Alumni resources

Alumni interest and involvement in sustainability work is as diverse as the MIT alumni population itself.

A number of alumni work in sustainability at nonprofits, startups, corporations, universities, and other public institutions, while others are advocates for living more sustainably. More still have an interest in supporting a more sustainable MIT. With the creation of the Climate System Science and Engineering major and MIT’s environment and sustainability minor, the number of MIT alumni in this space will only continue to grow.

Engaging alumni is an important facet of the work of the Office of Sustainability (MITOS). Alumni are uniquely positioned to work in support of MITOS's mission of transforming MIT into a powerful model for sustainability and sharing those lessons learned in hopes of making a better world. Read on for frequently asked alumni questions and ways to get in touch.

What is the mission of the Office of Sustainability?

The MIT Office of Sustainability (MITOS) was established in 2013 under the Executive Vice President and Treasurer's Office to integrate sustainability across all levels of our campus by engaging the collective brainpower of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and partners. We have set out to ensure that sustainability is a critical part of MIT’s standard operating procedures and is fully integrated into the working, research, teaching, social and cultural spheres of our campus.

Our mission is to transform MIT into a powerful model that generates new and proven ways of responding to the unprecedented challenges of a changing planet via operational excellence, education, research and innovation on our campus.

What is MIT doing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

The goal of decarbonization builds upon MIT’s progress towards reaching one of the Institute’s first climate action commitments announced in its 2015 Plan for Action on Climate Change: reduce net campus emissions by a minimum 32 percent by 2030 below a 2014 baseline. This goal now serves as a milestone en route to reaching the 2050 commitment.

Achieving net zero emissions by 2026 and eliminating direct emissions by 2050 will be no easy task. It will take a multifaceted strategy requiring significant investments in decarbonizing our on-campus energy systems; enabling new, large-scale clean energy generation both on- and off-campus; and embracing yet-to-be-discovered solutions.

Together, the Office for the Vice President of Campus Services and Stewardship, the Office of the Vice President for Finance, and the Office of Sustainability are working to organize and activate the campus to implement the commitments outlined in this new plan for climate action. The campus commitments range from strategic to tactical and collectively strengthen our foundation for a net zero future.

Can someone from the Office of Sustainability speak at my alumni event?

As scheduling and events allow, members from the Office of Sustainability may be available for webinars or local speaking events. For more information, please email: sustainablespeakers@mit.edu

How can I support the Office of Sustainability?

The Campus Sustainability Incubator Fund seeks to enable MIT faculty and principal investigators (PIs) to partner with operational experts to leverage to use the MIT campus as a test bed for research in sustainable operations, management, and design. The seed funds enable teams of students, faculty, and researchers to explore the physical facility and social context in which they are working, living and learning at MIT. The initial fund was made possible through a generous gift from Malcom M. Strandberg. You can support this fund directly here.

How can alumni stay informed of the work of the Office of Sustainability?

Alumni can subscribe to our monthly newsletter here to stay up to date on projects, research, events, reports, and more related to the work of the Office of Sustainability. For an update on all sustainability work across campus, you can visit the news section of the Office of Sustainability website here. You can also find up to date reports from working groups, researchers, and faculty in our Resource Library. Additionally, you find the Office of Sustainability on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

I’m an alumni vendor, how do I share my product or idea with you?

The Office of Sustainability does not work directly with vendors. Operational decisions related to vendors are made outside of the Office of Sustainability. If you have a product or idea you would like to share, please email sustainablemit@mit.edu, and we will send to the appropriate people. Should there be interest, a representative within the MIT community will be in touch. We do not respond to individual requests for meetings.