CBE Green: Sustainability in Simpler Words

By Selina Lin '26

Members of CBE during our semesterly Sustainability Day, where we collaborated with the Charles River Conservancy this semester!

CBE’s sustainability pillar has served as the foundation of numerous company partnerships, research projects, and community-based initiatives. Our commitment to improving sustainability — locally, nationally, and internationally — has been a defining factor of our organizations’ progression and development throughout the years. 

Of course, such an ambitious commitment can sometimes feel overwhelming, perhaps even impossible to accomplish. Sustainability and climate change are topics that people have previously found difficult to connect with on a personal level, especially since most people’s engagement with such comes through social media, research publications, or news articles. Occasionally, their interest may only stem from after environment changes or weather conditions that directly impact their individual location. Even when people do connect on a personal level, they have often struggled to believe that their individual sustainable actions can truly make a difference. This, unfortunately, has sometimes led to people opting to take no actions at all. 

With daunting challenges, however, come opportunities for growth and change. At CBE, we recognize that the journey to sustainability is both an individual and collective effort — it requires promise of consistent commitment from every individual, regardless of their background or discipline, working toward a shared vision of changing for the better. As a result, our organization attracts a diverse range of prospective members who aren’t just drawn to business, life sciences, consulting, or simply looking to explore new opportunities. We have warmly welcomed and supported those who are deeply invested in putting sustainability into practice, both in their work for CBE and within their personal lives.

Our organization has become a place where members can merge their passion for sustainable practices with their professional goals. Whether it's optimizing eco-friendly business strategies and examining environmental certifications, or partaking in sustainable volunteer work and directly funding green initiatives, our members are actively shaping a more sustainable future. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to a few of our members who have not only found a way to integrate sustainability into their university pursuits but also built sustainability into their everyday lives:

Can you introduce yourself?

Joie Liu '27 (Director of Finance): My name is Joie Liu. I'm a current sophomore in Harvard studying Economics and Environmental Science and Public Policy, and I am interested in the intersection between finance and environmental science. I am also CBE’s Director of Finance this semester.

Oliver Song '27 (Managing Director): I'm Oliver. I am a Managing Director with CBE. This is my fourth semester, and most of the cases I've been on have been sustainability related, so it's been pretty exciting so far. At the College, I study Environmental Science and Public Policy with a double concentration in Economics.

Sean Kim '28 (Associate): My name is Sean, and I’m a current freshman at Harvard planning to study Applied Math in Economics, and Government. This is my second semester with CBE, and I am currently involved as a team lead for the sustainability industry report.

How would you define sustainability, in your own words?

Joie: I think sustainability is the action of being more conscious of how your actions impact the world. Coming from a finance perspective, I see it as something that should be maintained in the long term. It doesn’t necessarily need to be about just the environment, but that’s often where the focus is. And it makes sense — personally, I think I would also prefer to live on a planet that exists in good health and for a long period of time.

Sean: I've had the chance to learn about sustainability more from a business context — so while [environmental and business sustainability] are different, the core concept is quite similar in that sustainability relates to looking at long term change and seeing how events in the short term can affect that long term change… In our context, sustainability is often about conserving the environment and making sure practices that we promote now don't cause severe harm later down the line — so just kind of looking at the future and then seeing how we can account for that, or discount for that, in the present.

When did you first become interested in sustainability and/or climate change? Was there a specific moment or experience that made you think more about it?

Joie: In fifth grade, my teacher really liked birds, so she made this bird sustainability club, which I joined. I ended up writing about it for my high school applications, continued it in high school, and it later found its way into my college applications. I’m still doing it in college, too. It was really focused on birds and their conservation — we talked a lot about migration patterns, watched documentaries… It was a fun fifth grade.

Oliver: I think it mainly stems from my interest in the environment in general.I grew up seeing a lot of the nature around me, and I think that nature is present in all forms, regardless of if you're in a city, a suburb, or, kind of in a rural environment. I just happened to pay a lot of attention to my surroundings — like the plants around me, for example, or types of animals, bugs, insects, all sorts of those fun things. My interest in climate change really just stems from the fact that I do care about these local environments, and part of that feeds into sustainability.

