The analyst will conduct analyses that inform congressional deliberations on environmental policy and/or science issues related to climate change. This includes the ability to utilize analytical methods and techniques to analyze policy issues for the U.S. Congress.
The analyst will cover environmental policy and/or science issues related to climate change. This includes knowledge of the history, trends, and current status of climate policy, federal programs, and interrelationships with other key disciplines, such as physical sciences, international relations, economics and/or policy decision making and demonstrated ability to develop expertise in new areas.
The Jumbo statue in front of Barnum Hall. (Jake Belcher/Tufts University)
Barnum Hall has recently undergone major renovations, making the building one of the most up-to-date on the Tufts’ Campus. Not to mention, the holy trinity of environmentally-focused departments are located within Barnum’s newly upgraded corridors: The Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), the Office of Sustainability (OOS) and the Environmental Studies department. The improved Barnum also houses Tisch College, which focuses on civic and political engagements, and has many programs related to the social aspects and impacts of sustainability.
Before the renovation, Barnum was a less– than environmentally preferable academic building. In April 1975, the tragic Barnum fire took place, burning the former natural history museum to a crisp. Tufts hurriedly rebuilt it in 1976 with little funds. These quick fixes led to problems in the future. The 2018-19 Barnum revamping resolved many of the faulty features.
According to Trina Jerich, the project manager of the Barnum renovations, her team “Took everything that was amazing about [Barnum’s] history and melded it with modern feels.”
Here are some of the sustainability features and overall improvements now found in Barnum:
An Energy Recovery Unit (ERU)
This new state-of-the art heating and cooling system is perched atop the building. This unit takes the heat from the air that is leaving the building and transfers it to the air that is entering the building. This maintains Barnum’s heating or cooling, while bringing in fresh air to be circulated throughout the building. This ventilation system is a sustainable way to reduce energy consumption and improve indoor air quality.
Double-paned Windows
The 1976 windows were single-paned and drafty, which made temperature control a nightmare. The new windows are double-paned, trapping a layer of air in between the two panes of glass. This provides insulation, prevents drafts, and keeps the building at the desired temperature.
Occupancy Sensors: Lighting + Heating and Cooling
Barnum’s new lighting and heating and cooling systems are controlled by occupancy sensors. These sensors detect the presence of people in a room. For example, if a room is occupied, heating or cooling is activated and the lights switch on. If that same room is vacant, both systems shut off. This saves energy since neither lights nor heating or cooling are left on. Light occupancy sensors extend the lifecycle of the bulbs, subsequently reducing waste.
Low-flow Faucet Aerators and Metered Faucets
Low-flow faucet aerators dilute water flow with air, which reduces the amount of water coming from the faucet. Metered faucets automatically stop water flow. This saves a significant amount of water, by simply using less!
Other sustainable features include: low-impact recycled rubber flooring, water bottle-filling stations at every water fountain, and the reuse of the exterior of the existing building, which is made entirely from locally-sourced stone from the Everett-Revere area quarries.
The Barnum renovators programmed sustainability right into the building, making it easier for every Barnum occupant to reduce their ecological footprints. The project manager, Trina, not only wanted to leave us with a more energy efficient Barnum, but with this: “We have to learn to live in a sustainable world.” In the end, it’s not only the responsibility of project managers to reduce our footprint in the built environment, but also up to the building users to learn to responsibly use resources.
Each year during spring semester Move-Out, the Tufts Office of Sustainability collects donation items as part of its “Trash to Treasures” program. The purpose of Trash to Treasures is to divert salvageable goods from landfills and instead provide them to community members who will use them.
DONATION STATION LOCATIONS
There will be two staffed donation stations, equipped with trailers and collection bins:
Lower Campus (Haskell Hall on Latin Way)
Upper Campus (Carmichael Hall Parking Lot)
There will be four 24/7 UPod drop-off locations:*
Haskell Hall on Latin Way
Carmichael Hall Parking Lot
Lot behind Metcalf Hall (tentative)
Hill Hall parking lot (tentative)
DONATION STATION DATES AND HOURS
Wednesday, May 5th – Friday May 7th: No donation stations, but students may drop off accepted donation items at any of the four UPods 24/7
Saturday, May 8th – Saturday, May 15th: Lower and upper campus donation stations are open and staffed from 10:00am-5:00pm daily
OFF-HOUR DONATING
UPods are open for drop-off at all hours from May 4th starting at 5:00pm through May 15th at 5:00pm.
