Category: sustainability tips (Page 3 of 4)

Finals Heat, Winter Needs, and Holiday Greets

Picture Credits: Tufts University

Stressed about finals? Excited about winter break? Procrastinating moving out? Have no fear! Follow our tips and tricks to handle your end-of-year stress in the most efficient and sustainable way!

Stay Toasty in a Sweater

Heaters use up a lot of energy. While we don’t encourage anyone to freeze in their rooms, remember to be conscious of how high your heat is turned up. Often times wearing a sweater or warmer clothes can help keep your dorm heating low while allowing you to be warm and cozy.

Closing Up When You Leave

Remember to shut all windows when you move out so that heat doesn’t escape the room. This helps save energy and money! Leave your heat setting to no.1- not on the snowflake- so the pipes don’t freeze. If your windows don’t close, be sure to put in a work order request before you leave!

Pull the Plug

Electronics and power cords run the risk of short circuiting or fuse bursting if left plugged in. Avoid any possibilities of mishaps and unplug all power chords and cables from sockets.

Gateway to Winter

Your mini-fridges can often get moldy and smelly if left shut and unplugged for a long time. Don’t forget to keep your fridge door open with a towel underneath to catch the melting ice.

Donate Instead of Waste

Finals are stressful. Often times we don’t want to take a second look at our books after we are done. If you already plan to get rid of your leftover paper, books, pens, and other materials, donate them. Someone else could benefit from your donations, and so will the environment!

Pizza Crusts and Coffee Mugs

Finals season calls for higher doses of caffeine and late-night snacks. If you are an avid beverage drinker, be mindful of the waste you generate. Reusable coffee mugs are a great way to reduce the number of visits you make to the trashcan.

While you enjoy snacks, and stock up on them in your dorms, composting leftovers is an effective way to dispose of your waste rather than throwing it in bins. Find composting tips and tricks from Facilities Services.

Santa in the Papers

Exchanging presents and goodies is a tradition for a lot of people this season. However, wrapping paper wastes a lot of plastic and is harmful to the environment. Get creative instead; wrap your presents in newspapers that are self-painted or designed. Your loved ones will appreciate the personal touch, and the environment will also be smiling!

 

The Office of Sustainability wishes everyone speedy finals and happy holidays! Remember to do your part in keeping your surroundings clean, green, and healthy.

Sustainable Winter Break

Classes have ended, finals are on the horizon, and everyone is dreaming of going home for the break as soon as their last final is over. But before you can go, there are some things you must do to winterize your dorm.
Remember to:

  • Close all of your windows.
  • Turn off all power strips and unplug everything from the wall.
  • Unplug your refrigerator and leave the door of the fridge open. Place a towel underneath the door to catch the melted ice.
  • Prevent food waste by eating or taking home all left-over nonperishable foods.
  •  Turn the thermostat to 1.

All of these simple things help Tufts reduce our energy consumption over break! Want more tips on how to have a sustainable winter break?

Sustainable winter break tips:

  •  Put on a sweater before turning up the heat.
  • Recycle any notebooks that you’re done with after your final.
  • Think about how your travel impacts the environment. Find more about sustainable travel from last week’s blog post.
  • Wrap your holiday presents in newspaper and reusable gift bags.
  •  Give sustainable presents. Check out some great gifts for everyone on your list here!
  •  Reduce your food waste during those big holiday dinners.
  •  If you have the opportunity, go adventure in the outdoors! Use your winter break to reconnect with your home and nature. Take a walk, go for a hike, swim, or ski. Take advantage of not having exams, homework, or meetings and get outside!

Congratulations on a great fall semester and good luck with finals! We wish you a very sustainable winter break!

Jetting Across the World; To Clean Skies and Green Fields

Opening my acceptance email to the DIS Copenhagen program was filled with squeals of excitement and happiness. A new city. A new culture. A new experience. I was ready. But what about sustainability efforts abroad? Tufts University does a fantastic job with their sustainability-related works on campus, and for the surrounding community. Here at Tufts we are constantly engaging in initiatives, organizing events, and highlighting content that builds awareness around our sustainability initiatives. Involving myself in sustainable initiatives and opportunities is an important factor for consideration during my semester abroad. I asked myself, How can one study abroad sustainably?

