| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.39 |
| Liaison | Tina Woolston |
| Submission Date | Nov. 12, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Tufts University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Lauren
Martin Communications Specialist Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
| Yes or No | |
| A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts | Yes |
| A sustainability newsletter | Yes |
| Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability | Yes |
| A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability | Yes |
| Building signage that highlights green building features | Yes |
| Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed | Yes |
| A sustainability walking map or tour | Yes |
| A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation | Yes |
| Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians | Yes |
| A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience | Yes |
| Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat | Yes |
| Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above | Yes |
A brief description of the central sustainability website:
The Tufts University Office of Sustainability maintains a website that consolidates information about sustainability and highlights programs and events at Tufts. The website is the most comprehensive resource available for anyone who is interested in getting involved in campus sustainability, both inside and outside of the Tufts community. It features detailed information on key programs like the Eco-Reps, Eco-Ambassadors, and Green Office Certification, which other institutions have used as models to start their own. It also contains rich information to help raise awareness about issues such as climate change, green transportation options, and careers in sustainability.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The Office of Sustainability newsletter includes news, on- and off-campus events, job opportunities, educational opportunities, and more. For example, a recent newsletter highlighted the Tufts Eco-Rep Symposium, Eco-Ambassador application information, new Eco-Rep positions, upcoming events, and information about the office's new sustainability interns. Each issue contains highlights from events and job postings from the office's blog. Interested students, staff, and faculty can easily sign up online, or sign-up sheets are available at many Office of Sustainability affiliated events.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:
The Office of Sustainability's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TuftsGetsGreen) focuses on campus events, opportunities, and initiatives, although we also cover broader sustainability issues. Most of the office's followers are Tufts students, departments, or individuals from the Medford and Somerville communities, so the content tends to emphasize local events and student outreach.
The Office of Sustainability's Twitter account has a broader audience that includes sustainability professionals, peer institutions, and a diverse group of organizations in addition to those affiliated with Tufts. The office's tweets, therefore, consist of larger sustainability issues and news, regional updates, and where Tufts stands in the context of broader sustainability initiatives.
The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A database has been built specifically to store information on sustainability-focused student research projects. It allows students to upload their projects and for users from the Tufts community to search for past projects. Faculty and staff are also able to post about potential research projects available for students to take on. In the future, the database may be integrated into the online library catalog. http://projects.sustainability.tufts.edu/
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
The most prominent signage appears in Sophia Gordon Hall, an on-campus apartment building that is LEED Gold certified. There is signage throughout the entrance hall of the building, bringing attention to all of its sustainable features. Signage is also included in the individual apartments, highlighting sustainable features such as the dual-flush toilets. Additionally, the residence has a community meeting space that is used for many gatherings and provides further opportunities for educating the community about green buildings.
Residence halls also contain signage drawing attention to the sustainable washing machines used on campus.
Signs that explain the energy-efficient LED lighting are present in the Dowling Hall parking garage, and there are also signs on the Tisch Library roof, a prominent student and community gathering space, explaining the Library's "green roof" project (for more about this project, see http://sustainability.tufts.edu/green-roof-collaborative/). There are also signs on the Tufts-owned Fairmont House that call attention to the building's solar panels (http://sustainability.tufts.edu/fairmont-house/).
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
The dining centers have signage that informs students about which produce items are locally grown and describes the dining centers' composting initiative. The Office of Sustainability distributes pamphlets on Sustainable Seafood (by the Monterey Institute) and Fair Trade products at a variety of events.
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
Signage explaining sustainable landscaping features is present at Tufts' rain garden and at the site of a pilot installation of permeable pavement in front of Miller Hall on the Medford campus.
The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
The Office of Sustainability produces and distributes an "Eco-Map of Tufts." This is a map of the Medford campus that identifies sustainability hotspots, such as recycling bins, compost drop-off locations, dining locations offering Fair Trade coffee, battery and ink cartridge recycling bins, electric vehicle charging stations, shuttle stops, public transportation pick-up points, and solar panels.
