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Tufts finishes 2012 Mass Commute Challenge with 981 miles

May 21, 2012 – 5:57 pm

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

 

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Tisch Library receives the first Green Office Gold Certification

May 10, 2012 – 4:12 pm

Carol Ellis accepts the certificate for Tisch Library

This spring, the Office of Sustainability finally  launched a new program to recognize, support and promote offices that are engaging in sustainable practices.

The Green Office Certification program has four levels of certification allowing offices to be recognized for their current conservation actions, while still providing a goal to work towards (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum). On Tuesday, May 8th, at the annual luncheon for Eco-Ambassadors, four offices were awarded a certificate that will be displayed in their office to reflect ongoing efforts in energy reduction, waste conservation and sustainable purchasing.

Congratulations to the Tisch Library for being the first office to achieve Gold level Green Office Certification, and to the Department of Environmental and Population Health, Ginn Library at the Fletcher School and Tufts Renewable Energy & Applied Photonics (REAP) Labs for achieving the Bronze level of office sustainability!

If your office or deparment would like to participate and begin the process of Green Office Certification, just follow this link! Any office or department on all three campuses can participate. Every year, your office can resubmit the survey to evaluate improvements made in the workplace and help Tufts University become a more sustainable campus!

Good luck! We cannot wait to award more Green Office certificates.

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Tufts wins 2012 Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO)

May 9, 2012 – 6:22 am

Every year, MassCommute and MassDOT recognizes employer’s efforts toward making a more sustainable Massachusetts at the Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards. Tufts University was named a Pinnacle employer at the 2012 Massachusetts ECO Awards last month.

Tufts' 2012 Pinnacle Award

There are three levels of recognition depending on the number of  transportation benefits programs an employer offers: Pacesetter (at least 4), Leader (at least 7) and Pinnacle.

Tufts was recognized in last year’s ECO Awards as a Leader and moved up this year to become a Pinnacle employer.

The Office of Sustainability would like to thank in particular our sustainability advocates in  Human Resources, Public Safety, and Facilities for supporting the initiatives that made it possible to win the ECO Award.

Below is a list of transportation benefits that Tufts offers:

Pacesetter (entry level) – Tufts offers 6 of 7 options

  • Offer & promote the Statewide Ridematching system (NuRide – currently 38 members from Tufts, slowly increasing)
  • On-site bicycle parking
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Hold one commuter transportation event per year
  • Commuter information and transit schedules in a centralized location
  • Commuter information in new hire packets

Leader level (Tufts got this last year) – Tufts offers 7 out of 15 options

  • Guaranteed/Emergency Ride Home Program
  • Commuter tax benefits (pre-tax)
  • Preferential vanpool or carpool parking spaces (now available in Dowling garage thanks to Louis Galvez and Shiela Chisholm at Public Safety!)
  • Provide a team for the Bay State Bike Week/MassCommuter Bike Challenge - currently 33 participants and counting!
  • Provide on-site bicycle repair and/or maintenance (fix a flat) supplies (through Tufts Bikes)
  • On-site amenities (food service, dry cleaning, ATM/bank, child care, news stand, or other relevant service) (Tufts offerings are in italics)
  • Showers and lockers for employees (in the gym and a few select locations on campus)

Pinnacle (top level) – Tufts offers 4 out of 9 options

  • Shuttles from transit stations, either employer-provided or through a local TMA or similar service provider (the Joey)
  • Subsidized membership in a carsharing program (Zipcar)
  • Secure bicycle parking (cage or lockers) – currently only in the garage
  • Subsidized bicycle sharing membership (Tufts is FREE!)

 

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Re2Pack, food for the summer and the MassCommute Bike Challenge

May 7, 2012 – 9:25 pm

With commencement only two weeks away, you are probably (a) taking finals and writing papers, (b) preparing for commencement, or (c) moving off campus for the summer or (boohoo!) for good.

We can’t offer you much help with the first two things but if you are indeed moving off campus, you should know that TuftsRecycles has a list of things that they collect for recycling, among them: books and school supplies, carpets, crutches and air casts, electronics, clothing and linens, hangers, and unopened cans of food. Look for the proper boxes in the dorms and check the TuftsRecycles website for more details.

