History

The founding of the Office of Sustainability in 2005 is only an inflection point in the rich timeline of Yale’s engagement with sustainability to date. Yale’s intimate engagement with the environment started in 1900 with the founding of the School of Forestry, America’s first such institution, and has since evolved into an institution-wide movement that incorporates building construction; waste management; energy production; research; classroom instruction; local, national, and international collaboration; and much more.

With the establishment of this office came the unification and augmentation of existing sustainable endeavors. Since then Yale has clarified its institutional vision for sustainability and codified its commitment to realizing that vision. Following is a timeline of notable events in the history of sustainability at Yale.

1900

The first forestry school in America, the Yale School of Forestry, is established by the first and second chiefs of the US Forest Service, Gifford Pinochet (Yale College, 1889) and Henry S. Graves (Yale College, 1892).

1909

Aldo Leopold, a pioneering ecologist, conservationist, and environmental activist, graduates from the School of Forestry.

1970

On the inaugural Earth Day, an undergraduate begins recycling paper on campus.

1972

Acknowledging the influence of environmental scholarship and teaching, the School of Forestry adds “& Environmental Studies” to its name.
Yale economists William Nordhaus and James Tobin are the first to comprehensively incorporate the costs of environmental degradation into an economic model.

1980

Yale Recycling becomes an official undergraduate organization.
Yale Recycling becomes a full-time operation of the Facilities Department.

1994

The Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy is jointly founded by the Yale Law School and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
The years that follow see the establishment of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale, the Center for Green Chemistry & Engineering, the Yale Project on Climate Change, environmentally-focused joint degree programs, and extensive interdepartmental cooperation.

1995

The Yale Student Environmental Coalition hosts the Campus Earth Summit. Summit attendees draft a plan for making college campuses models of environmental behavior.

1998

Undergraduate students produce the Yale Green Plan and submit recommendations to Yale administrators.

2001

The Advisory Committee on Environmental Management (ACEM) is established.

2002

Yale makes its first formal commitment to broad-based, institutional sustainability when it approves a set of Environmental Principles proposed by ACEM:

Yale University will:

Manage its operations and facilities in a manner that protects and enhances the local and global environments, assesses the impact of its operations and facilities on the environment, sets quantitative goals for environmental performance and monitors its environmental progress.
Strive for outstanding environmental performance in the design, renovation and construction of its facilities.
Define and move toward environmental sustainability through wise use of resources, purchasing recycled products, conservation, reuse and recycling of materials and supplies, waste minimization and the management of energy use.
Incorporate environmental education, management and training into its objectives and practices.
Strive for continuous environmental improvement across the entire range of its operations.

2004

Office of the Provost endorses seven environmental targets proposed by ACEM.
The first full-time administrative position dedicated to furthering Yale’s sustainable efforts is created, and Julie Newman is hired as the Sustainability Director.

2005

Yale makes its first formal commitment to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions, pledging to cut emissions 43% by 2020.
The Yale Office of Sustainability is created, with Newman as its director, to facilitate information exchange and capacity building, and foster innovation, streamlined operations, and preparation of tomorrow’s sustainability leaders.
The Spring Salvage program is launched to collect and donate unwanted items during student move-out.
The Class of 1954 Chemistry Research Building becomes the first LEED-certified laboratory in the world, consuming 25% less energy than a standard lab building of its size.

2006

Yale becomes an inaugural member of the International Alliance of Research Universities, a group of 10 institutions that exchange ideas and practices on a range of topics, including sustainability.
Yale starts using alternative fuel in all its shuttle buses.
The Yale Center for Business and the Environmentis founded as a hub for promoting cross-sector climate solutions.
The Office of Sustainability hosts the second annual Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium meeting, co-creating a regional network of campus sustainability professionals.

2007

The Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale is founded to provide practical solutions to sustainability challenges by bridging three of Yale’s professional schools.
Ivy League schools convene at Yale, leading to a commitment from participating institutions to set greenhouse gas reduction targets within 12 months of the meeting.
The Sculpture Building at Yale School of Art is completed, becoming the first building in Connecticut to achieve LEED platinum certification, the highest possible designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

2008

Yale President Richard C. Levin gives a landmark speech on climate change at the University of Copenhagen.
President Levin testifies before the U.S. Senate in favor of legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Yale Athletics and the Office of Sustainability create Bulldog Sustainability, a student-led initiative that aims to build momentum for sustainable actions within Yale’s sports teams.

2009

Yale installs 10 micro wind turbines on Becton Engineering and Applied Science Center as a pilot project to test the viability of wind power on campus.
Kroon Hall, the new home for Yale School of the Environment, is completed and earns LEED certification at the platinum level.
The Office of Sustainability launches the International Alliance of Research Universities Sustainability Initiative to exchange ideas and practices.

2010

Yale President Richard Levin releases Yale’s first multi-year strategic plan for campus sustainability, a three-year roadmap that expands upon the greenhouse gas reduction commitment made in 2005.
Yale College dining halls begin composting food waste.
Yale adopts new design standards, committing that all major building and renovation projects on campus will achieve LEED gold certification at a minimum.

2011

Yale receives its first A on the College Sustainability Report Card, one of only seven universities in the U.S. and Canada to receive the recognition from the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
Yale achieves an 11.5% reduction in campus emissions from 2005, putting the university more than on track to achieve its 2020 goal.

