Category: Ideas (Page 21 of 24)

A Lecture Lover’s Laud: Sustainability Talks at Tufts

February 21, 2012 / / 3 Comments

Do you know that heavy cattle grazing can rejuvenate grassland and reverse desertification? I didn’t either – until I attended a presentation at the Fletcher School called “Reversing Global Warming and Desertification with Livestock? Counter Intuitive Thinking: A Futurist’s Inquiry.”

The talk given by the President of Planet-TECH Associates, Seth Itzkan, opened my eyes to the revolutionary new idea of Holistic Management, which has already been implemented in farms around the globe to astonishing success. The system, developed at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe, allows for (and may actually require) four times more cattle on a normal amount of grazing acreage than traditional ranching methods and quickly replenishes the soil fertility and water table to boot. All that’s required to transition to this system is additional manpower to rotate livestock in a pre-determined pattern.*

My point in sharing these fascinating “planned grazing” factoids is that I may never have encountered these ideas had I not gone out on a limb to visit Fletcher that day.  Everyone, including freshmen like me, can take advantage of speakers brought in by different organizations to the Tufts community, as events are generally open to the public. Many of these lectures focus on sustainability and discuss reforming current systems to pave the way for a better future. With such important and timely content, the talks tend to be eye-opening and in some cases groundbreaking, as Mr. Itzkan’s presentation was for me.  Who knows what a similar lecture could be for you? It could be anything from a fun supply of “brain candy” to the opportunity of a lifetime.

Regardless of what you do – whether you teach, study or work at Tufts – you won’t know what you are missing until you step out of the box and look around. There’s no shortage of chances to broaden your horizons. The Office of Sustainability promotes many events related to sustainability on our blog and website.

Check out some of the programs here at Tufts that sponsor ongoing lecture series:

The Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP)

CEIRP’s Focus: International environment and resource issues
Upcoming Talk: Sustainable Development Diplomacy & Governance Program –  “International Resource Politics and Minerals: How does the Resource Nexus come in?” (Mar 1, 7pm)

Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE)

GDAE’s Focus: Integration of economics, policy, science and technology
Upcoming Talk: Brown-Bag Lunch Series – “The Global Food Crisis and the Future of Agriculture” (Mar 5, 12:30pm)

Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE)

TIE’s focus: Environmental education, research, outreach, and service
Upcoming Talk: TIE Talk – Mary Davis, Tufts UEP Professor, on her research in economics and public health (Mar 7, 4:30pm)

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI – US)

SEI’s focus: Changes in sustainable development by bridging science and policy
Past Talk: “The Social Cost of Carbon” (Sept 29, 2011)

Environmental Studies Program (ENVS)

ENVS’s focus: Training in social and natural sciences, engineering, and humanities
Upcoming Talk: Lunch and Learn – “Groundfishing in New England: Have the Managers Finally Gotten it Right?” (Mar 1, 12pm)

Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS)

WSSS’s focus: Interdisciplinary management of water related problems
Upcoming Talk: “Water in a New Era” (Mar 27, 3pm)

Each of them has its own specialties and flavor, so pick a lecture from each and see what fits your fancy!

*Want to learn more about the nuts and bolts of Allan Savory’s Holistic Management? Visit www.savoryinstitute.com to expand your world.

Apr 1 deadline – Recharge! Retreat 2012

February 21, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Did you hear about last year’s ReCharge! Retreat? Wish you could have been there? Well you’re in luck! Applications for 2012’s ReCharge! Retreat are now open. Application deadline is April 1st, 2012.

This summer’s ReCharge! Retreat is scheduled for August 12-18, 2012. If you’re not familiar with ReCharge!, check out this video from the 2011 retreat made by Focus the Nation Roots Fellows The Perennials Project for a glimpse of the action.

Focus the Nation selects twenty students, five from each Quadrant, who show passion, dedication, and drive to accelerate the transition to clean energy. The one week retreat includes a balance of intellectual rigor, collaborative practices, reflection and physical activity as it applies to building our clean energy future. APPLY TODAY for your chance to be a part of this life changing opportunity!

Applicant Criteria and Selection Process
College students between the ages of 18-28 who have a passion for clean energy are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be available to participate in the entire retreat. The cost of participation is covered by Focus the Nation.

Focus the Nation has designed the ReCharge! Retreat to not only enhance and explore the deeper-set of skills needed for Clean Energy Leadership but also to provide a supportive framework through the Forum-to-Action (F2A) program to implement what you learn at the retreat in your own community when you return to your campus in the fall.

To be considered as a Delegate for the 2012 ReCharge! Retreat, students will have either participated in the F2A program in the past or will make a commitment to serve as a Focus Coordinator, team member or peer mentor in the 2012-2013 F2A program cycle.

Two letters of reference are required as a part of your ReCharge! Application. At the end of the online application there is a space to upload these documents.

an Academic Letter of Reference (from a professor, academic advisor, former teacher etc)
a Community Letter of Reference (from a member of an organization, neighbor, faith-based institution, volunteer coordinator etc.)
In addition to describing why you should be chosen as a 2012 ReCharge! Delegate, each letter must indicate the name, relationship and contact information of the person writing the recommendation.

