Month: January 2018 (Page 1 of 4)

Do you want to get more involved with sustainability this semester? Good news! There are dozens of “green” organizations on campus that help foster a more sustainable world! In the next few weeks, there will be plenty of General Interest Meetings (GIMs) to check out. These are just a few of the amazing groups on campus to join.

The Tufts Mountain Club (TMC) encourages all students to explore outside, whether that means a quiet walk in the Fells or a hiking trip to the Loj in New Hampshire. TMC helps students with all ability levels get outside. TMC has owned and operated the Loj in Woodstock, New Hampshire for over 75 years, which allows for the Tufts Community to explore the great White Mountains of New Hampshire. Josh Cohen, who is currently a Junior and an Education and Verification intern here at the Office of Sustainability, is also the TMC Historian. Here is what TMC has meant to Josh over his time here at Tufts:

I’m currently serving my second term on the TMC executive board, now as the Historian and previously as the Loj Director. I was introduced to TMC through the climbing program, and I spent much of my first year at Tufts climbing at Metro Rock. I have spent many weekends up at the Loj hiking in the White Mountains, and that space really feels like home to me. TMC’s tradition of teaching skills and leading trips has given me the ability to enter outdoor spaces and feel confident, and I also have met many of my closest friends through the club.

Max Migdail, who is the Bush Eco-Rep, is also currently on the TMC executive board. He has been a member with TMC since his first semester at Tufts:

I’m very involved in TMC. I spend most of my weekends at the Loj and am the Loj Director for the club. This means I oversee caretakers, groups at the Loj, Loj upkeep, and other various goings on around the New Hampshire property…. When I got to Tufts, I sought out the Mountain Club and started developing relationships within the club and just going outside….The club has been like a home to me as well as the source of many of my deepest friendships. Perhaps most importantly though, the club has been an incredible resource to aid me in going outside, fulfilling both the purpose of the club and many of my own ambitions.

There is no set date for the TMC GIM yet, so be on the look out for it in the next few weeks!

If generating grassroots support for divestment from the fossil fuel industry, then Tufts Climate Action (TCA) is perfect for you! TCA is hosting their Spring GIM on Sunday, January 28^th from 7-8pm in Eaton 201. Celia Bottger, who is a Programing intern for the Office of Sustainability, is also an organizer for TCA. Celia explains what the club has meant to her during her time at Tufts:

I have been involved in TCA since the fall of my freshman year…. I wanted to be a part of a group on campus that was doing work on climate change past sustainability initiatives. TCA has introduced me to the concept of climate justice, which highlights the intersectionality of climate change and social, economic, and racial justice struggles around the world. It has revealed to me the deep truth that climate change is above all a human issue, and that climate change work is inherently about working to support and sustain communities over corporations. I value the passionate and socially minded people I have met through TCA, as well as the fresh and worldly perspectives I continually encounter as co-leader of the group.

Is biking your main mode of transportation? Have you heard of Tufts Bikes? Tufts Bikes teaches students proper bike safety and upkeep and fosters a community for fossil free transportation. Tufts Bikes is hosting their GIM on January 28^th in Campus Center Room 219 at 1pm. Mandy Rosengren, who is Metcalf’s Eco-Rep, is also involved with Tufts Bikes. Mandy explains here involvement in the club:

I am Head of Communications at Tufts Bikes and have been a member since Fall Freshman year. I signed up on a whim because my friend was in charge of the Tufts Bikes booth at the student club fair, and I love being a part of the club. It is so satisfying to fix someone’s bike, and it is part of the reason that I decided to switch into Mechanical Engineering for my major.

Would your friends call you electric? Have you ever considered joining the Tufts Energy Group? The Tufts Energy Group educates students about the surrounding energy. They are hosting their Spring GIM February 10^th in Eaton 208 at 8pm.

The Tufts Food Rescue Collective helps prevent food waste and provides food for those in need. Students package leftover food from Dewick and Carmichael every day of the week and partner with Food for Free to deliver the meals all around the Medford/Somerville area. The Food Rescue GIM is apart of the Lenard Carmichael GIM, which will be on February 6^th fro 9-10 pm in Cabot Auditoriums.

What more information about green organizations on campus? Check out our Get Involved publication!

Session Summary:

We started off our second session by hearing from a current Eco-Ambassador, Nikki Lowe Lane, the Associate Director of Financial Aid at the School of Dental Medicine. She has been the driving force behind moving the Tufts Dental Financial Aid Office’s application process online, greatly reducing the amount of paper waste and allowing the office the opportunity to use more recycled paper.  The initiative has yielded significant cost savings in the office’s budget.