If someone needs to donate at night when the donation stations are closed, please drop-off donations inside of one of the four UPod locations.
ACCEPTED DONATION ITEMS
Textiles: Clothing, sheets, shoes
Household items: storage containers, dorm decor, fans, vacuums, large and small lamps, mirrors, waste bins, laundry baskets
Dining hall dishes
Books and school supplies
Sports equipment and crutches
Unopened, non-perishable food
Cleaning supplies: laundry detergent, brooms and sweepers
We will have additional collection bins at both the lower and upper campus donation stations for recycling the following:
Plastic film, including grocery bags, air pillows, bubble wrap, and produce bags
Broken small electronics
Compost
RECYCLING AND WASTE
To increase the efficiency and equitability of Tufts’ Move Out process, bring your recycling and trash to an outside dumpster. This will ease the roles of our hardworking custodial and Facilities staff.
RECYCLING
Recycling dumpsters have blue lids. View up-to-date locations of campus recycling dumpsters on our Eco-Map.
Trash dumpsters have black lids. View up to date locations of campus trash dumpsters on our Eco-Map.
There will additional be large open top trash dumpsters placed at the following locations: Harleston Hall (2), Latin Way (1), Carmichael (1), Talbot (1), Miller Hall (1), and Hill Hall (1).
View our website for more information about how to properly dispose of your waste at Tufts.
In 2016, Tufts University’s president Anthony Monaco signed the Second Nature Climate Commitment, which commited the University to act to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Aside from pledging Tufts to be carbon neutral by 2050, the Commitment includes a stipulation that Tufts lead and complete a “campus-community resilience assessment.” While it is important to reduce emissions in order to mitigate climate change and prevent its worst impacts, it is vital that institutions such as Tufts also develop a plan to adapt to the effects that are already present and are likely to be felt in the near future. These impacts include more frequent and severe hurricanes and nor’easters, higher temperatures, flooding due to sea level rise and precipitation, and an increase in the occurrence of infectious disease, among others.
As a first step in this resilience assessment, Tufts held a Medford/Somerville campus Community Resilience Building (CRB) workshop in May 2018, which helped identify the infrastructural, societal, and environmental strengths and weaknesses of the Medford/Somerville campus, as well as opportunities to strengthen its capacity for resilience. Some top priorities for actions that were identified at that workshop were human welfare (supporting students and employees during an emergency), infrastructure (utilities, stormwater, and continuity planning and upgrades), and food (food supply, distribution, and storage during an emergency). Read more about the Medford/Somerville Community Resilience Building workshop here.
On January 31st, 2020, around 50 participants convened on the Tufts Health Sciences campus to engage in a Boston Campus CRB workshop. There was a diverse group of participants, coming from across Tufts; including Facilities, Sustainability, Capital Programs, Human Resources, Tufts Technology Services, the Friedman School, the Medical School, the Dental School, the SMFA, Tufts Medical Center, HNRCA, Tufts Shared Services, and more. Representatives from Climate Ready Boston, the City of Boston Office of Emergency Management,the Commonwealth of MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the Boston Public Health Commission were also in attendance.
Peyton Jones from Climate Ready Boston addresses CRB Workshop participants on the Tufts Health Sciences campus on January 31st, 2020.
The Core Team that helped organize and lead this workshop included Tina Woolston and Hanna Carr from the Tufts Office of Sustainability, Rich Perito from the Tufts Office of Emergency Management, and Adam Whelchel from the Nature Conservancy, who is the creator of the Community Resilience Building workshop model.
