With its daylong MIT Environmental Research Forum held on December 15, 2011, the Environmental Research Council (ERC) fulfilled its charge from Provost L. Rafael Reif to "provide a detailed blueprint for building a strong environmental initiative" at MIT.

Coinciding with the Provost's December 7 release of the ERC Report: Implementing the MIT Global Environment Initiative, the forum brought to life the council's vision for a new approach to environmental problem solving--one that integrates MIT's "core strengths in scientific, engineering and social research to better understand the global environment and manage our role in it through technological and social innovation."