Then we discussed water, including where Tufts’ water comes from, water conservation projects at the university, and ways you can conserve water in your offices. Emma Groves from ABC-TMA joined us to talk about transportation options and resources available to Tufts employees on the Boston and Medford campuses. We reviewed ways to “green” meetings and events and looked at green event resources on the OOS website. We went over energy use and infrastructure at Tufts, as well as upcoming energy projects and ways to conserve energy in our offices. To end the day, we sorted “Eco-labels” and talked about which are reliable and unreliable and reviewed some purchasing tips and resources.

Assignments for next week:

• Introduce yourself as an Eco-Ambassador to your officemates
• Meet with your supervisor/Eco-Ambassador team
• Create a draft community-based social marketing plan using this worksheet. Email to Shoshana by Friday, February 16.

Next Steps:

• Now that you have more familiarity with these topics, it could be a great time to finish the green office certification checklist that you started before, to get your office green office certified.
  • Stay Tuned for a Green Office Challenge which will start in the coming weeks.

Additional Resources

Water:

• Water Conservation Tips: Visit the OOS website for information about conserving water in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, etc.
• Reporting a Water Leak at Tufts: Place an online work order with Facilities.
• Tufts’ Drinking Water: Learn more about Tufts’ drinking water from the Environmental Health & Safety Department. For more information about water on the Boston and Medford campuses, visit the MWRA website. The MWRA regularly publishes drinking water quality reports.  Click here for more information and here for an example report from January 2016.
• The Water Cycle & General Water Information: The US Geological Survey (USGS) website has a lot of information about the water cycle and global water distribution. Their interactive water cycle diagram is particularly fun and informative!
• Drinking Water Regulations: Learn about how drinking water is regulated by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Drinking Water Health and Safety: Learn how the Mass Department of Environmental Protection ensures safe drinking water.
• Bottled Water: Check out this recent article about the safety of bottled water from the Chicago Tribune or this article about a bottled water recall in 2015 due to possible E. coli. The Story of Stuff has lots of great videos, including their original “Story of Stuff” video.  This video about bottled water and this one about Nestle Waters in California are particularly relevant given our conversation.
• Clothes Drying: Check out this information about clothes drying.

Transportation:

• Tufts’ Commuter Benefits: Visit the Commuting Benefits website for information about how you can get discounted transit passes.
• Transportation Incentives & Regional Programs: folks on all campuses can sign up for Bay State Commute to find carpool partners and earn rewards for your “green” trips.  Employees on the Medford and Grafton campuses, can sign up for MassRIDES’ Emergency Ride HomeABC TMA provides incentives to employees on the Boston Campus, including the Guaranteed Ride Home Program.
• Public Transportation: Visit the MBTA website for information on the rail, bus, subway, and commuter boat systems and access to helpful resources such as schedules & maps, reloading your CharlieCard online, and MBTA apps.
• Tufts Shuttles: Find information about Tufts’ shuttles, including schedules and the live tracker, here.
• Biking: MassBike offers a wide range of bicycle safety and maintenance courses as well as extensive online resources about bike laws, local bike clubs, guides for new bikers, and much more. Learn more about bike safety from the Tufts University Police Department. View the City of Somerville Bicycle Routes map here.
• General Transportation Info: Visit the EPA’s website for information about transportation and climate change, regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, and how to calculate your greenhouse gas emissions.
• For guests traveling to campus: Provide information about how to travel to your campus via public transportation.  This page (and its subpages) have some good resources and language.
• Transportation Brochures and Maps: Visit the Office of Sustainability’s Publications Library for electronic versions of our various transportation-related handouts.

Meetings & Events:

• General Green Events Info: Visit our Planning Green Events and Green Event Resources
• Green Event Checklists: Use these checklists to help keep you on track when planning Small In-Office Meetings, Large Off-Campus Events, Large On Campus Events, or Formal Meetings.
• Conferencing Tools at Tufts: Check out the following resources from Tufts Technology Services website.

Energy:

• Energy at Tufts: Visit the OOS website for energy tips and information about electricity, heating, refrigerators, and computers.
• Tufts’ Utilities & Efficiency: Check out the Facilities Services website.
• Energy Ratings/Certifications: Learn more about EPEATand ENERGY STAR.
• Green Buildings: Learn more about LEED certification.

Purchasing:

• Purchasing at Tufts: Visit the Tufts Purchasing Office’s website.
• Purchasing Guides & Eco-Labels: Check out GoodGuide, EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, the Responsible Purchasing Network, and the EPA’s site on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP).
• Apps: The “Eco-Labels” app from Consumer Reports has good information about many of the labels we discussed (they also have a website).  The“Good Guide” app allows you to gauge a particular product’s performance in the areas of health, environment, and society.
• Green Printing at Tufts: Visit the Tufts Prints Green Also, more information about why the Konica Minolta Multi-Functional Device is better than a desktop printer. Don’t forget to send back your used ink and toner cartridges: go.tufts.edu/recycle

Additional Topics of Interest:

• The Environmental Studies program organizes weekly Lunch & Learns about environmental and sustainability topics that are open to all members of the Tufts community (free food is provided!) and they are recorded live each week to watch online – learn more and see a schedule of upcoming speakers here.
• There are CSA farm shares that deliver directly to the Medford and Boston Health Science campuses.  This is a great way to get fresh produce delivered conveniently to Tufts.  Click here for more information.
• Meet other Eco-Ambassadors at Tufts – click here for a list (you will be added shortly!).
• The Office of Sustainability/TIE chore chart detailing how we split up chores like washing the hand towels and putting dishes away.