The full-day workshop began with a presentation introducing the participants to the topic of climate resilience and preparing them for the rest of the day’s events. Tufts’ Executive Vice President, Mike Howard, kicked off the workshop by delivering a few words about the importance of accounting for the impacts of climate change in planning for Tufts’ long term success. Rich Perito presented on Tufts’ hazard identification process, and Peyton Jones from Climate Ready Boston spoke about Boston’s approach to climate resilience. Adam Whelchel and Hanna Carr introduced the workshop purpose, structure, and resources, including maps showing the extent of flooding and hurricane inundation on the Health Sciences and SMFA campuses.
Julie Wormser from the Mystic River Watershed Association facilitates a small group discussion.
The participants were then broken up into four small workshop groups, facilitated by experienced volunteers from The Nature Conservancy, Second Nature, and the Mystic River Watershed Association. In these groups, participants labeled maps of the Health Sciences and SMFA campuses and identified features of the campuses that may present strengths and vulnerabilities in the face of four climate-change-related hazards: hurricanes and nor’easters, flooding, extreme temperatures, and infectious disease. The participants also brainstormed actions that Tufts could take to mitigate the vulnerabilities and build on the strengths. After lunch, the participants shared out their respective groups’ top 3 action items. Post-workshop, the Tufts Offices of Sustainability and Emergency Management will work to develop a report based on the findings of the workshop and follow up with the relevant individuals to execute the top action items.
Some common themes among action items for the Boston campus included building a cogeneration plant to increase Tufts’ energy independence; strengthening communication channels among the Tufts community and between Tufts and the City of Boston; working with public transportation entities to support improved public transportation; and coordinating with local communities such as the Chinatown and Fenway neighborhoods to create a people-centered approach to hazard mitigation and resilience.
Participants were encouraged to label base maps in their small groups to indicate key features of the Health Sciences and SMFA campuses that may be vulnerabilities and strengths in a climate change-related hazard event.
Community-based actions towards adapting to the predicted impacts of climate change, such as the CRB workshop model, encourage people-centric planning that meets the specific needs of the community, and its local landscape and infrastructure. In addition, it empowers community members to advocate for and actualize projects to mitigate the severity of the impacts of climate change and improve their community’s ability to withstand a climate change-driven emergency situation. This workshop will help Tufts incorporate climate resilience into its long term capital planning.
On Friday, January 30th, hopeful Green Fund applicants presented to committee members and interested public about their projects. After deliberation by the Green Fund Committee, the following projects were funded:
Tufts Wide:
Tufts Technology Services(TTS). Presented by Freedom Baird. This project reminds Tufts community members that Every Watt Helps! They are creating a publicity campaign and operating procedures to help cut down on unnecessary energy usage. Look for their stickers around campus!
SMFA:
The SMFA Garden is the brainchild of Michaela Morse and Lauren Kimball-Brown who are creating a collaborative garden that will encourage local pollinators and the cross pollination of the various artists at the SMFA.
Health Sciences Campus:
The Multi-Site Conference Hosting initiative(MULCH) is an initiative Parke Wilde proposed to create a more sustainable way to go to conferences: rather than flying across the country, applicants can go to local hubs and mingle with other conference attendees either in person or with technology.
The Fall Harvest Week project presented by Kevin Cody of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is working to integrate local produce in Tufts Dining halls. New Entry will work with Tufts Dining to host a number of harvest events in Fall 2020 to highlight delicious local foods while also educating the Tufts community about the conditions of small farmers.
Grafton Campus:
The Elm Café Meal Take Out project presented by Lauren Gawel willestablish a take-out container system at Elm’s Café. This system will help students enjoy meals while minimizing waste!
Medford Campus:
The Loj Composting Project was presented by Ida Weiss and is designed to make Tufts Mountain Club (TMC) even more environmentally friendly! Soon there will be a student made and designed bear-proof compost bin at Tufts “Loj” in Woodstock NH for any food scraps from delicious Loj meals.
The Tisch Roof Garden Renewal project was proposed by Alicia Bellido and Bayley Koopman to revitale one of the best views at Tufts. Working with Tufts Garden Club, they will turn the TUFTS on top of Tisch roof to a beautiful garden that benefits local pollinators.
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