MIT Office of Sustainability

Office of Sustainability

The MIT Office of Sustainability sits at the nexus of the Institute's administrative, research, and educational units. The Office is responsible for integrating sustainability principles across all campus systems, building strategic partnerships with leaders in our communities, and transforming the campus into a living and learning laboratory for sustainability innovation that fundamentally contributes to the core research and education mission of the Institute.

The Office seeks to demonstrate the interdependence between economic vitality, ecological health, and human well-being, as we work in collaboration to embed sustainability into our campus systems. With our administrative and academic partners, we are rethinking how MIT:

• Designs, builds and operates our buildings
• Produces, uses and distributes energy for campus operations
• Procures food
• Moves people to, from, and around campus
• Maintains and restores land, water, and air resources
• Acquires, disposes, and reuses materials while reducing consumption

A core component of our work at the Office is the development of a living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to solve the problems of campus sustainability through applied research and analysis. We are partnering with colleagues across MIT to align related departments, centers, and initiatives – from the Department of Facilities Operations to the Sustainable Design Lab –in order to identify opportunities to innovate our campus. One of the most unique opportunities for research—which will have global application—is the pending renewal of our campus infrastructure and utilities.

The Office also takes a leadership role on a number of committees and task forces alongside the Cities of Cambridge and Boston as well as with our peer institutions to advance sustainability and develop local, regional, and global models that can be impact the world.