| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.61 |
| Liaison | Tina Woolston |
| Submission Date | Nov. 2, 2022 |
Tufts University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 4.00 |
Tina
Woolston Director Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in curriculum and/or research?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to academics and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address student, employee, or community engagement for sustainability?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to engagement and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to operations and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Tufts has unpublished plans to decarbonize its campuses
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainable investment/finance; or wellbeing?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to administration and the plan(s) in which they are published:
In Spring 2020, Dean James Glaser asked the Assistant/Associate Deans of Diversity and Inclusion (ADDIs) Bárbara Brizuela, Nandi Bynoe, and Jacqueline Dejean to engage in a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) strategic planning process for the School of Arts and Sciences. Under the leadership of the ADDIs, an ad hoc committee was formed, which included faculty, staff, and students from a variety of areas across A&S. With an eye toward transformation not only of policies and processes, but also of institutional culture, the strategic planning committee began discussions over the course of the 2020-2021 academic year and solicited feedback from the broader student, faculty, and staff community.
Drawing from this work as well as from findings of past diversity reports, current findings from the President's workstreams, and developments occurring through departments, the committee created a strategic plan for the university that lays out the actions that the committee deems necessary to become a truly anti-racist institution. The plan is envisioned as a blueprint for the school's DEIJ work in the years to come: https://as.tufts.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion-justice/deij-strategic-plan
Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
The institution’s highest guiding document (upload):
Website URL where the institution’s highest guiding document is publicly available:
Which of the following best describes the inclusion of sustainability in the highest guiding document?:
The institution's sustainability plan (upload):
Website URL where the institution's sustainability plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body?:
The formal statement in support of sustainability:
We, the Tufts University community, affirm our belief that university faculty, staff and students have a responsibility to take a leadership role in conducting activities as responsible stewards of the physical environment and using educational activities to promote environmental awareness, local action and global thinking.
In our university functions, Tufts University will strive to:
conserve natural resources and support their sustainable use
conduct affairs in a manner that safeguards the environmental health and safety of students, faculty, staff and communities
reduce the use of toxic substances and the generation of wastes and to promote strategies to reuse and recycle those wastes that cannot be avoided
purchase renewable, reusable, recyclable and recycled materials
conduct our business practices in accordance with this policy.
In our education and research missions, Tufts University will strive to:
foster an understanding of and a responsibility for the physical environment
ensure that individuals are knowledgeable about the environmental and health issues that affect their discipline
encourage environmental research
conduct research and teaching in an environmentally responsible way
provide a forum for the open flow of information among governments, international organizations, industry, and academia to discuss and study environmental issues and their relationship to other social issues.
In our student and employee relations, Tufts University will strive to:
delineate individual responsibility
guide action for ensuring safety and minimizing adverse environmental impacts in the implementation of this policy.
Tufts will consider full compliance with the law to be the minimally acceptable standard and will exercise whatever control is reasonable and necessary to avoid harm to public health and the environment, whether or not such control is required by regulations.
Tufts will initiate, promote and conduct programs that fully implement this policy throughout the university and the global community.
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
Meeting the needs of the present while enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs in a just and equitable manner.
Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| The Earth Charter | No |
| The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | No |
| ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter | No |
| Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability | No |
| SDG Accord | No |
| Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment | Yes |
| The Talloires Declaration (TD) | Yes |
| UN Global Compact | No |
| Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
Talloires Declaration: http://ulsf.org/talloires-declaration/
Environmental Policy: https://sustainability.tufts.edu/sustainability-at-tufts/our-commitments/commitments/environmental-policy/
Kyoto Protocol: https://unfccc.int/process/the-kyoto-protocol
New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers: http://www.coneg.org/regional-climate-initiative
MA Global Warming Solutions Act: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2008/Chapter298
Waste Reduction by 3% Each Year: https://sustainability.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/Sustainability-Council-Report-2013-Final.pdf
Health Educators' Climate Commitment: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/04/fact-sheet-health-educators-climate-commitment
Second Nature Climate Commitment: https://sustainability.tufts.edu/sustainability-at-tufts/our-commitments/commitments/second-nature-climate-commitment/
Energy Consumption Reduction: Tufts University will reduce energy consumption 5 to 7 percent per year for three years starting in 2013 with additional targets set for consumption reduction in 2016.
White House Educators Commitment on Resilient Design: http://www.acsa-arch.org/acsa-news/read/read-more/acsa-news/2016/10/06/acsa-schools-join-white-house-educators-commitment-on-resilient-design
City of Boston Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance: https://www.boston.gov/departments/environment/building-energy-reporting-and-disclosure-ordinance#action-and-assessment-requirement
https://sustainability.tufts.edu/sustainability-at-tufts/our-commitments/commitments/
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
For additional information on sustainability planning, see https://sustainability.tufts.edu/sustainability-at-tufts/progress-reports/
For additional information on sustainability planning, see https://sustainability.tufts.edu/sustainability-at-tufts/progress-reports/
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.