Category: sustainability tips (Page 2 of 4)

Tips for a Sustainable Move-In

July 24, 2018 / / 16 Comments

With August fast approaching, it is getting to be that time of year when students start thinking about moving in to their Tufts residence for the upcoming school year!

Whether you are a returning student or a incoming first-year student, the Office of Sustainability has a few tips to make your move-in a greener one! Read on for details, and some PSAs from our Recycling Fellow.

Only Bring What You Need

This one is self-explanatory, but it’s an important one! The less you bring, the less packaging you’ll waste. In addition, it may be one less box to ship if you’re moving in from far away.

At the end of the year, so many items are left behind during move-out, which may signify that students are bringing/purchasing too many unnecessary items.

Wait On Big Purchases

Definitely wait to check-in with your room/house-mates about bringing large items to campus. If you wait to discuss logistics, you may be able to split the costs for many purchases and save a lot of money.

Additionally, you may be able to find more affordable options for some dorm room items once you get to campus (see below).

Buy Used

Don’t miss out on the second annual Blue and Brown Pass It Down Sale hosted by Tufts Green House! Many items collected during the Spring Move-Out will be available to purchase at the lowest prices around. This is a great place to get lamps, rugs, hangers, and other items you might need for your dorm room.

Additionally, Tufts Buy/Sell/Trade is a private Facebook Group for those with tufts.edu email addresses to exchange items, where many useful items are often posted.

Ditch Cardboard Boxes

Why use a cardboard box when you could use items you need to bring with you anyways, such as backpacks, duffel bags, suitcases, laundry bins and other containers. Not only will you reduce waste, you’ll also save space!

If you need to use cardboard boxes (if you are shipping items, for example), consider breaking them down and storing them under your bed until move-out. View the Recycling Fellow PSA below about cardboard box recycling for more reasons to ditch the boxes.

Replace Your Lightbulbs

Bring any incandescent lightbulbs to the Office of Sustainability at 550 Boston Ave and we will replace them with LED light bulbs, free of charge.

This is a part of an effort to reduce energy emissions from Tufts campuses. LED lights last much longer than incandescent lightbulbs, but are often much pricier. Definitely take advantage of this sweet deal!

Recycling Fellow PSAs:

Please bring any recyclables associated with your move-in to a recycling dumpster. There will be signs indicating the locations of the nearest dumpster to each dorm. You can also view our online Eco-Map for outdoor recycling locations.

If you have any questions about what can or can’t be recycled, please ask one of the Eco-Reps who will be walking around the dorms.

Please do not discard cardboard boxes in any location in the dorms. You must bring broken down cardboard boxes to the nearest recycling dumpster (locations will be indicated on signs posted in each dorm). If you don’t bring or discard cardboard boxes you won’t have to make this trek, as an added incentive to follow our tips above!

Plastic bags and film cannot be recycled through the regular recycling stream. Please do not place these in the recycling dumpsters. Look out for signage regarding designated bins for plastic film recycling.

 

Text: "Four quick tips for a plastic free life" with icons of a reusable bag and a plastic bottle with a line going through it.

4 Ways To Eliminate Plastic From Your Life

July 20, 2018 / / 3 Comments

 

According to a National Geographic article, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been created since manufacturing of the material began six decades ago. The article also estimates that 91% of all plastic consumed around the world is not recycled.

As you may have seen on social media,  many people have attempted to avoid using plastic products completely for the month of July, as a part of Plastic-Free July. Although July is coming to an end, that does not mean that we should abandon the effort to reduce our plastic consumption.

Here are just a few small changes you can make to reduce your consumption of plastic on a daily basis:

Ditch Bottled Beverages and Disposable Cups:

According to a 2017 article, “a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.”  That comes down to around 20,000 plastic bottles every second! Not only is using a reusable mug or water bottle a great way to reduce plastic consumption, it may also save you some money. Many coffee shops and other stores offer discounts to those who bring their own bottles and mugs.

Bring Your Own Bag

As with reusable mugs and bottles, bringing your own reusable bag to grocery stores often gets you a discount. To take a step further, you can also purchase reusable mesh bags for produce instead of using the plastic bags available in the produce section of grocery stores.

Buy In Bulk

Buying in bulk is not always feasible if you do not have many mouths to feed in your home. As an alternative, many grocery stores have bulk sections where you can purchase items like grains, nuts, spices and dried fruits from bulk bins in the exact quantities that you need. Bringing your own container and measuring out the exact amount of an item you need is a great way to eliminate both packaging waste and food waste – because are you really going to use up that large container of cardamom you bought to make curry that one time?

