Harvard Treats Earth Better, Students Say

Harvard has made substantial progress on environmental issues over the last year, but the University still neglects some areas of its impact on the Earth, a student report shows.

The second annual "Environmental Audit" of Harvard, conducted by the student Environmental Action Committee, laude the University's progress in creating an Environmental Science and Public Policy concentration and in cutting the use of disposables in the Harvard Dining Services.

The audit does find fault, however, with the environmental curriculum at Harvard Law School and with the University's limited use of recycled paper products.

"Harvard has indeed invested time and money into environmental issues," the report's introduction reads. "Unfortunately among the improvements lie areas of neglect which, if ignored, will render Harvard environmentally behind the times."

The 34-page report praises the recent creation of an environmental concentration, but it cautions that "Harvard has a long way to go before hoasting about its environmental policy options." The report says the Gov- ernment Department, for example, does not offer a single course on environmental policy.

The audit also blasts the Law School for what an article alleges is a "poor environmental curriculum."

"In the area of environmental curriculum, Harvard Law School has failed its reputation for excellence. Indeed, the school has over the past decade moved backward. And there seems little prospect for improvement," wrote third-year law student Michael E. Wall.

The audit cites "giant steps toward environmental awareness" at Harvard Dining Services, reporting that waste has been reduced 25 percent and that paper cup use has been cut from 2.5 million cups last year to 100,000 cups this year. This is the result of a "shared responsibility" campaign that involved hiring outside consultants.

The audit's editors, Kirstie I. Goodwin '93 and Rebecca H. Wholley '93, said the report was distributed over the last month and will continue to be distributed to faculty members in the coming weeks. They said they hope the audit is done again next year.

"Our main hope is that it generates awareness," Goodwin said, adding that the audit also served to educate members of the Environmental Action Committee itself.

The audit also includes articles about lead paint: recycling on campus, recycling during Commencement week and the environmental impact of Harvard's investments, as well as interviews with Harvard professors who study environmental issues

The audit also blasts the Law School for what an article alleges is a "poor environmental curriculum."

"In the area of environmental curriculum, Harvard Law School has failed its reputation for excellence. Indeed, the school has over the past decade moved backward. And there seems little prospect for improvement," wrote third-year law student Michael E. Wall.

The audit cites "giant steps toward environmental awareness" at Harvard Dining Services, reporting that waste has been reduced 25 percent and that paper cup use has been cut from 2.5 million cups last year to 100,000 cups this year. This is the result of a "shared responsibility" campaign that involved hiring outside consultants.

The audit's editors, Kirstie I. Goodwin '93 and Rebecca H. Wholley '93, said the report was distributed over the last month and will continue to be distributed to faculty members in the coming weeks. They said they hope the audit is done again next year.

"Our main hope is that it generates awareness," Goodwin said, adding that the audit also served to educate members of the Environmental Action Committee itself.

The audit also includes articles about lead paint: recycling on campus, recycling during Commencement week and the environmental impact of Harvard's investments, as well as interviews with Harvard professors who study environmental issues