World Peas CSADo the CSA folks miss their fresh organic vegetables? I know I do. Most local farmers’ markets won’t start for a few more weeks (usually after Memorial Day). Download a schedule of farmers’ markets near Tufts from our website to look for one near you. In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for the summer CSA with World PEAS, a program of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project sponsored by Community Teamwork Inc. and the Freidman School of Nutrition.

Don’t forget - the 2012 Bay State Bike Week is going on from May 14-20 and you can still register and help Tufts win the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge. Tufts’ total miles wentfrom 130 to 537 in a week but we are still a distant 4th behind BU. Come on, Jumbos! If you signed up, contact us at the Office of Sustainability. We have a few t-shirts to give away. (Supplies limited)

Best of luck and enjoy the sunshine!

Fannie
- Communications & Outreach Specialist, Tufts Office of Sustainability

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Bay State Bike Week is coming up! Help Tufts win the Mass Commute Challenge

May 2, 2012 – 9:23 pm

bay state bike weekThe gloomy weather may not encourage you to go outside today, but have a look at the 10-day forecast, savor that long row of numbers in the 60s, and dust off your bicycle: the 2012 Bay State Bike Week is going on from May 14-20! Presented by MassDOT and MassBike, this “annual celebration of human-powered, two-wheeled transportation” is full of local eventsfrom organized rides, film screenings, scavenger hunts, etc., making Massachusetts the only state in the nation with a truly statewide bike week.

You can also register and help Tufts win the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge, a competition open to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Massachusetts. Simply pledge to bike for all or part of Bay State Bike Week and let’s get Tufts on theleaderboard this year. Look at the real-time stats to see how we’re doing against our competitors. MIT is leading now and we’re 5th. Come on, register now! Prizes will be raffled off at the Bike Bash wrap up party.
If you still need convincing to get on that bike, have a look at this infographic shared by Tufts Bikes.

Let’s get rolling!

Fannie

- Communications & Outreach Specialist, Tufts Office of Sustainability

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Campus Sustainability Council update: Waste Working Group

April 30, 2012 – 3:13 pm

Since the beginning of March, the three Working Groups of the Campus Sustainability Council have been meeting to discuss the current state of energy/emissions, water, and waste policies and practices at Tufts, and to create new policy measures in these areas.

The Waste Working Group met for the first time on March 12th and reviewed its roles and responsibilities, which include collaborating to create university-wide solid waste reduction/avoidance goals, presenting goals to the main Council for feedback and approval, and creating strategies to meet the goals, including implementation planning.

The group reviewed how Tufts manages its waste as well as consumption data. They learned that causes of waste output variations are usually hard to determine but that waste increases noticeably during a strong economy and times of high consumption, and that reduced consumption and reusing materials could impact waste output considerably. The group reviewed the waste breakdown for the past several years on the Boston and Medford campuses. Finally, the group looked into strategies for waste reduction. The waste management hierarchy follows, from most preferred to least preferred:

  • Source reduction and reuse
  • Recycling/composting
  • Energy recovery
  • Treatment and disposal

In the second meeting, the Waste Working Group decided to break down into smaller sub-groups, and the third meeting was spent working within those groups. The groups, along with their objectives, are:

  • Waste Management
    • To identify gaps and weaknesses in current waste management and address gaps, and to achieve uniformity in waste management practices wherever possible
    • Group will cover practices and metrics
  • Source Reduction
    • Group will impact waste reduction and responsible choices through purchasing contracts and client interface
  • Labs and Hospitals
    • Group will focus on laboratory and hospital waste management including animal facilities
  • Marketing and Education
    • Group will raise the level of awareness for waste reduction across all Tufts communities through behavior change

The working group members are now in the process of brainstorming goals and areas of policy change within their subgroups. Once this process is complete, the sub-groups will discuss their findings and the Waste Working Group will make a report to the Sustainability Council. The working group is co-chaired by Gretchen Kaufman, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Medicine in the Department of Environmental and Population Health and Director of the Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and Dawn Quirk, Waste Reduction Program Manager in Tufts Facilities Services.

