Author: Nako Kobayashi (Page 2 of 7)

Campus Coordinator, Rachel Carson Council

The Rachel Carson Council (RCC), a national environmental organization, seeks an outstanding campus coordinator for its Rachel Carson Council Campus Network (RCCN) of nearly 50 campuses and several thousand activists, including faculty, students, staff, and administrators.

The RCCN Coordinator works to expand and deepen the Rachel Carson Council Network and to recruit and engage faculty and students in effective national and statewide environmental engagement and advocacy. Current key issues include climate and environmental justice, elimination of and divestment from fossil fuels, promotion of clean and renewable energy, and opposition to industrial animal agriculture and biomass incineration.

Read more about the position here.

Application Deadline: The position will remain open until filled.
To Apply: Send cover letter, résumé, and writing sample to:  alexandra@rachelcarsoncouncil.org

Various Fall 2018 Internships, Ceres (Boston, MA)

Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. Through their powerful networks and advocacy, they tackle the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, including climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and human rights abuses.

They are seeking candidates (preferably graduate students) for the following positions:

Application Deadline: None listed
To Apply: Click on the position you are interested here, and apply from that page.

Update on Recycling Rules – Throw Out Colored Cups, But Recycle Clear Plastic Cups

Due to shifts in global recycling systems and high contamination levels of U.S. recyclable materials, the Massachusetts DEP has recently announced new recycling rules. One major change is that colored plastic cups will no longer be accepted in our recycling stream. However, clear plastic cups will still be taken. To avoid accidentally ending up with a colored cup, be sure to bring your own reusable cup the next time you buy a beverage on the go!

For details on the rules, view the visual guide below and check out the DEP’s website on their new guidelines.

Empty, Clean, and Dry

Items that can be recycled such as hard plastic containers, yogurt cups and plastic bottles and jugs (with the caps on) as well as glass bottles MUST be emptied, cleaned, and dried before being placed in a recycling bin. Please do not put any items with food, food residue, or liquid still in them in the recycling bins.

Plastic Bags are NOT recyclable

Any kind of plastic film or plastic bags can not be placed in the recycling bins. This includes grocery bags, bubble wrap, flexible plastic packaging, saran wrap, zip lock bags, and styrofoam. These items get caught in the machinery used in sorting facilities and can cause breakdowns and even worker injuries.

Other items that are NOT accepted as recycling

These items go to the landfill. Do NOT place these items in the recycling bins.

Paper items

  • paper towels
  • paper plates
  • tissues
  • cups (with lids)

Cardboard

  • greasy pizza box bottoms
  • juice and milk cartons

Plastic (even with recycling symbol)

  • colored plastic cups
  • plastic bags and plastic wrap
  • chip bags
  • styrofoam
  • plastic utensils
  • foil-lined energy bars – brings these to a terracycle bin (locations on our Eco-Map) instead!

Glass

  • lightbulbs – bring incandescent and CFL light bulbs to 550 Boston Ave. to have them replaced for LED light bulbs!
  • broken glass

When in doubt, throw it out

It may seem counterintuitive to throw something out in order to support sustainability. However, it is much better to throw something out if you are unsure it can be recycled rather than contaminate the recycling with materials that can not be recycled. Please refer to the infographic below, but when in doubt, throw it out.

In addition, do not rely on the triangular recycling symbol found on many products. This symbol signifies that the material used in the product are physically able be recycled, but that does not meant that the waste infrastructure in your specific community  has the capacity to recycle them.

For example, the sorting facility where recyclables from Tufts end up can not accept plastic bags, as they can damage the sorting equipment. However, companies like Trex take plastic bags and have a separate, special sorting facility where they can turn those bags into recycled outdoor decking materials and products.

 

Volunteer and Work Study Internships, Groundwork Somerville (Somerville, MA)

Groundwork Somerville is seeking interns for the 2018-2019 academic year. See below for a summary of the openings:

Volunteer: School Gardens Internships

  • Assistant Garden Educators – Support school gardens programming by teaching alongside a Groundwork Somerville staff. Minimum weekly commitment of 1-2 hours. See more details here.
  • School Garden Maintenance Volunteers – Support care for school gardens. Hours are very flexible with a 1-2 hour per week minimum commitment. See more details here.

Work Study: Social Media, Outreach, and Events Intern

  • Support all outward-facing aspects of our work!
  • Available as a paid internship to a Tufts University student with federal work study.
  • Minimum commitment of 8 hours/week for the full 2018-2019 school year.
  • See more details here.

School Gardens Internships:

Application Deadline: Applications received by Monday, August 27th will be prioritized, and applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
To Apply: Please submit a letter of interest and schedule availability to Josia DeChiara, josia@groundworksomerville.org. Please also note if there is a specific school you are already connected to, or most interested in serving.

Social Media, outreach, and Events Intern:

Application Deadline:  Applications received by Friday, August 31st will be prioritized, and applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
To Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to Rae Axner at rae@groundworksomerville.org in a single PDF file.

Sustainable Eating At Tufts

August is Massachusetts Eat Local Month! There will be a number of events held throughout the state with partnering locations featuring local food.  On August 7th, there will also be a film screening of Forgotten Farms, a film about the New England dairy industry and regional food systems.

This month is a great opportunity to think about our local food system, and to find more ways to eat locally in your everyday life.

Eating local is a great way to help support the local economy and become more in tune with the seasons, the local region, and the particular ecosystems within which we live. In addition, eating locally helps you reduce the carbon footprint of your meal.

Ways to eat local

Farmers Markets

The Greater Boston area has a plethora of farmers markets during the region’s growing season, which spans from late May to November.

Find a farmers market near you by using this interactive map.

Join a CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares are a great way to eat seasonally and try fruits and veggies that you might not see in a grocery store. Through a CSA, consumers can purchase their produce directly from farmers through a season-long share. Every week, members receive a box of sustainably-grown, seasonal produce.

Because CSA members purchase their share ahead of time, farmers are supported financially to purchase the supplies they need to grow crops.

New Entry Food Hub CSA, has a CSA pickup location on the Medford/Somerville campus, at the Latino Center. Pickup occurs every Tuesday.  New Entry, an initiative of Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, helps beginning, immigrant, and refugee farmers gain business and farm production skills and access to land, markets and other resources necessary to start a viable farm business.

Sign up for a fall share here.

Buy local at your grocery store

You can find local produce at many grocery stores. Next time you’re at your neighborhood grocery store, look out for the “local” label, and see if you can find produce from the surrounding region.

Sustainable Eating

Pair eating local food with some of our other tips below to be a sustainability superstar! (Click on the image to view the PDF with active links!)

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