilton is the winner of the Reduce Your Juice Electricity Competition! It was a fight until the end, but Hamilton outperformed Gallatin with a 4% reduction in the last week making their average reduction for the competition 3.5%. Congratulations Hamilton!

In total, the 5 HBS dorms made a notable impact on the school’s electricity consumption. If we keep our energy conserving behaviors up throughout the year, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to saving 1,020 gallons of gasoline, 21 barrels of oil and $3,600 per year. *

While the competition is over, it is still important to keep conserving, so let’s continue on the right path. Visit the HBS Sustainability site for simple tips on how to reduce your energy consumption.

*Source: EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator and the Office For Sustainability

Photo Credit: Amarand Agasi cc by-nc-sa