Striving for Zero Waste at the 2019 President’s Picnics

Many of our celebrated BYOP-ers are pictured above! Read the blog post below to learn what all of them are smiling about

This year’s President’s Picnics took the various Tufts campuses practically by storm, one happening right after the other at the end of May. A few weeks ahead of previous years, President Monaco kicked off the picnic season on the Medford/Somerville campus. It was a bright early summer day that drew staff and faculty out of their offices, labs, and studios, not to mention a few students that were still around as well. A shuttle was provided for people coming from the SMFA campus, with over 1,700 attendees counted in all.

Keeping in line with the zero waste efforts of years past, the Office of Sustainability coordinated with catering services to see that all of the disposable, single-use tableware provided at the picnic was compostable, including the plates, utensils, and cups (plus napkins too, of course). This also meant going over the menu in detail, recommending cookies over, say, a whipped dessert that might come in a plastic cup which could be too hard to clean of leftover food and ultimately have to be trashed. Condiments for the delicious main fare of burgers/veggie burgers were set out in bulk, to avoid any single serving packets and reduce the overall amount of food packaging. Out under the shade of the trees on the President’s lawn, several compost-only waste stations were set up and staffed by students to help people compost all their unfinished food along with the biodegradable tableware– meaning nothing should have been sent to the landfill on the attendees’ part. An Office of Sustainability intern who is well-versed in recycling and compost rules worked near where catering was set up, sorting the waste generated by food preparation and clean-up into the appropriate waste streams, greatly reducing what otherwise had the potential to be sent to the landfill.

Student worker standing next to Medford/Somerville picnic waste station

For those ready to take their sustainability to the next level, the Office of Sustainability offered a limited number of prizes to attendees that participated in the picnics’ BYOP initiative– Bring Your Own [Reusable] Place-setting. By visiting our table with a complete place-setting of their own– a plate/bowl, a utensil(s), and something to drink out of– each picnic attendee was eligible to take home this year’s prize: a bamboo straw with a cleaner and a carrying pouch to easily tote the set around with you. The bamboo for the straws was sustainably sourced in Indonesia and each one was laser engraved with the university-wide ‘Tufts – sustainability’ text lock-up. We ran out of straws at each picnic, with the Boston Health Sciences campus being the most enthusiastic and emptying our supply in less than half an hour that day.

Even if a picnic attendee didn’t have a complete place-setting, they were still awarded a President’s Picnic sticker printed by the Office of Sustainability and given the chance to enter our raffle drawing for this year’s grand prize of a set of three reusable produce bags. One prize was drawn on each campus, with 132 entries for Medford/Somerville, 96 at Boston Health Sciences, and 74 in Grafton. After moving the Grafton picnic to it’s rain date as a result of temperamental weather and still getting a rather brisk May picnic day, we were especially impressed with the attendees at that campus that kept their BYOP numbers on par with previous years.

A big thank you to everyone who brought a reusable of any type to one of the President’s Picnics this year. To all who earned a straw, we hope that they get put to good use representing the ever-growing culture of sustainability at Tufts, and inspire co-workers, students, and community members around you to carry their own reusable items with them to reduce the waste of single use products. We look forward to greeting everyone at next year’s picnics– and don’t forget to tell your friends to BYOP too!

11 Comments

  1. Users

    cartrawler Car Hire Dublin Airport
    cartrawler Car Hire Dublin Airport. When you are planning a tour,
    you will always need to find the best options to
    explore a destination. Carhire121 will always be
    your companion when you are looking for most affordable car hire options.

    There are various international and local car hire firms that you can choose from.
    We compare prices from different car hire firms to find the
    best deal for your budget needs.

    Dublin

    Dublin is a wonderful place to visit. It has interesting history, world famous nightlife, and
    fantastic shopping. If you are willing to visit this wonderful Irish capital then don’t forget
    to compare prices and hire a cheap car at Dublin Airport.

  2. backlinks

    Marvelous, what a weblog it is! This blog gives helpful information to us, keep it up.

  3. discuss running shirts

    Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a stuff! existing here at this weblog,
    thanks admin of this web page.

  4. Tara

    I do not even know how I stopped up right here, however I thought this post used to be
    good. I don’t recognize who you are but certainly you’re going
    to a well-known blogger in the event you aren’t already.
    Cheers!

  5. Daniel Thomas

    I’m deeply thankful for your article, it left a lasting effect. With the Valid test 1D0-671 bootcamp materials, I secured a promotion and salary increase. Now it’s free for everyone. Best of luck on your career advancement!

  6. Sean Walker

    Pass4Test의 EMC인증 D-PST-OE-23덤프를 공부하여EMC인증 D-PST-OE-23시험을 패스하는건 아주 간단한 일입니다.저희 사이트에서 제작한EMC인증 D-PST-OE-23덤프공부가이드는 실제시험의 모든 유형과 범위가 커버되어있어 높은 적중율을 자랑합니다.시험에서 불합격시 덤프비용은 환불신청 가능하기에 안심하고 시험준비하시면 됩니다.

  7. Max Reed

    Die Schulungsunterlagen zur ISQI CT-AI_v1.0_World Zertifizierungsprüfung von PrüfungGuide werden die größte Erfolgsquote erzielen. Naben den Büchern sind heutztage das Internet als ein Wissensschatz angesehen. In PrüfungGuide können Sie Ihren Wissensschatz finden. Das ist eine Website, die Ihnen sehr helfen können. Sie werden sicher komplizierte Übungen treffen, Unser PrüfungGuide wird Ihnen helfen, die Prüfung ganz einfach zu bestehen, weil es alle erforderlichen Kenntnisse zur ISQI CT-AI_v1.0_World Zertifizierungsprüfung enthält.

  8. Greg Jackson

    Your article was incredibly impactful, thank you for this insight. Free AD0-E126 latest exam papers study materials are here! Wishing you success!

  9. Sid Bell

    Pass4Test를 검색을 통해 클릭하게된 지금 이 순간 IT인증자격증취득SAP C-THR82-2405시험은 더는 힘든 일이 아닙니다. 다른 분들이SAP C-THR82-2405시험준비로 수없는 고민을 할때 고객님은 저희 SAP C-THR82-2405덤프로 제일 빠른 시일내에 시험을 패스하여 자격증을 손에 넣을수 있습니다.

  10. Sid King

    This article is truly exceptional, thank you for sharing it with us. Free Test 700-826 quiz to help you enhance your IT skills. Wishing you good luck!

  11. Hal Reed

    为了能够高效率地准备C_C4H63_2411认证考试,你知道什么工具是值得使用的吗?我来告诉你吧。TestpdfのC_C4H63_2411考古題是最可信的资料。这个考古題是IT业界的精英们研究出来的,是一个难得的练习资料。這個考古題的命中率很高,合格率可以達到100%。這是因為IT專家們可以很好地抓住考試的出題點,從而將真實考試時可能出現的所有題都包括到資料裏了。覺得不可思議嗎?但是這是真的。用過之後你就會知道。

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.