Sean: If I had to pick anything out, I think my summer leading up to my first year at Harvard was really big for me, because I had the chance to get involved with the [Harvard Institute of Politics] CIVICS program as a curriculum developer, and a part of the curriculum was about environmental justice — that's kind of when I first learned about that subject entirely. And then there was also a project for a different organization, about identifying different trends and energy usage throughout the world… I got to piece out different case studies on [other countries in] the Indo-Pacific region. I learned about how the US and how other countries really differ in terms of what they prioritize, and how sustainability — to me and the environment that I'm constantly in, with college students — seems to always be a high priority topic… but I realized that in other countries, that might not necessarily be the case, and so it was interesting to see how the US played a larger role in that.

What are some surprisingly wasteful habits that most people don’t realize contribute to environmental harm? How do you think people could change some of these habits?

Oliver: It's hard for people to always think about sustainability constantly in their decisions. I think that the general population does not have these things on their mind when they make everyday choices. I wouldn't say that there's anything inherently wasteful that people around me do that they don't realize contribute to environmental harm — I think that any kind of action or choice can be traced back to its environmental consequences, whether that's from, you know, the rare metals that are in the iPhones that so many of us have, or just simply, the carbon footprint that comes from Uber into the airport, for example, flying. These are all things that have environmental impacts that we don't necessarily think about when we make those choices, but you also can't really just tell people not to fly — people might need to engage in various activities for a variety of reasons.

Sean: One thing that really stuck with me and that I hadn’t thought about much before coming to Harvard… Well, everyone knows long showers are wasteful, but it always felt abstract. Then, in my dorm — I live in [Wigglesworth Hall] — There's a sticker within my shower that says, “if every undergrad showered for one less minute, we would save 18.2 million gallons of water a year,” and they have some kind of comparison, like, “That's enough to fill x amount of pools or something like that.” I think that's something that shocked me a lot… And then also, additionally, there’s the water usage within those showers, but also, there’s the energy needed to heat the water. Everyone loves hot showers. And then, also, there’s the filtering of that water to be used again — these are all costs to taking long showers that people might not really think about. That's a wasteful habit that could be relevant to the students here, I would say.

What do you find most challenging about living sustainably as a student?

Joie: I actually think that as a student, you're probably living some of the most sustainable years of your life. Other than large travel expenses, which do happen, you’re likely not driving much here at college, and that’s usually your biggest emitter. There’s also easy access to food, which lets you make good choices easier; for example, I try not to eat beef, which is made easy when there are many alternatives. Where it does get unsustainable at times though is the culture of consumerism — new notebooks, clothes, bags — it always feels like you need more. And while some choices can be good, there’s still a lot of waste, and even though Harvard claims to manage it well, it’s quite hard to see what happens behind the scenes.

Oliver: I think the hardest thing about living sustainably as a student is really just thinking about the environment with every choice — and also, not everyone is going to have the same standards for [evaluating] their environmental choices. For example, for me, because we live in a country that doesn't necessarily prioritize other forms of transportation, getting around to places is really inaccessible without using something that has high environmental impact — like using cars or planes. Compared to other countries around the world, they’re both far less expensive and also underutilized.

Do you think your school/university is doing enough to promote sustainability? Or, what are some sustainable initiatives/programs/events on campus that you appreciate?

Joie: Well, Harvard created the Salata Institute a couple of years ago. I think they launched it in 2021 or 2022, and Yale already had a similar one for some time. I think Harvard was a bit behind, but I’m glad they’ve caught up and finally created a climate institute. For reference, the Salata Institute of Climate Sustainability is Harvard's main hub for sustainable research and advocacy. They bring together people from across the entire university — so, imagine, professors from the Kennedy School, the Business School, the Law School, and the College — and host talks, conduct research, fund projects, and offer grants. I interned there last summer, and it's pretty cool.

Oliver: There are choices that Harvard has made inside of itself, but ones that they are making outside, which we may not necessarily know about. For example, this could mean choices dealing with how endowment money is used. As for kind of how internally Harvard is doing — I mean, it looks like Harvard might be doing pretty well. Most of the dining halls use compostable materials, most of the restrooms have water saving handles, and various buildings have been evaluated or perhaps redesigned to be more environmentally friendly. Winthrop house, which I live in, is also LEED certified gold, which means that it abides by a certain environmental kind of standards. I think that Harvard certainly has been keeping sustainability in mind.

Sean: I think Harvard actually does a lot to promote sustainability awareness and provides a pretty strong foundation for students to engage with it. At club rush, I saw many [student organizations] focused on sustainability — CBE, [Harvard Clean Energy Group], PBHA’s Environmental Action Committee, and more. Even clubs not directly related to the environment often have an environmental arm or focus area. For example, in the [Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative], I worked on a clean energy project, and the [Institute of Politics] Policy Program also covers environmental topics. Sustainability is really everywhere — very much like how AI’s become a discussion across all fields. I think, overall, the university especially does a solid job of giving students opportunities to explore sustainability, whether through research or active involvement.