Use Reusable Utensils

Whenever possible, try bringing your own utensils and plates to events and meetings where food may be served. For packed lunches, you could invest in a reusable sandwich or snack bag to replace single-use plastic bags. You could even try out beeswax wrap, an alternative to plastic wrap!

Summer Sustainability On-The-Go

April 30, 2018 / / 0 Comments

It’s the last day of classes, which means summer is around the corner. It is a time for traveling, whether you’re going home or you’re off to somewhere new. To make your trip more sustainable, be conscious about planning before you leave.

  1. Packing: Bring reusable utensils, tupperware, water bottles, shopping bags. Our sustainable packing video has great tips and tricks to make packing for break easy and sustainable!
  2. Moving Out: The items you do not wish to bring home with you do not necessarily belong in the landfill. Donate or recycle clothes, books, plastic bags, electronics and more at our Move Out stations. Find more information on our website. 
  3. Leaving: Unplug all electronics, close all windows, turn down the heat, and eat or pack your perishable foods.
  4. Travelling: Take public transportation like busses and trains, carpool, and avoid flying less than 500 miles, and buy a carbon offset if you can.

500 miles radius from Tufts.

5. Enjoy: Feast on locally sourced dishes and treat your destination with respect.

What to pack for spring break

March 14, 2018 / / 1 Comment

Are you traveling next week? Remember to pack these items to reduce waste on your trip!

Eating: Bring a fork, spoon, and knife. Or, to save space, bring a spork or chopsticks! Make sure you only bring a knife in your checked luggage. In addition, bring a few cloth napkins – they double as handkerchiefs.

Drinking: Definitely remember to pack a reusable water bottle. You may even want a travel mug for coffee and tea, too.

Transporting: Once you’re done eating, you’ll need Tupperware for leftovers. Carry the Tupperware and your Tufts Office of Sustainability reusable sandwich bag in a reusable shopping bag.

Toiletries: Invest in small reusable containers to bring small amounts of shampoo, sunscreen, and face wash on your trip instead of buying the travel size toiletries. Also, pack a wash cloth and a menstrual cup.

 

Last, but not least, bring mindfulness about your waste and consumption on your trip! As a visitor, treat your destination with respect.

Bring Home Sustainability

December 18, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Congratulations, you finished the semester! You’re done with finals and are heading home for winter break. We know that before you left campus, you made sure to unplug all of your electronics, turn the heat down to 1, and close all of your windows.

You’re officially ready to leave for break, but don’t forget about sustainability while you’re at home. While at school, we are often shielded from a lot of the waste that is created on our behalf. In the dining halls, we often don’t see all of the packaging that goes into food production and all of the food waste at the end of meals. At home, we can be more aware of the waste we produce.

How to bring sustainability home with you:

Remember to recycle!

At home, it can be easy to put all waste into the trash bin. So, remember all of the good recycling habits that you learned at Tufts and bring them home with you. Always sort your waste into bins destined for the landfill or recycling.

Care to compost!

At Tufts, the Eco-Reps take out compost from the dorms, but at home, there might not be a city-wide composting program. If you don’t, talk to your family starting your own compost pile at home. When food waste is sent to the landfill, it releases methane gas. When food waste is recycled to form fertile soil. Learn more about how to create a compost at home from the EPA.

Reduce your food waste.

Holiday meals are notorious for their large spreads of food. Make sure you eat what you can and that you save any leftovers. Read more tips for a sustainable, food-centric holiday from our Thanksgiving blog.

Think before you buy!

Have you ever thought about how much energy, labor, water, and raw materials go into everything that you buy? Before buying new, try reusing what you already have, or buy used and save money. Watch The Story of Stuff to learn more about the life cycle of some of our most used goods.

Be wary of plastic packaging! 

Plastic film cannot be recycled and is used in many single-use items. Before you buy something in plastic wrapping, try looking for a bulk size to cut down on packaging waste or find a similar item that’s not wrapped in plastic.

Make sustainability your New Year’s resolution!

In 2018, commit to being more sustainable and taking steps to reduce your environmental impact. Read some great tips for how to live more sustainably from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Bring on the sweater weather!

Put on a sweater before turning up the heat. Save energy in your home by keeping the temperature down, and if you get chilly, then put on a sweater and some cozy socks before turning up the heat.

Connect and engage!

Being home is a great time to reconnect with your family, friends, and community. Share your passion for sustainability with your communities at home. Here are some tips for .

Enjoy your time off from lectures, exams, and projects, but don’t forget about your environmental impact and responsibilities. Enjoy a restful and sustainable winter break!

 

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