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Crafting a Greener MIT Experience: Telecommuting Edition

The MIT Office of Sustainability operates remotely to strengthen campus resilience, leveraging insights gained from the Covid-19 response to combat global warming.

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MIT's Sustainability Office operates remotely, aiming to fortify the campus and employ Covid-19...
MIT's Sustainability Office operates remotely, aiming to fortify the campus and employ Covid-19 response insights to combat climate change effectively.

Crafting a Greener MIT Experience: Telecommuting Edition

Amidst the shift in operations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Sustainability (MITOS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been adapting its projects while exploring a more sustainable and resilient future for the campus and community. Working off-campus, the MITOS team's approach, characterized by collective engagement, innovation, and data-driven decisions, persists.

Exploring Resilience in the New Normal

As the MIT community transitioned to remote work, the concept of resilience emerged as an apt description for the thousands who adapted swiftly to studying, researching, working, and teaching from afar despite the disruption. In the realm of sustainability, resilience is often used to describe communities that continue to function and even thrive during and after extreme climate events such as flooding or heatwaves.

With the pandemic serving as a catalyst, the term has taken on a broader meaning. Julie Newman, the Director of Sustainability, believes that the crisis offers an opportunity to envision what a sustainable and resilient campus and community look like in practice.

The MIT campus' climate resiliency framework, as codified by MITOS, centers around the interdependencies of four core systems: community (academic, research, and student life), buildings, utilities, and landscape systems. As the response to the pandemic unfolds, this framework is being applied to assess the vulnerabilities and capabilities within each system that hinder or support the fulfillment of MIT's mission.

Adapting Amidst Change

The campus' response to the pandemic has provided valuable insights into its adaptive capacity, with over 40 community members benefiting from the Hive@Home initiative led by the UA Sustainability Committee (UA Sustain). Launched in April, Hive@Home empowers students and staff to grow vegetables while fostering community connections. The new project builds on the student-supported Hive Garden, which attracts pollinators to the campus.

The pandemic has also prompted discussions on community behavior and sustainability, with over 100 participants sharing their ideas during a community sustainability forum hosted by the Sustainability Leadership Committee. Common themes included human health and well-being, climate action, food security, sustainability education, and bold leadership. Participants expressed a renewed focus on the impacts of consumption and single-use plastics, as well as the potential for remote work to decrease MIT's carbon footprint.

These insights will contribute to driving action and launching new sustainable initiatives across MIT as the community continues to adapt to a new normal. As plans for a future return to campus are developed, the emphasis on resilience and adaptability will persist, shaping decisions on mobility, dining, shopping, and more, with ongoing community dialogues and collaboration to support a sustainable, safe MIT.

  1. The MIT Office of Sustainability (MITOS) is focusing on funding projects that advocate for a more sustainable and resilient future for the campus and community in the post-COVID-19 era.
  2. Amidst the news of remote learning and working, the MIT community has demonstrated a strong faculty's commitment to ensuring sustainability and sustainability education.
  3. The Hive@Home initiative, led by the UA Sustainability Committee (UA Sustain), is a research-based project that aims to educate students and staff about sustainable practices, particularly in home-and-garden settings.
  4. The crisis has sparked debates on mental health and the role of engineering in addressing climate change and promoting sustainability in campus life and research.
  5. As part of their collective engagement, MITOS is working closely with students, faculty, and staff to develop sustainable solutions for reducing waste and promoting recycling on campus.
  6. The pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for the MIT community to rethink its climate action strategies and focus on energy-efficient buildings and renewable energy sources.
  7. With the current need for resilience, the MIT campus is exploring the interplay between sustainability, education, and self-development as key factors in creating a more sustainable and healthy environment.
  8. The Mitchell Library, a dedicated space for education and self-development at MIT, is exploring energy-efficient practices to minimize its carbon footprint and contribute to the overall sustainability goals of the institution.
  9. In the post-pandemic world, the MIT community is looking to build a campus and lifestyle that are resilient, sustainable, and focused on the well-being of students, faculty, and the environment.

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