I researched programs and activities in Copenhagen, as well as fun facts about the city. Did you know that Copenhagen aims to be the world’s first carbon neutral city by 2025, and independent from fossil fuels by 2050! In a city that is so environment conscious, I decided to make a list of things I could do, and ways I can get involved, to continue my own efforts away from Tufts:

  1. Learning how to bike: every time I tried to cycle as a child, I ended up with multiple bruises and cuts. This year, I am going to commit to learning how to bike the right way!
  2. Using public transport: reducing gas emissions can reduce your carbon footprint. The public transport in and around Denmark is supposed to be really accessible, so it will be a great way for me to get around.
  3. Take part in sustainability initiatives: I plan to visit offshore windmill parks, heating plants, and urban gardens.
  4. Reform my food habits: learning how to eat like the locals, incorporate composting into my routine, reduce my meat consumption, and use reusable water bottles are more ways to do my part to reduce my impact while abroad.

In a city that has so much to offer, I want to make the most of this opportunity. I can learn about new sustainability methods to bring back to Tufts and ways to improve my own habits.

If you are looking for study-abroad programs that prioritize sustainability, find a list of program options here!

Green Travel

How are you traveling home this break? Have you thought about the environmental impacts of your holiday travel?

Here are a few tips to make your travel more sustainable:

1. Prepare before you go
Before you go make sure you unplug all electronics, close all windows, and turn down the heat. Also, try to finish any leftovers and take with you any perishable foods, so they don’t spoil while you’re gone.

2. Take public transportation
If you are not traveling too far, consider taking public transportation like buses and trains. Trains in the Northeast run on electricity and have lower carbon emissions. According to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, passenger trains produce 0.42 pounds of CO2 per passenger mile, compared to driving which produces 1.08 pounds of CO2 per passenger mile. Busses are even more efficient, producing 0.17 pounds of CO2 per passenger mile.

3. Carpool
If you live close enough to drive home, consider carpooling. Talk to your friends who live nearby and coordinate rides. Or, if you live in Massachusetts, Nuride is a great way to coordinate carpooling across the state.

4. If you are going 500 miles or less drive don’t fly
It is more efficient to drive, carpool, or take public transportation if you’re traveling 500 miles or less. Beyond those distances, taking a nonstop flight is the most efficient way to travel.

500 miles radius from Tufts.

5. Buy a carbon offset
If you live farther away and are flying home this break, consider buying a carbon offset for your travels. When you purchase one, offered by DeltaUnited Airlines, and other airlines, the airlines use that money to plant trees that sequester CO2 from the atmosphere.

6. Veg out
Did you know that becoming a vegetarian or vegan could cut your carbon footprint by half? A new report from the journal Climate Change found that cutting meat out of diets can drastically reduce an individual’s carbon footprint. If you’re not ready to eliminate all meat from your diet, then consider eating less meat. When traveling you’re likely producing more carbon emissions than normal, so one way to cut back on those emissions is to eat less meat!

7. Think about your impact
What is most important is that you are cognizant of how your actions have environmental impacts. One person thinking about sustainability won’t fix climate change, so share with those around you how you take steps to live a sustainable life. While you can only control your own actions, you can influence the actions and behaviors of others. This winter break lets all think about how to be more mindful of sustainability.

Want to read more about sustainable travel?

Smithsonian.org

MotherJones.com

WWF.org

Greenglobaltravel.com

The Silver Lining for Climate in Politically Uncertain Times

Content based on the 150th Environmental Studies Lunch and Learn given to professors, staff, and students at Tufts University. Every week during the academic year, the Lunch & Learn lecture series features speakers from government, industry, academia and non-profit organizations to give presentations on environmental topics. This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge beyond the curriculum, meet other faculty and students and network with the speakers.

Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are welcome to attend this lecture series, which is co-sponsored by the Tufts Institute of the Environment and the Tisch College of Civic Life.


Climate Strategy During the Trump Years
Kenneth Kimmell, President, Union of Concerned Scientists

The presidency of Donald Trump poses significant uncertainty about the extent to which the United States will continue to make progress on addressing climate change. Ken Kimmell will explore how the incoming administration might rollback policies that have been put in place to address climate change, and make it more difficult for future administrations to address the issue. He will also discuss the progress that is being made in states and regions of the country and the improving economics of clean energy. He will highlight the strategies that the Union of Concerned Scientists and others are likely to employ to limit the damage to our climate objectives and build upon the progress that is being made.

Like many of us, Ken Kimmell, the president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)—a leading science-based nonprofit that combines the knowledge and influence of the scientific community with the passion of concerned citizens to build a healthy planet and a safer world—see the “dark cloud” surrounding the new political climate; however, Mr. Kimmell is hopeful that its “silver lining” will come in the form of positive change from the people.

In his talk at Alumnae Lounge this March, Ken discussed the darkness in terms of threatened democracy and a “very confused citizenry.” The new administration has been riddled by what Mr. Kimmell refers to as a “factless presidency,” upheld by “alternative facts” and dominated by the belief that climate change is a hoax. Meanwhile, Congress is increasingly captive to special interests that wish to deregulate industries and thwart protection of the environment and human health. And, every day an increasing amount of fake news is published in the media, leading the public to lose trust in the institutions of media, government, and academia to try to “separate fact from fiction.”

At the same time, climate change continues to be a reality faced by many. The Paris Agreement, a global agreement between 197 signatory countries to address and reduce climate change, makes ambitious goals for the U.S. Kimmell explains that this agreement has not been ratified through the Senate and with the new administration’s determination to repeal and prevent climate policy, it will be a great challenge to meet the goals set by the Paris agreement. The administration’s “scorched earth” tactics to dismantle comprehensive climate policy create a long lasting impact on the viability of climate policy. These tactics work hand-in-hand with the government’s “censorship of science” to created what Mr. Kimmell refers to as “Climate Denial 3.0,” in which people do not argue whether or not climate change exists, but instead feel that this determination and proceeding action cannot be made before further “debate and dialogue.” There is a real possibility more funding will be granted to the fringe theories in this “continuing debate,” creating propaganda that sows doubt instead of producing policy upheld by over 20 years of federally-collected data on climate change.

While it may seem a bleak future for the climate movement, Kimmell sees a silver lining in “opportunities to resist, build power, broaden the environmental movement, and revitalize it.” He observes that with “lightning speed, resistance is forming.” People are ready and organizing to mobilize, protect, and expose injustice in changes to federal policy. He also sees the court room as a safety net built into our government, as its decisions and actions are based in factual evidence for actions taken. While the federal government is lagging behind in climate leadership, many cities and states are taking initiative to create climate strategies and goals for increased reliance on renewable energy, clean energy job creation, carbon pricing, cap and trade, zoning codes for smart growth, diversion of food waste, and investment in public transport.

With all this to contend with, what can we do as residents, citizens, students, and academics? Kimmell advises us to lead by example within our institutions, mentioning as an example UCS’s recent divestment from fossil fuels. Another way to make change is to join local movements of resistance and get more civically engaged, contacting your members of Congress and local representatives. There are also national opportunities to stand up in resistance, including the March for Science—focusing on how science and academia can publish, communicate, and engage to reach the groups who need their help—and the People’s Climate March—working to acknowledge the issues of climate, justice, and jobs—both of which are coming up at the end of April.

We have the power to make our voices heard on climate change—a universal issue that “reaches across all people, animals, and landscapes,” and impacts disproportionately the health and security of low-income communities and communities of color. It is important that the environmental movement work with environmental justice communities to elevate the priority of climate change and resist deliberate inaction and oppression collectively.

 

« Older posts Newer posts »