Contacts

Session Summary:

During our first meeting, we discussed the history of the Eco-Ambassador program and the role of Eco-Ambassadors, as well as the definition and meaning of “sustainability.” We also went through an overview of sustainability at Tufts and the goals for water, waste, and energy and emissions set forth in the Campus Sustainability Council Report. We then discussed waste and recycling at Tufts.  To round out the day, we talked about behavior change and the steps to creating a Community-Based Social Marketing plan, followed by an overview of climate change, its impacts, and how it will specifically impact the Boston area.

Assignments for next week:

• Do your personal behavior change challenge! We will report back to each other about how it went.
• Introduce yourself as an Eco-Ambassador to your officemates, your department, etc. This can be informal in person, or maybe you want to do a cute email?
• Check that you have the proper Landfill and Mixed Recycling labels on your waste bins and that you have a blue lid on the recycling lid. Also, assess if you want a wall sign sticker or sign to go above your waste bins. Please bring a list of what you need to next week’s session. You can print your own wall signs here.
• Start brainstorming behavior change ideas for your office (many of you have some ideas already!)

Additional Resources

Sustainability at Tufts:

• Tufts Eco-Map (Also available on the Tufts Mobile app). Zoom in to your campus to find battery recycling, compost toters, and many other sustainability landmarks!
• Tufts Campus Sustainability Progress Report (just published!)
• Tufts Climate Commitment, carbon neutrality goal (signed in April 2016)
• Tufts Sustainability Timeline
• Tufts’ Sustainability Goals from 2013: View the 2-page Executive Summaryor the full Campus Sustainability Council Report for information about Tufts’ goals for Waste, Water, and Energy & Emissions

Behavior Change:

• Community-Based Social Marketing: Environmental Psychologist Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr’s book (available online) provides an excellent overview of Community-Based Social Marketing that’s easy to read and is full of interesting case studies and anecdotes
• Additional behavior change articles & resources:
  • The Secret to Turning Consumers Green (Wall Street Journal article about social norms)
  • Research Into Motivating Prospectors, Settlers and Pioneers To Change Behaviours That Affect Climate Emissions (Research paper utilizing value modes)
  • Why Isn’t the Brain Green? (New York Times article about sustainable behaviors)
  • Tools of Change (A site with social marketing tools, case studies, and a planning guide)

Climate Change:

• Fun Videos on Climate Change: Watch Global Weirding, from Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist.
• *RECENT NEWS*: Tufts research on climate change and sea-level rise

• Boston sea-level rise: PBS News Hour covered the sea-level rise that we had last week from the Bomb Cyclone, explaining that this may be the new normal.

• Carbon Cycle: Information about the carbon cycle, carbon sources and sinks, and why it’s important from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Climate Change: Go here to see what info is remaining on the EPA’s website.
• Addressing Climate Change in Boston: The City of Boston’s Climate Action website has information about Boston’s climate action plan and the city’s progress toward meeting its emissions reduction goals
• The Impacts of Climate Change in the Northeast: The websites of the New England Aquarium, the Boston Harbor Association, and the Union of Concerned Scientists all contain information about the likely effects of climate change in the region

Waste & Recycling:

• Requests: To request a compost bin for your office or a trash or recycling bin, or bin labels, go here.
• Recycling at Tufts: Visit the recycling website (tufts.edu/recycle) for the latest recycling news or for a refresher about what’s recyclable. Check out the video!
• Zero-Waste Events: Email recycle@tufts.edu to request that your event be zero-waste.
• Freecycling: Sign up for the Tufts Freecycle Elist here.
• Junk Mail: The University of Texas at Austin’s website has some good information about how to unsubscribe from unwanted mailing lists. There is also a great app called PaperKarma.
• Tufts’ Waste Hauling Company: Learn more about Republic Services
• Recycling in Massachusetts: Get useful tips for recycling at home and in your community at the MassRecycle website
• Waste Disposal Bans in Massachusetts: Learn more at the MassDEP’s website
• Living a lower-waste lifestyle: There are many bloggers dedicated to this topic. This site is one of the more well-known bloggers, Bea Johnson. If you always have a reusable water bottle on you, as well as a cloth napkin and a set of utensils, that will help you reduce a lot of waste! There are some lightweight utensils that are easy to take in your bag, see here and here, but also it’s not difficult to take a metal fork around.

Contacts