16 Ways Yale Advanced Campus Sustainability in 2024

A greener Yale Peabody Museum

Yale reopened the Peabody Museum in Spring 2024 after a four-year renovation. The updated building—which anticipates cutting its energy use by half despite expanding gallery space by 60,000 square feet—features numerous high-performance design features and expanded spaces for student and community events. Other sustainability improvements include water use reduction, energy efficiency, improved waste diversion, and accessibility improvements.

Renewable diesel in Science Hill construction

When completed in 2030, the Upper Science Hill Development will boast a series of new and renovated buildings that serve as a hub for Yale’s work in quantum and materials science, physics, and more. In support of Yale’s strategy to reach zero emissions by 2050, Yale Office of Facilities worked with its construction contractor to power machinery on the project site using R-99 fuel—a renewable, locally sourced diesel alternative made from waste cooking oils.

A handbook for climate change and health

Recognizing climate change as a serious public health challenge, the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) released a Climate Change Handbook in the spring that curates rigorous climate science and action items for a healthy planet. The handbook contains essays written by YSPH faculty, students, staff, and alumni on the effects of rising temperatures and polluted air on human health and well-being, the impact of food choices on the planet’s health, and more.

Expanding EVs and charging

Yale Transit added five new electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet—a 60% increase from 2023. Additionally, Yale Transit introduced four new EV charging stations for employees, bringing the total on campus to 76. As of 2024, Yale has increased its EV charging infrastructure on campus by more than 1,400% since 2019—far surpassing our goal of a 250% increase.

Diverting waste from operations and construction

In 2024, Yale diverted 34% of its day-to-day operational waste from the waste stream. In the final year of the Yale Sustainability Plan 2025, Yale is targeting a 40% diversion rate. Construction and demolition waste, of which Yale diverted 76%, is not included in this diversion goal. For a detailed list of materials that can and cannot be recycled on campus, visit  recycling.yale.edu .

Salvaging and donating unwanted items at moveout

Spring Salvage, Yale’s annual undergraduate student moveout program, diverted 47,000 pounds from the waste stream this year. During Spring Salvage, students bring items to collection sites located throughout Yale’s residential colleges and Old Campus, and staff and student employees transfer these items to donation trailers. The program typically runs for about four weeks each May.

Laying the groundwork for geothermal energy

The Malone Engineering Center, located at the intersection of Prospect and Trumbull streets, became the starting point for a new networked geothermal energy system. The 70 boreholes, dug as deep as 800 feet into the ground, will serve as the basis for a plant that will eventually serve all campus buildings on lower Hillhouse Avenue—an area slated to transform over the next 10 to 15 years to deliver world-class research facilities while meeting Yale’s climate goals.

Breaking ground on Yale Divinity School's Living Village

Yale began construction on the Living Village at Yale Divinity School (YDS), set to be the largest residential living building on a university campus. The complex will meet the rigorous design standards of the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge by providing affordable housing for YDS students with a triple-net-zero design that treats waste onsite and meets energy and water needs from onsite sun and rain.

A sustainability action plan for Yale SOM

The Yale School of Management codified its longstanding commitment to sustainability with its new Sustainability Action Plan 2030, drafted by the Student Government’s Sustainability Committee. The plan will promote the integration of sustainability in every aspect of the school’s development, from installing solar power on the roof of Evans Hall to implementing new energy audits to expanding the use of public transportation.

Advancing biodiversity at Yale

Yale Office of Facilities has completed tree surveys on all of Yale’s campuses and the golf course, data from which will support further habitat analyses. Other projects supporting biodiversity on campus include Yale Divinity School’s Living Village, which is in construction, and Marsh Botanical Garden, which is removing invasives and planting for pollinators.

Planning for stormwater mitigation

Yale completed a Stormwater Planning Study for Central Campus and Yale School of Medicine, identifying critical areas for greater stormwater management. Additionally, planning is underway for stormwater mitigation projects at West Campus, and revised stormwater standards for the university are in development. In partnership with the City of New Haven, Yale’s Urban Resources Initiative has installed more than 200 bioswales around campus, which absorb and filter more than 5 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually and recharge the groundwater.

Yale students placed at local environmental organizations

The Yale Office of New Haven Affairs placed nine student fellows at local organizations over the summer (including New Haven’s Office of Climate and Sustainability) to conduct impactful environmental work such as enhancing community greenspace and environmental education initiatives. The university continues collaborating with New Haven and community groups by convening conversations around transportation, resilience, and the connection between nature and health.

More Yale employees choose public transit

The Yale Commuter Benefits Program lets employees use tax-free savings to pay for public transit passes or off-campus parking services. In 2024, Yale employees purchased 78% more public transit passes than in 2023.

A new climate team to steward Yale's investments

Following the adoption of the Fossil Fuel Investment Principles by the Yale Board of Trustees in 2021, the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility continues to work on implementing the five principles in Yale’s endowment. In addition, the Yale Investments Office this year created an internal climate opportunities team that has been making sizable commitments to climate action across Yale’s various asset-class portfolios.