2012

Yale begins reducing vehicle emissions by adding compressed natural gas vehicles to its fleet and using electric delivery vehicles.
Yale moves to single-stream recycling with the goal of simplifying the sorting process and increasing waste diversion rates.
The university becomes the first in Connecticut to earn Bicycle Friendly University recognition from the League of American Bicyclists.

2013

Yale creates its first Stormwater Management Plan, recognizing flood events as a critical urban sustainability issue.
The university plants the first of several new urban meadows across campus to promote natural grass regeneration, foster biodiversity, reduce stormwater runoff, and lessen the need for mowing.

2014

Yale President Peter Salovey announces a series of initiatives to advance Yale’s leadership in environmental sustainability, including major investments in energy conservation, emissions reductions, and renewables; third-party verification of Yale’s greenhouse gas inventory; funded fellowships for “green innovation” by students; and sustainability action plans tailored to each of Yale’s professional schools.
The Yale-affiliated nonprofit Urban Resources Initiative partners with the city of New Haven to build 15 bioswales—planted sidewalk cutouts designed to filter stormwater, the first of what will eventually be hundreds of bioswales in the Elm City.

2015

Based on a concept proposed by students, Yale pilots a Carbon Charge, a first-of-its-kind program to put a price tag on the use of carbon in campus buildings.
A 1.34-megawatt solar array is built on West Campus, delivering an eight-fold increase in the university’s on-site renewable generation.

2016

President Salovey announces the Yale Sustainability Plan 2025, a nine-year strategic roadmap that is the university’s most ambitious and comprehensive sustainability plan to date.
Yale sees a substantial reduction in campus greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to a 24% total reduction below 2005 levels.

2017

Yale joins with 11 other major research universities in affirming their commitment to addressing climate change, consistent with the Paris Agreement.
Yale is named a gold-level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists.

2018

William Nordhaus wins the Nobel Prize in Economics Sciences for research on the economic implications of climate change.
The first Yale Sustainability Survey is launched to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors around sustainability within the university community, providing critical insights that help shape institutional strategies and programming.

2019

The Yale Collective Well-being Assessment is introduced as a way to incorporate health more fully into Yale’s sustainability benchmarking.
University staff create the Healthy Furniture Initiative to identify and eliminate chemicals of concern from university-purchased furniture.
Yale launches a Pay-as-You-Throw pilot programto reduce waste and promote better recycling and composting habits, demonstrating the campus as a testbed for sustainability innovation.

2020

Yale achieves its first greenhouse gas reduction target, set 15 years earlier, by reducing net emissions 43% below 2005 levels.
Yale’s Office of the Provost creates the Yale Planetary Solutions Project (since renamed Yale Planetary Solutions) to foster interdisciplinary connections that will address the most significant climate and biodiversity challenges facing humanity.
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies changes its name to Yale School of the Environment with The Forest School established as a school within the broader school, reflecting the historic, current, and future importance of forestry in the broader environmental field.
More than 30 Sustainability Action Plans are created for Yale academic, cultural, and administrative units as a tool for individual departments to contribute to broader institutional goals.

2021

With its initial greenhouse gas reduction target achieved, Yale sets new goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 and zero actual emissions by 2050.
Yale secures a $100 million gift from FedEx to help fund a new center focused on developing natural solutions for reducing atmospheric carbon. The Center for Natural Carbon Capture aims to support and accelerate research across academic disciplines, helping to establish a more sustainable and healthier future for our planet.
The Yale Board of Trustees adopts fossil fuel investment principles excluding all coal producers, and certain oil and gas producers, from eligilbility for investment by the endowment.
Yale launches the public phase of For Humanity, an ambitious, five-year capital campaign that aims to raise $7 billion to help future generations of university faculty, students, and staff tackle the greatest challenges facing humankind, including climate change.

2022

The Climate Impact Innovation Fund, a $15 million fund supporting research into climate solutions, sponsors 21 proposals in its inaugural round of Planetary Solutions Project seed grants.
For a second time in three years, Yale is awarded a Gold rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in higher Education (AASHE) in recognition of Yale’s leadership in, and commitment to, sustainability across the university.
Yale adopts a ‘zero-carbon-ready’ building standard, a roadmap to a zero-emissions future where every building on campus is highly energy efficient and capable of meeting its needs for heating, cooling, and electricity without the use of fossil fuels.

2023

Julie Zimmerman, a globally recognized engineer whose research in green engineering laid the groundwork for a generation of safer, more sustainable chemicals, materials, and practices across industry and academia, is named Yale’s inaugural vice provost for planetary solutions.
Yale Divinity School breaks ground on the Living Village, an ambitious regenerative residence hall that is expected to give back to the environment more than it takes.
Yale achieves its goal to increase EV charging infrastructure by 250%—giving Yale 76 EV charging options compared to five charging stations in 2019.

2024

Following a four-year renovation, the Peabody Museum reopens with new high-performance, LEED Gold-certified building design features, expanded galleries, and free admission for all visitors—giving the New Haven community unfettered access to its vast collections and educational programs.
Yale Planetary Solutions convenes world leaders and experts for a weeklong showcase at Climate Week in New York City.
Yale begins drilling geothermal wells for the university’s first district thermal utility plant, a key piece of Yale’s strategy for reducing campus emissions to zero by 2050.

2025

Yale Divinity School opens the Living Village, a regenerative residence hall that will give back to the environment more than it takes and meets the world’s highest standard for sustainable building design.
The Yale Sustainability Plan 2025, a nine-year strategy launched in 2016, reaches its final milestone, laying a foundation for the broad integration of sustainability into the scholarship and operations of the university.