Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has been as much about the protection and improvement of human health as it has been about environmental and resource conservation.
As the 49th celebration of Earth Day approaches on April 22, ongoing efforts across the Harvard Medical School campus aim to enhance the health and sustainability of the community and beyond. A few of the community-wide sustainability events taking place at HMS later this month include:
- The annual Sustainability Fair on Wednesday, April 24 from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in the Courtyard Café. The fair will feature sustainable lab and office resources, wellness and food-related company exhibits, plants for sale and more.
- The bi-annual Freecycle event is on Thursday, April 25 from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. in the Courtyard Café. Staff and faculty are welcome to drop off and pick up reusable lab, office and home supplies.
Individuals can bring their unwanted electronic devices—from home, office or otherwise—to the e-waste recycling taking place during both the Sustainability Fair and Freecycle event.
Those with questions or ideas related to these events or other elements of HMS sustainability efforts can email sustainability@hms.harvard.edu.
HMS and HMS affiliate decarbonization commitment
In December of 2018, HMS and its affiliated hospitals and institutes signed a joint commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The effort compliments Harvard University’s climate goal of achieving fossil fuel neutrality by 2026 and being fossil fuel free by 2050.
In an op-ed that appeared in The Boston Globe in December 2018, Dean George Q. Daley and physicians Ashish Jha, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Aaron Bernstein, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, stated this agreement represents a shared belief in the importance of extensively decarbonizing health care operations and is a tangible step that the School can take, together with broader efforts, to safeguard the health of patient populations and our communities from the effects of climate change.
HMS custodial
Harvard has a goal of reducing waste by 50 percent by 2020. HMS continuously evaluates opportunities to reduce waste generated from its procurement and to increase the amount of waste diverted to recycling and compost.
Even so, changes to the global recycling markets have placed restrictions on what is accepted as recyclable, particularly lab plastics and soft plastics, such as bags. HMS Facilities and custodial teams, as well as researchers and lab staff members, are working diligently to adapt to this changing context and minimize the potential for rejection of loads due to contamination.
There will be a continued expansion of the HMS compost program to all kitchenettes and conference rooms. Compost bins in bathrooms on campus are already in place to encourage the composting of paper towels, which represent more than 90 percent of the waste generated from bathrooms.
Learn about HMS waste reduction efforts here.
Another helpful resource for what can or can’t be recycled is the MassDEP RecyclingWorks website.
HMS dining services
What’s new with Restaurant Associates
HMS Dining Services vendor, Restaurant Associates (RA), has been a close partner in the School’s efforts to improve the sustainability and health attributes of the HMS community’s dining experiences.
HMS Dining Services recently expanded its partnership with Food for Free, a Boston-based organization that distributes nearly 2 million pounds of food each year for free to people facing food insecurity in Massachusetts. RA has partnered with Food for Free at the HMS Class Day ceremony for several years and is now working with them regularly.
Composting at dining locations has also evolved to a higher level. Over 80 percent of dining ware is now compostable. Diners can now compost salad containers, eating utensils, plates, beverage containers and more at each café. Display tables located at each of the campus cafés identify each item that can be composted, recycled or thrown away in the trash.
Did you know that HMS sustainably diverts the plant-matter waste produced during food preparation? Since 2014, all Massachusetts institutions, companies and organizations that dispose of one or more tons of food waste per week—such as HMS—are required to divert it from landfills or incinerators.
Not only has HMS upped its game on compostable dining items, it has implemented innovative ways to remain locally sustainable year-round. RA is procuring seasonal, fresh produce from local farms in New England. With farms such as Ward’s Berry Farm, 2 Friend’s Farm, Czajowski Farm and R&R Flaim Farms, RA works to ensure that local farms are supported and the goods are fresh and flavorful.
