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
Shoshana Blank Education & Outreach Program Administrator Shoshana.Blank@tufts.edu (617) 627-2973 |
Gretchen Carey Recycling and Organics Coordinator, Republic Services GCarey@republicservices.com |
Recycling (General) recycle@tufts.edu go.tufts.edu/recycle |
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