As always, Tufts community members are welcome to add their own suggestions for the working group through the easy, on-line form available on the Office of Sustainability’s website.

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Campus Sustainability Council update: Energy/Emissions Working Group

April 20, 2012 – 6:42 pm

Since the beginning of March, the three Working Groups of the Campus Sustainability Council have been meeting bi-weekly to discuss the current state of energy/emissions, water, and waste policies and practices at Tufts, and to create new policy measures in these areas.

The Energy/Emissions Working Group met for the first time on March 15th and reviewed its roles and responsibilities, which include reviewing current energy usage and emissions, existing initiatives and goals, as well as creating recommendations for goals and implementation plans to present to the Campus Sustainability Council.

The group reviewed Tufts’ institutional commitments to energy and emissions reduction including the 1990 Talloires Declaration and Tufts Environmental Policy, the 1999 Climate Change Commitment to follow the Kyoto Protocol and reduce carbon dioxide levels to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012, and the 2003 New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan with the goal to be 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 75-85% below 2001 levels by 2050. The members also learned that many energy-saving initiatives at Tufts are already underway, including:

  • Occupancy sensors in most rooms on campus
  • Daylight sensing/dimming, lighting & controls
  • Ongoing technology updates include LED lighting
  • Equipment efficiency
  • State of the art boiler controls and boiler upgrades
  • Retro-commissioning of buildings
  • Heat-recovery programs
  • Energy Star vending machines & vending misers
  • Free CFL bulb exchange
  • IT upgrades (LCD screens, laptops)
  • Solar panels on Sophia Gordon Hall, Schmaltz House, Fairmount House
  • Management- Residence Hall winter break shut-down
  • Behavior modification
  • LEED Certification
  • Fuel Switching from oil to gas
  • Renewable energy such as solar and geothermal

The working group members discussed the differences between Tufts’ campuses energy use and emissions, life-cycle costing, ways to evaluate proposed solutions and appropriate metrics for evaluation. The group is in the final stages of assessing the current state of energy and emissions at Tufts and will soon move on to metrics and goal setting. The working group is co-chaired by Ann Rappaport, Lecturer at Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Betsy Isenstein, Director of Facilities Technical Services.

As always, Tufts community members are welcome to add their own suggestions for the working group through the easy, on-line form available on the Office of Sustainability’s website.

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Film Review: YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip)

April 20, 2012 – 10:49 am

50 States. 1 year. One planet to save.

Are we doomed?

You could panic…
or you could watch
this guy and this guy and this girl
panic for you.

- from the YERT trailer

Last night, I was gratified to finally attend one of the events we have been promoting incessantly for Earth Week: the film screening of “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip” sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program and the Office of Sustainability.

It was a delightfully funny, engaging and eye-opening experience. Billed as a docu-comedy, YERT follows producer Mark Dixon, director Ben Evans and his stalwart wife Julie Dingman Evans in a “year-long eco-expedition through all 50 United States.” They packed their belongings into a Ford Escape Hybrid named Rachel (in honor of Rachel Carson) which is shown getting 44 mpg on the film. They started in Pittsburgh and carried all their garbage around the country from July 4, 2007 to 2008, interviewing over 800 people.

Unlike many films about the environment, YERT is far from depressing. Mark and Ben, being old college buddies, were especially goofy together – injecting a large dose of humor into even the most serious interviews. They put together funny skits to liven up conversations. They challenged themselves not to create more trash each month than a cereal box can hold. They slept in a cave, a VW eco-bus/hotel room, and of course, an actual yurt.

The film did not sugar-coat or avoid big issues; instead, it balanced the good news and bad news stories extremely well. Who knew that there is a guy in Idaho working on Solar Roadways, a project to harness the sun’s energy by replacing asphalt and concrete surfaces with solar panels? Or that worm poop is one of the best things that could ever happen to your garden?

I really enjoyed watching the team do their corn challenge in Iowa and visit unusual places like the City Museum in Missouri filled entirely with salvaged/repurposed objects. They also visited Terracycle plant in New Jersey, and massive wind farms in West Texas.

