Author: Elyssa G. Anneser (Page 2 of 7)

Apply to Live in the Green House!

Did you know that Tufts has a Green House? Located in the D tower of Latin way is the Tufts Green House, which is a specialty housing option for people who want to live an intentionally sustainable lifestyle. The group of ten who live in the Green House work together throughout the year to reduce their environmental impact by preventing waste, composting, and learning together about more sustainable habits.

Each year the Green House also undertakes a few sustainability-themed projects. This year the house helped run the Brown and Blue Pass It Down sale at the beginning of the school year. All of the items that were sold during the sale were collected during move-out the previous spring.  All of the items that were sold would have likely ended up in the landfill if they were not collected. The house has also partnered with groups on campus; last semester, they partnered with the Eco-Reps to put on a “Sewing & Saving” event to save and up-cycle clothing, the house also partnered with Students for Environmental Awareness to organized a clothing swap before the Sustainaball. Early awareness and education about sustainability is vital for building the next generation of environmentalist, that is why the Green House has been partnering with local elementary schools to promote a more sustainable early education. Finally, the Green House has been working with the Office of Sustainability to propose the new Green Fund, which will be a fund that students can use to fund sustainability-themed projects on campus.

When living in the Green House students also have the unique opportunity to meet and work with others from different backgrounds and viewpoints for the common goal of a more sustainable future. Megan Bateman, the manager of the Green House, describes her experience living in the Green House:
The best thing about living in the Green House is getting to create an intentional space with like-minded people. Setting rules and goals for ourselves creates structure and stability during a time that can be confusing and difficult to navigate. Our love for a sustainable living and desire to continually improve has made the Green House a place of positivity, growth, and mutual support. My favorite part has been watching all of us grow closer together and learn how best to support one another as each of us strives to support our planet.

Paul Henjes, another Green House resident is also the Assistant Coordinator of the Eco-Reps explained his favorite part about living in the Green House:
My favorite things about living in the Green House are the people. I always feel welcomed whenever I walk into the House and I always feel supported by the community. Also, the Green House residents all have different backgrounds and interests, and this mix allows me to gain new insights into topics I don’t know about and expand my knowledge of ones I do know about.

Interested in living in the Green House next semester? Apply now!

STARS Sustainability Data Intern, Tufts Office of Sustainability Spring 2018-Fall 2018

Position Description:

The Tufts Office of Sustainability is seeking a graduate student to serve as a STARS Sustainability Data intern. STARS is The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System. From stars.aashe.org “The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS is composed up of credits that span the breadth of higher education sustainability and include performance indicators and criteria organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. An institution may pursue credits that are applicable to its particular context and earn points toward a STARS Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum rating.” Tufts received a STARS Silver level in November 2015 and we are looking to meet or exceed that level in fall 2018.

The STARS Sustainability Data intern will manage all data collection for the STARS reporting process and will be contacting various Tufts staff, faculty, and students in order to obtain information to fulfill each STARS credit. This will involve managing a large spreadsheet with 64 different credits that Tufts can earn, ranging from the number of courses teaching sustainability across the university to Tufts building energy consumption and much more. The intern will contact anywhere from 40 – 70 people from Tufts and its vendors to find the data and then will record that data in an organized spreadsheet. The intern will read each of the 64 credits in full to figure out the data they will need to collect from the Tufts community.

Hours & Timeframe: The STARS Sustainability Data intern is expected to work approximately 8 – 12 hours per week (between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM) through the academic year. Preferably, the student could work at least 20 hours per week during summer 2018.

Pay: $15/hour

Required Skills & Qualifications:

  • Mastery of Microsoft Excel
  • Experience with data collection and management
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
  • High attention to detail
  • Very organized
  • Tufts graduate student

Preferred Skills & Qualifications:

  • Experience in Sustainability

Apply!

Please send a cover letter and resume to Shoshana.Blank@tufts.edu

Get Involved with Sustainability

 

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 28th 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 28th 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 10th 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 6th fro 9-10 pm in Cabot Auditoriums.

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

 

Environmental Justice

 

Take a moment to think about your environment, where you grew up, and where you currently live? Did you have a yard? Did you walk around and see trees along your street? Was the Flint Water Crisis the first time that you considered that some places in this country have unsafe drinking water?

The environment is central to all human activity, and the treatment of the environment is inherently linked to the treatment of the people who live there. The EPA has defined environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Historically, protection of environmental quality, like other resources such as money and time, has been unequally enforced across the country. Communities with more social capital and societal influences, therefore, have greater access to a healthy, safe, and livable environment with access to safe drinking water, clean air, and healthy, affordable food.

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan found tremendous health impacts from entirely preventable leaching of lead in the predominately Black community’s drinking water. This is a classic example of environmental racism and brought the issue of environmental justice to the national spotlight. In the city, low-income areas and neighborhoods have disproportionally high levels of lead in their water. Globally, we see environmental injustices when discussing the future effects of climate change. According to The World Bank, the countries that will see the greatest negative impacts from our warming climate are disproportionately low-income nations.

Environmental injustices typically stem from lacking access to political capital and voice in government and industry decision-making. Wealthier communities have more disposable income and time to spend to have their voices and concerns heard. While historically the environment reinforces existing inequalities across communities, increasing awareness and advocacy for the environment through the lens of justice and health can achieve more equitable outcomes.

When advocating for the environment or any social justice issue, we all must recognize how our backgrounds or privileges have shaped us. White activists must recognize white privilege (https://www.pachamama.org/news/race-and-class-privilege-in-the-environmental-movement), and how historically white privilege has come at the cost of quality of life for communities of color and low-income globally. We can use their privileged position in society to advocate for historically disadvantaged communities and uplift their voices to be heard and protected.

Want to learn more about environmental justice and the inequalities between the global north and south? Read the Yale Environment 360’s article on how increased per capita consumption is a greater global threat than increased population.

U.S. Prig Fellowship

SPEAK FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST
Every day, whether it’s in Washington, D.C., a state capitol, or a corporate boardroom, someone is making a decision that will affect all of us – it could be about our health, our safety, or our democracy.

Special interest groups spend billions of dollars to influence these decisions. Someone needs to speak for the public interest. As a U.S. PIRG Fellow, that’s what you’ll do.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FELLOW
You won’t just sit behind a desk. You’ll be out in the real world, working on everything from reducing the overuse of antibiotics in the food industry to defending consumer protections on Wall Street. You’ll be recruiting new groups to join a coalition, speaking in a church basement or town hall to win a new endorsement, organizing a news event or rally, meeting with an editorial board, or doing whatever else it takes to get results.

This is a two-year program, expressly designed to prepare future leaders with U.S. PIRG. We look for smarts, leadership experience, top-notch written and verbal skills, and an eagerness to learn. We value experience organizing, including building campus groups.

PAY & BENEFITS
The target annual compensation for this position is $26,500 in the first year. U.S. PIRG offers a competitive benefits package. We also offer an excellent training program and opportunities for advancement. To learn more visit jobs.uspirg.org.

LOCATIONS & START DATES
We’re hiring for positions in Washington, D.C., Boston, Denver, New York City, and Portland, Oregon. If you’re flexible, you can apply for multiple locations. We accept applications on a rolling basis. Positions available starting immediately or in August 2018.

We also offer state-based fellowships in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington State.

ARE YOU READY TO SPEAK FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST?

U.S. PIRG is part of The Public Interest Network—a group of organizations that share a vision of a better future, a set of core values, and a strategic approach to getting things done. Visit publicinterestnetwork.org to learn more. 

Apply online
Applications close January 31st
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