“Designing green buildings is in [line with] the mission of the school,” said Daniel O. Beaudoin, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited official and the manager of operations, energy, and utilities at the School of Public Health, which garnered this year’s Green Carpet award for the Green Building Project.

4 YEARS IN, 4 YEARS TO GO

The graduate schools have been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions since 2008, when University President Drew G. Faust announced an initiative to reduce emissions by 30 percent from 2006 baseline levels. According to the Office for Sustainability, Harvard as a whole has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent from 2006 levels, but many of Harvard’s graduate schools are well ahead of projected progress.

Compared to 2006 levels, by the end of 2010 the School of Public Health had reduced emissions by 19 percent, the Law School had reduced emissions by 21 percent, and the Business School had reduced emissions by 34 percent. The Medical School has yet to release figures for 2010, but by the end of 2009, the school had reduced energy consumption by 8.9 percent.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 5 percent as of 2010.

According to Claire K. Berezowitz, the Longwood sustainability manager at the Office for Sustainability, the Medical School faces unique challenges in reducing emissions due to “the fact that we have so many energy and waste-intensive labs at HMS, as compared to other schools that are more exclusively classrooms and office space.”

—Staff writer Melanie A. Guzman can be reached at melanieguzman@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Caroline M. McKay can be reached at carolinemckay@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Benjamin M. Scuderi can be reached at bscuderi@college.harvard.edu.