The Earthship Education Facility

I was especially inspired that so many people – real, regular, everyday folks – all around the country are bravely trying to effect change in their own way. We are introduced to several fascinating characters – the “Lunatic Farmer” Joel Salatin (whom we recognized from Food Inc. and now has his own film, Fresh) and the architect of a self-powered green house called “EarthShip.”  My heart went out to the man in West Virginia who refused to move from his family home of 300 years, whose fight against the coal mining companies cost him his marriage (his wife was not a fan of getting shot at).

I was impressed that the film raised some key issues – questioning the model of infinite economic growth and how the American way of life has so successfully enabled individual independence at the expense of a sense of community. It’s no surprise to me that YERT has won so many awards. I highly recommend catching a screening soon – Tisch Library has a copy. Don’t pass up the chance to watch this very entertaining and inspiring film!

In the meantime, you can watch any of the 60 short films or YERTpods on their website. Here’s the trailer again, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

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It’s Earth Week! What are you doing to celebrate?

April 19, 2012 – 4:44 pm

Earth Week has finally arrived! Are you ready to celebrate the beauty that surrounds us and attend some awesome events? This week is stock-full of exciting programs, lectures, conferences, and festivals all focused on one topic: our earth and how we can keep it (and us) healthy!

While there are events throughout the week, the main Earth Day event on campus,Tufts Sustainability Collective‘s annual Earth Fest, will be held on Friday, April 20th from 1-5pm on the Academic Quad! Stop by to partake in fun eco-friendly activities including a clothing swap by the Eco Reps, a Student Action Squad BYOShirt tie-dye; a composting workshop; plant-your-own seeds by Tom Thumb’s Garden, and of course delicious free food! There will be live music and a wide variety of info booths. Come one, come all – let’s have some outdoor fun learning about and celebrating the earth!

Set aside some time for your planet this weekend, whether you attend the Tufts Energy Conference, go to a screening of YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip, or listen to Professor Moomaw’s lecture on climate change. Should none of these events catch your eye, just take a step outside and enjoy nature’s springtime splendor – you just might be inspired to “green” your life.

-Anne Elise Stratton

Communications Intern, Tufts Office of Sustainability

 

P.S. Don’t know how you’re going to keep this multitude of environment-related events straight? Luckily, we’ve added them all to our Environmental Calendar, located on the Office of Sustainability website. The front page of our website and our blog also have detailed event information, as always.

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Eco-Reps visit local wind turbine

April 12, 2012 – 1:08 pm

Last Monday, the Tufts Eco-Reps (along with a few Eco-Ambassadors and staff members who graciously offered to give us a ride) took a field trip to the wind turbine site at McGlynn Middle School in Medford… a mere three miles from the Tufts campus! If you’ve ever driven down I-93 or the Mystic Valley Parkway, it’s hard to miss the towering 150-foot-high structure next to the Mystic River. The renewable energy icon was officially unveiled back in January 2009 but has already generated upwards of 250,000 kWh of energy since it became operational 3 years ago.

Tufts students and staff members visit Medford wind turbine site at McGlynn Middle School

Northern Power Systems, the electrical engineering company that built and manages the turbine, provides real-time data of the turbine’s total energy production, saved energy costs, and even the current rotor speed! Our hosts, Carey Duques, Director of Energy and Environment for the City of Medford, and Alicia Hunt, Medford Energy Efficiency Coordinator, explained thatteachers at McGlynn Middle School have incorporated hands-on lessons from the turbine into their classroom curriculum in order to teach students the benefits of community wind. Although the project faced opposition from those fearing it would be an eyesore, a Medford clean-energy committee worked on the project for three years and was able to raise nearly $650,000 in grant money to pay for the turbine. The project has a payback period of 5-7 years with a carbon emissions offset of 133 tons per year. Read the case study about this exciting innovation in renewable energy in our very own community.

On a national level, there is good news from the US Department of Energy (DOE) – last week, the Obama Administration announced an agreement to streamline offshore wind development in the Great Lakes. The DOE also awarded more than $5 million for advanced fuel cell research and $10 million for promoting zero-emission vehicles.

If you are interested in exploring more topics related to energy, The 2012 Tufts Energy Conference is being held on campus next week from April 20-21. Register here. We hope to see you at Cabot Center next week!

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