Author Archives: Fannie Koa

Tips for a greener move-in

 

It’s that time of year again when students begin looking at their belongings and wonder how they managed to drag so much stuff home last spring… and how they could possibly stuff it all back into boxes to bring back to school.

Move-in (as well as move-out) days may cause people to act less sustainably than they otherwise would. More items tend to get cast aside, left behind and thrown out because it might seem easier to buy new things upon arrival than transport them.

The Tufts Office of Sustainability has put together the Quick and Easy Steps to Moving in Green, a guide for anyone who is changing abodes. For instance, it encourages individuals to reuse or buy once-used furniture rather than buying new. Not only does this cut back on cost, but it saves resources and energy.  If one cannot avoid buying new rather than used items, consider buying Energy Star® rated products. Other green move-in tips include:

  • Bring reusable containers, utensils, water bottles, mugs, etc. to reduce waste and save money
  • Save trees and reduce pollution by purchasing recycled content paper and notebooks.
  • Exchange inefficient incandescent light bulbs for efficient CFLs.  Light bulbs can be exchanged at the Tufts  Office of Sustainabilityduring orientation, or through your Eco Rep-in-Residence, FOR FREE!

Visit our website for the complete guide for a Greener Move-In.

Communities benefit from Tufts Computer Donation Program

Tufts Community Relations (TCR) has been working with University Information Technology (UIT) for several years to donate computers to community agencies and schools.

The Tufts Computer Donation Program collects, cleans up and donates Tufts-owned computers that are less than five years old to the Grafton, Boston, and Medford/Somerville communities. Older computers are recycled via Tufts’ long-standing recycling program. Before donation, all computer hard drives are wiped and their operating systems  reinstalled. UIT then provides a list of available computers to TCR to identify organizations that would benefit from a donation.

Medford/Somerville faculty and staff with old computers to donate should go to Facilities’ website and ask to schedule a time for them to pick-up your old computer. If you work in Boston or Grafton, email computers4community@tufts.edu.   For more details, visit UIT’s website.

 


Aug 14: Medford Wind Turbine Tour

Ever wondered what the wind turbine off of Rt 93 looked like up close? This is your chance to find out.

Take a tour with the Medford Energy Department folks and hear about how it was built, listen to it whir and even peek inside! Friends/family are welcome. RSVP now!

The tour will begin at the McGlynn school, where we will first listen to a short presentation about the permitting and installation of the turbine, and then we will visit the turbine up close.

When: August 14, noon

Where: Meet at the Office of Sustainability or at the McGlynn School

Jul 10: Film showing of “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip”

YERTWhen: Tuesday, at noon

Where: Olin 011

Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road—traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage—to explore every state in America in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises.

The Office of Sustainability has sponsored a viewing of this film before and is excited to offer those who missed it during Earth Week an opportunity to watch this inspiring, eye-opening docu-comedy.

Read our film review or click here for more information on the film.

Jul 18: Webinar on Career Advice for the Environmental Industry

Looking for #career advice? Register today for our second @NAEP /APU complimentary webinar on career advice which will focus on how to build “The Perfect #Resume ” so that you can stand out in the #environmental industry. This session will bring experts to the table to provide a deep dive on resumes, hear perspectives from experienced HR and hiring managers as well as top career development experts in the industry who play active roles at the National Association of Environmental Professionals.

http://www.studyatapu.com/naep-webinars

This webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 – 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET. To register or for more information, please visit: http://www.studyatapu.com/naep-webinars. Register today or forward this opportunity to a friend.

http://www.studyatapu.com/naep-webinars

This webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 – 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET. To register or for more information, please visit: http://www.studyatapu.com/naep-webinars. Register today or forward this opportunity to a friend.

Summer Intern – Food to Fork (Boston, MA)

This internship will focus on assessing existing nutrition education and cooking programs in Boston with the aim of establishing a coordinated network of educators and programs across the City and ultimately, empowering residents to prepare healthy and nutritious meals for themselves and their families. The nutrition intern will have two principle responsibilities: investigate existing nutrition education and cooking classes in Boston, their intended audience, cost, and timeframe; propose a forum for knitting these programs together, identifying gaps in programming, and recommend a pathway for the Office of Food Initiatives to improve access to programming in Boston’s neighborhoods.

