Month: April 2015 (Page 1 of 2)

Are you ready for Bay State Bike Week?

April 30, 2015 / / 26 Comments

Bay State Bike Week

From May 9th-17th, Massachusetts will be celebrating Bay State Bike Week. Every May, residents across Massachusetts come together in celebration of human-powered, two-wheeled transportation. This is Bay State Bike Week. From Cape Cod to the Berkshires and everywhere in between, participants organize events like film screenings, bike breakfasts, festivals, and more, to have fun while encouraging new riders and raising awareness about bicycle transportation. Bay State Bike Week is a partnership between MassBike, MassDOT, and MassRIDES, in collaboration with local advocacy leaders, bike shop owners, and anyone else who likes seeing others go by bike. Massachusetts is currently the only state that hosts a statewide bike week. Each year, Bay State Bike Week raises awareness about cycling as an alternative form of transportation, a sustainable commuting option, and a fun form of exercise.

Safety Information

  • Smart Cycling Tips from the League of American Bicyclists
  • Go by Bike: A Guide to Bicycling in Massachusetts (English) (Spanish)
  • What Every Parent Should Know (English)
  • Child Safety Flyer (English)
  • Same Roads Same Rules Spoke Cards: These contain handy safety tips and can be handed out to both cyclists and motorists. (English) (Spanish)

There are many ways you can get involved with Bay State Bike Week:

mcbc2015MassCommute Bicycle Challenge:  Sign up to ride for the Tufts Team and log your miles daily (simply select Tufts University as your team when you register)! Awards and Prizes will be given to the team that logs the longest commutes, highest number of cyclists, and largest total mileage among others. Participate in daily raffles for registering, and compete for individual accolades as well. Registration is completely free. If you’re using social media, be sure to post using the hashtag #MCBC2015. The Office of Sustainability will be providing updates throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also log your miles on NuRide for the chance to win these great prizes including: Dunkin Donuts Gift Cards, The North Face Backpack, Smith Optics Helmet, Zipp Bike Wheels, Sram Bike Accessories, and a Park Tool Bike Workstand.

Bike Fridays (Boston Metro Area): On Bike Fridays, you can join a bike commuter convoy from one of dozens of locations throughout the Boston metro area. Safe guided convoys with experienced ride leaders will follow a fixed schedule and route and finish together at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Because you rode your bike, you’ll get a free breakfast and coffee courtesy of Boloco, set to music amid an expo at City Hall Plaza. Join a convoy, or just show up for the fun at City Hall Plaza. Registration is free.

  • April 24th
  • May 15th – Boston Bike Week Festival!
  • June 26th
  • July 24th
  • August 28th

Bike Bash (Wednesday, May 27th): The Bike Bash is the event wrap up party which celebrates the conclusion of the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge! All Challenge participants are invited to join in on the celebration. The Bash is an opportunity to acknowledge and award our winning teams and all of our wonderful riders! It’s also a chance to raffle off all of the drawing prizes that have been donated by sponsors.

Visit the Bay State Bike Week event calendar for a list of statewide events and check out the Somerville Beat Guide to Cycling in the City.

Hubway at Tufts - Packard Avenue

Hubway at Tufts – Packard Avenue

For more information regarding biking at Tufts, visit our biking at Tufts web page.

Sustainability Takes a Village

April 22, 2015 / / 19 Comments

In the media lately there has been a lot of talk about divesting from fossil fuel companies. I applaud this. It’s important to use all the tools in the toolbox to stem the rising tide (pun intended) of climate change. However, divestment today will not change the way buildings are built tomorrow, the types of zoning regulations adopted, how food is grown or clothes are made. The reality is that change is a long, slow process. Some of the things we think have happened quickly, like the adoption of smart phones, have actually taken a decade to reach a 10% global penetration rate.

While a shrinking fossil fuel industry will impact energy costs, which in turn will lead to changes in purchasing decisions on a larger level (e.g. what type of power plant to build) and at a more personal level (e.g. what type of car to buy, whether or not to buy a car at all), and will eventually decrease greenhouse gas emissions, these changes take time.

In that intervening time, between the eventual collapse of the fossil fuel industry and now, change still needs to happen in the way it always has – by individuals making decisions in their daily lives. By office managers who change what is purchased by their department, by building project managers who decide to hire a company experienced in LEED buildings, by students who take the train to their internship instead of driving. By people making choices every day that can change something lasting, like how buildings are conceived and built, or something habitual, like how to get around.

So while it is tempting to focus all our energy on a single cure to a problem, we, as individuals, need to be prepared for the long and often tedious business of waking up every day and making decisions that will, over time, lead to change. This takes strength, stamina, and a lot of self-motivation and hope. It lasts more than three days or three months and is, most of the time, inglorious and unappreciated.

