Tag: bicycle

2018 Spotlight Award from MassRIDES

At the recent president’s picnic, Carlos Robles from MassRIDES presented our own Shoshana Blank with our 2018 Spotlight Award.  MassRIDES is a program of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) that works to reduce traffic condition and improve air quality in the state through partnerships with employers, colleges, and universities.

The Spotlight Award is given to companies and organizations that offer and incentivize sustainable commuting options. Tufts University was given an honorable mention for our various efforts to promote public transportation, biking, and other sustainable forms of transportation.

Many employees, staff, and students commute to Tufts Medford, Boston, SMFA and Grafton campuses on a daily basis. Sustainable transportation helps reduce traffic congestion, improves air quality, and supports strong local and regional economies.

Not only is biking and taking public transportation a more sustainable way to commute, it can also be a much more peaceful and rewarding endeavor! A driven commute during rush hours in Boston be incredibly stressful, so why not take public transportation instead? Instead of being stuck in stop-and-go traffic, you could be on a bus reading a book, or on a bike releasing some stress-relieving endorphins.

So how do we promote and facilitate public transportation here at Tufts?

Getting the word out:

All new staff hired at Tufts go through an orientation to encourage sustainable commuting. There, they are provided with information on programs like Bay State Commute and MassRIDE’s Emergency Ride Home which offer reimbursements and incentives for taking public transportation, carpooling, and biking. The Office of Sustainability also hands out commuting brochures to new students at all graduate student orientations and at a number of undergraduate orientation events.

Tufts Initiatives to Promote Sustainable Commuting:

  • This year Tufts started offering all of its employees a 35% discount on their MBTA passes .
  • Tufts Bikes, a student-run bikeshare, has 30 bicycles available for rent to encourage biking. Bikes and helmets are checked out just like library books, and can be kept for up to 8 hours.
  • We have 11 Zipcars on campus and the annual membership is discounted for students, staff, and faculty.
  • Shuttles connect the Medford/Somerville campus to the Davis Square train station, as well as to our SMFA campus in the Fenway. Live tracking of our shuttles is available on the Tufts Mobile app.
  • Students at the SMFA campus can receive Lyft credits for a Safe Ride between campus buildings.

Resources for Sustainable Commuting:

  • Our Sustainable Commuting brochures for the BostonGrafton, and SMFA campuses highlight many of the commuter benefit programs available to Tufts employees as well as information on MBTA discounts offered through Tufts, carshare and ride matching programs, and several public transportation options and routes.
  • Our Bike Guide publication and website illustrate where cyclists can lock up, get their bikes fixed at the FixIt station, and shower on campus.
  • The Tufts Eco-Map is available online, in print, as well as on the Tufts Mobile app and Google Maps. It shows features such as EV charging stations, Zipcars, Hubway bikes, Tufts Bikes bikeshare, MBTA bus stops, and Tufts shuttle stops.

 

Various Positions, Hubway (Boston)

Join the team at Hubway and help to transform the way people get around the Boston metro area. Bicycle sharing is a convenient, fun and healthy transportation option that enhances urban livability and mobility. We are especially looking for bike mechanics (full-time, part-time, and/or on-call) and field bike technicians (checking on bikes out in the field). 

Learn more.

Biking Resources at Tufts

Whether you regularly pedal your way to work or are looking to take advantage of the warmer weather and incorporate biking into your routine, your biked miles can help you and your company, office, or school win prizes through Bay State Bike Week. Massachusetts is the only state with its own statewide bike week, and it starts in just over a week! From May 14th to May 22nd, events across Massachusetts will encourage and reward bike ridership and promote bike safety and awareness.

You can sign up as an individual to participate and compete, but you can also join the Tufts team through the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge. Last year Tufts cyclists logged over 900 miles during Bay State Bike Week – can we top that this year?

As you participate (and after!), check out these resources available on the Boston and Medford campuses:

  • Showers and changing rooms at 574 Boston Avenue (Medford)
  • Bike racks across campus (check locations on the Tufts Bike Map)
  • Bike safety tips (also available on the Tufts Bike Map)
  • A new bike repair station outside the Medford Campus Center
  • Tufts Bikes offers a free bike share as well as mechanic hours
  • Hubway bike rental throughout the city, including locations near the Tufts campuses
  • Join NuRide, a program which rewards you for finding more sustainable ways to travel and commute

Know of any bike resources we’ve missed? Tweet them to us — @GreenTufts !

Transportation Intern, Cambridge Community Development Department

Deadline: September 18th

The selected candidate will be responsible for a wide variety of tasks with a focus on transportation with work on the bicycle program, bike share, traffic calming program, bicycle/pedestrian studies, and other areas as needed. In addition, the candidate will provide basic administrative support to these programs and other activities as needed in the division. Learn more.

Bike Week + Eco-Reps Application + More!

Can you believe it’s already March? In case you haven’t figured out what to do yet next week, consider going green for spring break. Then after everyone gets back, the Office of Sustainability and Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) will be holding TIE Bicycle Generatora Get Green and Get on a Bike” event at the Mayer Campus Center during open block on March 27th, Wednesday. You will be able to test a folding bike, get a free tune-up for your bike, pick up a new bike map (developed especially for conquering the hilly Medford/Somerville campus), and more! Make sure to look out for BiciGen, TIE’s bike generator, coming soon to a place near you on campus. You can take a spin and charge your phone at the same time.

Engineering students should know that an Environmental Science and Policy minor has just been approved! Check the Environmental Studies department website for more information over the coming weeks.

TuftsEcoRepsIf you are living on campus next year and would like to be involved in sustainability, consider applying to be an Eco-Rep for the 2013-2014 school year. The Tufts Eco-Reps are a group of residential students who help to raise awareness about ecological issues, encourage environmentally responsible behavior among their hall mates and peers, and plan related events and activities. Meet all of our current Eco-Reps here.

As always, you can get the latest from the Office of Sustainability by following us on Twitter (@TuftsOOS) and Facebook (Tufts Office of Sustainability). We are already planning for Earth Fest for the last week in April. Let us know if you want to get involved.

 

Interested in getting our newsletter? Sign up on our homepage. (About halfway down on the right, “Subscribe to our mailing list”.) We publish once every two weeks.

Stay Green!
Tufts Office of Sustainability