Contact: Edith Murnane  Food@cityofboston.gov

May 29, Jun 12, Jun 28: Free Urban Cycling Workshops (Cambridge, MA)

Considering biking to work? Free cycling workshops are being offered 6:30-7:30pm, on the following dates:

  • Tuesday May 29, Millers River Apartments, 669 Cambridge St. East Cambridge
  • Tuesday June 12, Andrew Peabody School, 70 Rindge Ave. North Cambridge
  • Thursday June 28, Central Square Library, 45 Pearl St. Cambridgeport

Questions, or want to RSVP? Email John Pelletier at jpelletier@cambridgema.gov

Tufts finishes 2012 Mass Commute Challenge with 981 miles

The Office of Sustainability would like to thank all 35 individuals who took part in the Bay State Bike Week Mass Commute Challenge last week! Tufts finished with 981 miles as a team (including 53 miles from the Medical Center in Boston).

Ken Olum on his recumbent bike, a Bacchetta Strada

Among those who took the challenge was Ken Olum from the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the School of Arts & Sciences. ”I live in Sharon, a bit over 25 miles from campus,” Ken told us over email.  ”Normally I bike to the Sharon train station, ride the train to South Station and the red line to Davis, and bike from there.  I bike nearly every day except when there’s snow or ice on the roads.”
For the MassCommute Challenge, Ken upped the ante. He didn’t feel comfortable doing 50 miles in one day, so he compromised by biking 23 miles from the Sharon commuter rail station to work last Thursday. He left his bike at Davis Square that night and went home by train. He then got a ride to the station the next morning, took the train to Davis Square, biked to work and then rode all 25 miles home on Friday evening. Kudos to Ken for finding a way to make it work!
The MassCommute Bicycle Challenge is the signature event of  Bay State Bike Week, Massachusetts’ annual state-wide bicycle commuting event which was held this year from May 14-20. Anyone who lives, works or attends school in the state can participate in the Challenge or any number of events going on around the state. For instance, Somerville hosted a commuter breakfast and several group rides.
The Office of Sustainability is giving away a 2012 Mass Commute t-shirt for the person who rode the most number of miles last week, so email us with your mileage totals so we can put you in the running for the shirt!

Don’t forget that you can earn rewards year-round thru NuRide! Whenever you avoid using a car—whether you walk, bike, telecommute, carpool, vanpool, take a subway, train, bus, ferry, or even work a compressed work week – you can earn 100 points per trip. Redeem the points for discounts or freebies at local and online establishments. (NuRide also offers a ride matching program that helps commuters quickly and securely find carpool partners.)

Team Miles Miles/Person Trips
Tufts University
928 26.5 406
 Tufts N.E. Medical Center 53 26.5 14

 

Summer intern, Teens Turning Green (Sausalito, CA)

Teens Turning Green is looking for interns to work in our Sausalito office over the spring and summer months. Interns will work on various projects being developed by this exciting, student driven non-profit. This will be a hands-on internship where your voice and participation will be essential to the direction and success of our projects!

Sample of intern responsibilities:

• The focus of this internship will be on developing the topics, resources, and structure for Project Green Challenge 2012 launching in October. Please reference projectgreenchallenge.com to check out PGC 2011.
• Student engagement: Opportunity to take a leadership role in building capacity and participation for Project Green Challenge with students across the country.
• Social Media outreach: Use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to disseminate information, build energy and participation in PGC and ultimately drive traffic to the TTG website so students can sign up.
• Event Coordination and Staffing: Assist with planning and staffing of promotional, fundraising and outreach events.

This internship requires a minimum commitment of 25 hours per week. Though unpaid, we will support you in receiving university or high school credit.

To apply, please attach your resume and a document (.doc or .docx) answering the following questions and email to info@teensturninggreen.org

Name:
Phone number:
Email Address:
School:
Year in school:
Do you own or have access to a car (or are you local to the Sausalito area)?

Please answer the following questions in approximately one page:

1. Statement of Purpose – Please explain why you are applying for an internship with Teens Turning Green and what you would hope to gain from this internship.

2. Experience and Skills – Please describe any past relevant experience or skills that you will bring to our projects (specifically PGC 2012).

3. Why are you a good fit for the internship?

4. Green background and goals – What issues/themes are important to you? In which specific areas of the sustainability movement are you or do you want to get more involved?

5. Who you are! – Tell us about yourself. Feel free to be creative!

 

Jun 20-22: Permaculture Your Campus Conference (UMass Amherst, MA)

The University of Massachusetts Amherst proudly announces the Permaculture Your Campus Conference held at the UMass Amherst campus June 20-22, 2012 with special keynote speaker Frances Moore Lappé, author of 18 books, including the 3-million copy Diet for a Small Planet.

At the international Permaculture Your Campus Conference, directors of the award-winning UMass Permaculture Initiative will give an introduction to permaculture in a campus setting and share the value that it has created for the University of Massachusetts system and local community. Participants will learn how to develop a successful permaculture initiative for their campus and will leave with their own individualized action plan for their own campus permaculture initiative.

For more details about the conference, check out our Info About the Conference page and our Conference Schedule page.

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