Campaign finance reform, fossil fuel subsidies, investment decisions – these are all things that need to change, but we also need enthusiasm and passion to make local changes, the ones that will make a difference in the immediate future and reduce our emissions now. The people and actions highlighted in the sustainability progress report released today are doing those things. They have taken the time and effort, often above and beyond what is required of them, to make Tufts a better, more sustainable place. We applaud them and thank them with all our hearts, for we recognize that what they do is not easy but is very, very necessary.

Tufts Sustainability Program Intern – Academic Year (2015-16)

April 17, 2015 / / 18 Comments

Position Description:

The Tufts Office of Sustainability is seeking a student intern to assist with day-to-day office activities and projects, such as planning and gathering materials for events and creating documents and outreach materials. The program intern will also help support office programs such as the student Eco-Reps, employee Eco-Ambassadors, and the Green Office Certification program. The student will be expected to research and support sustainability initiatives that might be undertaken on any of Tufts’ three campuses (Boston, Medford, Grafton) and to help the Program Director, Education & Outreach Program Administrator, and Communications Specialist with any projects they are currently working on.

Hours & Timeframe:

This position is for the 2015-16 academic year and will start in September 2015. Interns typically work ~8 hours per week.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

  • Reliable, with good time management skills
  • Exceptional organizational skills
  • Excellent research and writing abilities
  • Interest in sustainability
  • A can-do attitude
  • Comfortable talking to and working with faculty and staff from across the university in person and via email or phone

Preferred Skills & Qualifications:

  • Knowledge of sustainability efforts at Tufts
  • Experience organizing events
  • Undergraduate students preferred

Pay Rate: $10/hour

Please contact Betsy Byrum, Education & Outreach Program Administrator, with questions or for more information at betsy.byrum@tufts.edu.

All applicants should submit a cover letter and a resume and apply through JobX.

Earth Week Events at Tufts!

April 16, 2015 / / 19 Comments

Don’t miss these exciting Earth Week events coming to a campus near you!

Medford Campus

Click here to see all of the Earth Week Events on Facebook

Grafton Campus

Join the Grafton Green Team in fun and informational events all next week!

Tuesday April 21                          

12:00 PM
(Rain date on Friday)

Did you know there was a vernal pool on campus?
Take a nature walk (starting at the Wildlife Building entrance) led by Whitney Stiehler and explore the environment around the campus.

Wednesday April 22

10:30 AM

Plant a tree!  We’re continuing the tradition of planting a tree on Earth Day.
Join us on the lawn in front of the Campus Center for the pear tree planting.

11:00 AM-2:00 PM

Learn about composting, bling out your trash buddy, challenge your recycling knowledge, win prizes!–—All these things are happening over at Elms Café.  

Thursday April 23

8:00 AM-10:00 AM

Join Professor Mark Pokras as he “weeds” out the invasive species over at the Wildlife Clinic.
Stop by anytime with gardening gloves to get down in the dirt and learn about what’s there and what shouldn’t be. 

4:30 PM

Clean up Rte. 30—Spend some time after work cleaning up and beautifying the area around our campus, including Willard Street, Pine Street and Rte. 30.
Email Elizabeth Lauzon (Elizabeth.lauzon@tufts.edu)  for more information and to sign up.

 

8th Annual Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute

April 13, 2015 / / 20 Comments

We are proud to announce that TIE will be hosting the 8th Annual Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI), a four-day workshop for educators and researchers involved with higher education, from May 19th to 22nd, 2015.  At TELI, participants from a variety of educational institutions will explore methods of incorporating environmental issues into their curricula and research, access resources, develop ideas, and engage with other educators. The theme of this year’s TELI is Climate-Safe Energy Futures: Vision, Implementation, and Education and will be co-led by Charles Heaps from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Antje Danielson, Administrative Director at TIE. 

We seek educators and researchers of varying backgrounds from around the world who are interested in preparing for a climate-safe energy future.  Over the past twenty-four years, more than two hundred faculty have participated in TELI.  As a result, thousands of students have learned to synthesize different disciples and approach complex issues such as climate change and environmental sustainability.  TELI 2015 is also an opportunity to network and collaborate in an interdisciplinary setting with academics on global energy challenges. We highly encourage you to apply regardless of your background on the subject matter because ensuring a climate-safe energy future will require holistic and interdisciplinary solutions.  Topics that will be covered include International Climate Justice, Energy Policy, and Climate Change Modeling.  If you are interested in participating, please apply using this form, which may also be found on our website.

To learn more about this year’s TELI please visit our official site at https://sites.tufts.edu/teli2015/.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with colleagues you may have at other institutions as well.

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