Please contact us with any questions about the application criteria and/or selction process.

Applications Due: April 1, 2012
Focus the Nation is seeking a diversity of participants with equal representation of all four quadrants

  • 5 Technicians
  • 5 Innovators
  • 5 Politicos
  • 5 Storytellers

The participants selected will also represent economic and ethnic diversity and come from both 4-year and 2-year campuses in rural and urban environments.

All applications will be reviewed by our ReCharge! selection panel and decisions will be made on the basis of

  • meeting our diversity requirements
  • assessment of applicant’s leadership skills
  • passion for clean energy
  • positive personal and/or professional references.

2012 ReCharge! Delegates Selected: April 20, 2012

Make an impact: choose your food wisely

February 17, 2012 / / 28 Comments

Source: Tufts Photo

Do you know where your food comes from? When you pick up an apple after lunch in the dining hall or go grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon, do you read labels to see if your food is local, organic, or whether it has traveled hundreds of miles to get to you?

Many of us don’t know the answers to these important questions, but we should. Every day, we vote – three times a day (probably more) – with our dollars based on what we choose to eat and consequently, the type of food industry we choose to support. In the growing battle between local, organic farming, and mass-produced international produce, most of us are unaware of how much power we have to make a difference. If you’re blindly picking the cheapest fruits and vegetables off the shelf, you may be unwittingly supporting poor labor practices and unfair working conditions, the use of untested pesticides, or corporate culture detrimental to communities. Not to mention, cheap food is often lacking in nutritional value—much of supermarket produce is artificially ripened and often genetically modified. (Did you hear about the petition asking Walmart not to sell unmarked, genetically modified engineered sweet corn from Monsanto?) When you choose cheap supermarket produce, you may not know the truth about the food you are purchasing.

Fortunately, though, it is becoming easier and more convenient to make good decisions about your food and the food producers you support.

Here at Tufts, there are a number of ways you can help support local, organic industry. Tufts Dining Services serves local, organic, and Fair Trade products in addition to vegetarian options, cage-free eggs, and certified sustainable seafood. By looking for these products and choosing to avoid options that are not sustainably produced, you can make healthier, more eco-friendly choices. In addition, you can leave comments in the dining halls requesting more sustainable products—Dining Services is very receptive to feedback and communicating that this is an issue that is important to you can have a large impact down the line. (The sale of single-serve bottled water was eliminated from Hodgdon thanks to a student petition.)

A sample of vegetables that comes with a farm share

Another option on campus this semester is to purchase a CSA farm share to support local farms. A CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, allows you to buy a share of a local farmer’s harvest. This is a great opportunity for consumers to invest in the local economy and purchase environmentally sustainable produce. This pilot program will run from February to April and you can get an individually packed box of fresh produce, delivered every Tuesday to the Office of Sustainability for pickup. There are different sizes available to suite different needs: a Small share (good for 1-2 people) is $24/week, Medium (good for 2-3 people) is $31/week, and Large (good for 4 or more people) is $42/week. The prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider how the CSA will replace the portion of your weekly grocery bill going to fruits and vegetables of questionable origin (and quality) with local, organic, fresh produce. To sign up, click here.

About Enterprise Farm

Enterprise Farm founder Dave Jackson and his family live onsite at the farm

Besides supporting local, organic agriculture, you will also be helping a wonderful social initiative. Enterprise Farm is an organic farm whose mission is to grow the best quality produce possible and care for their farmland in the process. They allow for direct farm-to-table purchasing by selling at farmer’s markets, through CSAs and in some local stores. By eliminating the middle man, they aim to sell fresh, high quality produce at low prices.
Enterprise Farm believes that great, fresh food is a right and helps families across the greater Boston area achieve this goal. They accept food stamps and donate produce to Food For Free in Cambridge, the Northampton Survival Center, and other food redistribution organizations. The farm has also created low-cost Senior Shares in partnership with Senior Whole Health to distribute to the elderly in Boston. Finally, the farm’s CSA-supported Mobile Market traveled to low-access communities in Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Middlesex counties last summer with with fresh, local produce and a portable EBT machine. Through all of their initiatives, Enterprise Farm is helping advocate food justice and sustainability.

So, the next time you eat in the dining hall or go for a cup of coffee, think about all of the options available to you and the impact of your choices. Every decision you make about what to eat can either positively or negatively impact not only your own health, but the health and sustainability of the food systems upon which we all rely.

Feb 15: Nonviolent Action: Tar Sands and Occupy Movement

February 10, 2012 / / 34 Comments

When: February 15th at 7:00pm

Where: Barnum 104

Come to the Peace and Justice Studies panel discussion between George Lakey (Swarthmore Professor and Activist), Sarah Sobieraj (Tufts Professor), Nathalie Schils (Tufts ‘12), and Brian Kwoba (from Occupy Boston). Each panelist has a unique perspective to offer from their experience studying or participating in protests, and they will bring methods of theory and practice together. The panelists will consider the efficacy and strategy of nonviolent action and its interaction with the media in an interactive discussion with audience members. Dessert reception to follow the event.

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