Do you think Harvard is doing enough to promote sustainability? Or, what are some sustainable initiatives/programs/events on campus that you appreciate?

Joie: I definitely think working with CBE has allowed me to interact with real-world sustainability cases. I worked on a case about a tech product and also a battery storage one, examining solutions for renewable power generation — both directly related to environmental issues. CBE has exposed me to different industries and allowed me to interact with companies already making a large-scale impact. Not only have we worked with small startups focusing on more localized areas, but I've also had the opportunity to work with global companies and understand what climate advocacy and solutions look like at an international level.

Oliver: I come from an organizing background and, in high school, did a lot of activism work related to climate policy at the local, state, and national levels — mostly focusing on conservation. College and CBE has helped me see more of the environmental space. One of my cases for CBE, for example, explored emerging renewable technology and whether or not it would be viable in the current markets, for example. I learned a lot about technologies I didn't know existed, which I think is a very important piece of addressing climate change, considering the nebulous unknown of what could happen with technological innovation. And I think that the interactions and case experience I've gained through CBE has helped me see innovate and understand how these things are happening in the background, and even connecting to topics like using AI, which can create environmental waste, but also increase efficiency, facilitate emissions, track and validate missions, and so more — these are all things that I would not have necessarily came across on without CBE.

Sean: CBE has definitely impacted my perception of sustainability, and, more specifically, the practical element of it. Our previous semester’s industry report was focused on green urbanism — but we got to see interventions within green technology and green initiatives in general, barriers they face and so on… A key takeaway from that experience for me was that when designing these things, it's really important to focus not only on the potential impact, but also the feasibility of an initiative. A lot of times there's a lot of factors that you might not consider. For example, there'll be different [transportation-related] interventions in cities like Portland and Boston that have been widely successful, but then there's other cases to consider, for example a negative social perception of using public transport might dissuade usage. There are so many barriers that are quite invisible but also high impact… In addition to that, I think currently, I'm learning a lot more about how sustainability relates to finance and business through Green Fund, which is a lot about impact investing and how investments can be used for positive social good within sustainability.

Are there any go-to resources you rely on for staying updated on sustainability initiatives or climate news that you would recommend to other students?

Joie: Highly recommend Utility Dive and ESG Dive. They have a ton of different “dives,” like “MedTech Dive,” which I’m also subscribed to. It's basically a daily newsletter with top headlines in the sector, and it was super helpful for me when I was also recruiting. I definitely recommend it to students. I'm also subscribed to a few other climate-tech newsletters, which in general are always pretty insightful.

Sean: My industry report this semester is about [Environmental, social, and governance], and small medium enterprises, so for me, the Harvard Business School and the review that they post was actually really helpful, because they outline clear arguments to why questions. They’ve covered topics about the growing competitiveness of ESG, within private equity and opportunities for using investment as a very socially-minded tool. And that's also not really a source you would think of immediately for ESG perhaps, but it almost just proves how integrated [sustainability] is becoming. You could probably read about it in any big business review.

Lastly, if you could give one piece of advice to other people, or students who want to be more sustainable, what would it be?

Joie: Walk more. Eat less red meat!

Oliver: Be more observant. I only recently learned about the sustainability work behind HUDS (Harvard University Dining Services) after noticing some changes and having a conversation with someone who was very familiar with our dining system, which in general seems to be overlooked and viewed negatively on campus. It could even be as little as noticing how some places on campus don’t drain well when it rains and wondering why. Or, you might catch on to climate news and start asking, "Well, what is Harvard doing for sustainability?" Staying informed through literature, media, or classes also helps — I took a class on the ethics of climate change, and I think everyone should take something like that because morality and decision-making affect all of us, whether we care about climate change or not.

Sean: I think the biggest advice I would give is just to become acquainted with these topics and try to become more knowledgeable about them. This is coming from someone who did not study the environment or sustainability at all in high school… and now it's like a very big interest of mine. I think, if you get the chance, let's say you're in like, a big organization, and there's a sustainability related case, or assignment — just take it. Take that chance and try it out, because it's such a topical issue, and something that's only going to grow even more important as the years move forward.

We thank Joie, Oliver, and Sean for their wonderful contributions to this blog post. If you have any questions about CBE's sustainability pillar, please reach out to us at info@hucbe.org.