Harvard reaches goal of cutting gas emissions by 30 percent

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Harvard University says it has achieved a 2008 goal to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent.

In a report released Thursday, university officials say they reached the goal by making buildings more energy efficient, installing a geothermal heating and cooling system, and adding solar panels on roofs, among other measures.

University President Drew Faust says the effort “required extraordinary collaboration among staff, students and faculty,” but the work has just begun.

Faust is now asking a committee of students, faculty and administrators to make recommendations for the future.

Harvard’s goal was to reduce its emissions by 30 percent from 2006 levels, and the school says it has reduced levels by 40 percent. Almost all Harvard’s emissions stem from heating and cooling systems.