The Office of Sustainability developed an EcoTour of campus that features ten locations or "stops" on the Medford campus that have significance in Tufts' environmental history. Stops are marked by a sign with a QR code that can be scanned by a smartphone with information about the location and directions to the next stop. The final location is the Office of Sustainability, where participants can receive a recycled paper notebook for completing the tour. The tour went on hiatus in 2015.
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
The Office of Sustainability produces pamphlets for each of Tufts' three campuses in Massachusetts that contain information about "Traveling Green." These pamphlets include information about commuter benefits, shuttle routes and public transportation, Zipcar service, ride share, and bike share services. They highlight the environmental and economic incentives for making your commute more sustainable. Pamphlets are available for pick-up at the Tufts Department of Public Safety's parking desk, at the Office of Sustainability, in the student commuter house, and at various events. They can also be downloaded from the Office of Sustainability's website. The transportation page on the website contains more detailed information about alternative transportation at http://sustainability.tufts.edu/programs/transportation/.
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
The Office of Sustainability publishes a bike map for the Medford campus that includes information on the location of bike racks, bike lanes, steep hills, etc. It also provides tips on safe biking (turn signals, helmet use, etc.), relevant laws, and biking resources on campus. Tufts Bikes (http://tuftsbikes.com/), a student bike share group, holds group rides that include an educational/instructional portion, offers free bike maintenance with open shop hours so anyone can bring their bikes in for a tune-up/service, and connects students with other bike resources.
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
The Guide to Living and Working Green at Tufts provides a wealth of information for staff, faculty, and students on sustainable practices they can use at Tufts and at home. It contains sections on dining, water use, energy, recycling, shopping, traveling, and more.
In addition, "Habitats," the publication for residents, contains a section on recycling and green living. This includes guidelines for recycling, saving energy, appliance use, and more.
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
Tufts Daily has assigned a reporter to cover the sustainability beat since AY 2012-2013. Even before there was a sustainability beat, Tufts is small enough that almost all sustainability-related events are covered by the news section, and the editorial section often features sustainability-related pieces.
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):
There are signs above or on the recycling bins located in all residential and academic buildings. These signs tell people what can and cannot be recycled and remind everyone to recycle and properly dispose of waste. Additionally, the Tufts Recycles! program also maintains a website that includes a large amount of recycling information.
The website URL for this material (1st material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
A brief description of this material (2nd material):
The Office of Sustainability produces a calendar of local farmers markets and CSA box share programs. The calendar is distributed at sustainability events and is available online. The document includes the location of the farmers markets and dates they are running and lists CSA box shares that are dropped off locally. This information is utilized by students and employees who are interested in purchasing locally grown produce.
The website URL for this material (2nd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
A brief description of this material (3rd material):
The Office of Sustainability maintains a blog on which we publish news, events, and green job opportunities at Tufts and elsewhere. Updates are also periodically posted by the student Eco-Representatives, and stories not covered by other media channels at Tufts are often featured on the blog, such as Zero Waste Week, the switching of fuels at the Central Heating Plant that resulted in a significant reduction of emissions, etc.
The website URL for this material (3rd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
A brief description of this material (4th material):
The Office of Sustainability's website lists sustainability-focused and sustainability-related courses available for graduate and undergraduate students, which include a for-credit class offered by the Office of Sustainability on Environmental Action.
The website URL for this material (4th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
A brief description of this material (5th material):
The "Resources" section of the Office of Sustainability's website is an online collection of sustainability-related resources for Tufts students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the greater Tufts community. Resources from Tufts University, other members of the academic community, government agencies, nonprofits, and NGOs, among others, are included.
The website URL for this material (5th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
A brief description of this material (6th material):
The website URL for this material (6th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
A brief description of this material (7th material):
The website URL for this material (7th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
A brief description of this material (8th material):
The website URL for this material (8th material):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.