Tufts University

Profile

Tufts University, founded in 1852, is an urban university with three campuses (Medford, Boston, Grafton), serving over 3,500 faculty and staff, and 8,500 students from more than 100 countries. Historically, Tufts has been a leader in articulating and modeling the responsibility of universities to address environmental problems. Tufts convened an international conference in Talloires, France, in 1990 where the first official statement made by university administrators of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education was drafted, known as the “Talloires Declaration.” In 1998, Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) was formed, and in 1999 Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI) was created to meet the university’s commitment to reduce emissions 7% from 1990 levels by 2010. In 2007, TCI became part of the newly created Office of Sustainability, moving from a grant-funded entity to an University funded department reporting directly to the Executive Vice President. The Office of Sustainability serves as a resource, a catalyst, and an advocate for environmental sustainability at Tufts. Often serving as a bridge between ideas and their practical implementation.

Past Initiatives

IIn 1999, TCI completed a greenhouse gas inventory for 1990 (the baseline) and 1999, which is updated each year. Tufts greenhouse gas emissions have stabilized despite university growth since TCI’s creation, and the next five years will necessitate remarkable reductions for Tufts to meet its commitments.

Tufts Climate Initiative has stimulated many of the university’s numerous energy efficiency investments. TCI purchased and installed over 100 vending misers, which regulate the energy used by vending machines when no one is around. They’ve distributed over 3500 compact fluorescent light bulbs to members of the Tufts community as of fall 2005. Tufts University has invested over $500,000 in the last four years on lighting upgrades. The payback of these projects is less than four years. TCI has together with Tufts Operations to switch most of the Medford campus to front-loading washing machines, which use 40-60% less water and 30-50% less energy than top-loaders. In the spring of 2004, Tufts purchased an electric tractor mower called the "Electric Ox" which releases about 3 lbs of CO2 per hour mowing with very little noise pollution, compared to a traditional mower which releases about 22 lbs of CO2 quite loudly.

TCI collaborated with several organizations to educate the public about climate change science and action. They worked with the Northeast Science Center Collaborative, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN), and the Boston Society of Architects to host events on topics such as climate science, high performance buildings, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. In 2002, TCI helped create the Energy Affairs Council, a university-wide working group charged with reducing Tufts’ energy costs and environmental impacts. The Tufts Institute of the Environment works with professors to incorporate university sustainability into their curricula.

To reach stakeholders in other parts of the campus, the Office of Sustainability organized an exhibit on climate change at the Medford campus’s Tisch Library in spring 2005, ran a peer-to-peer education program called Eco-Reps from 2001 - 2006, Created a for-credit course on environmental sustainability and action, and runs a program for staff called Eco-Ambassadors.

At Tufts, transportation is the third largest pollution source after electricity and heating. To reduce those emissions, Tufts partners with Zipcar, a private company that rents MINI, hybrid, electric, or large-haul vehicles by the hour. Four Prius Hybrid Cars are located on the Medford and Boston campuses for faculty, staff, and students to borrow through this program. The program helps alleviate urban parking issues, as each Zipcar removes an estimated 10 cars from the road. Through their partnership with Toyota, Tufts also purchased two electric RAV4s for Public Safety and Mail Services and a hybrid Prius for Tufts Buildings and Grounds. The Grafton (veterinary school) campus also uses a fun Electric GEM Vehicle for the facilities department to get around campus.

Among Tufts’ measures to reduce energy use are numerous renovations and retrofits to buildings. Schmalz House received a solar hot water system and other efficiency upgrades in 1999, the same year two photovoltaic panels were installed on Fairmont House that cut electricity needs in the building by 15%. In 2001 the Wildlife Clinic on the Veterinary School campus invested in energy-saving equipment. A LEED Gold certified dormitory was constructed in 2006 and the Dental school's vertical expansion project is striving for a high LEED certification as well.

Current Initiatives

TCI was one of only 17 nation-wide recipients of the prestigious 2005 Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award, given annually to those who show originality, civic responsibility, and a global perspective in their efforts to reduce emissions of heat trapping gases. TCI has recently completed a report summarizing their projects and achievements over the last five years.

Tufts University received a $500,000 grant from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust in the fall of 2002 to support the design and construction of integrated photovoltaic electricity and high efficiency measures in their new Sophia Gordon Residence Hall, which broke ground in the summer of 2005. This green building, expected to be LEED certified, will be an important milestone as Tufts seeks to slow the growth of its contribution to global warming.

Tufts has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), a self-regulatory exchange designed to administer a multi-national, multi-sector marketplace for trading greenhouse gas emissions credits. TCI just completed the first year of administrative requirements for the program, demonstrating the university’s commitment to supporting a fledgling carbon trading market.

An undergraduate student vote in April 2005 overwhelmingly supported the creation of a yearly $20 fee to pay for wind power credits. Currently, TCI is working with the administration and students to develop a plan to purchase clean energy without a student fee, through savings created by investments in steam traps that are currently being installed. Tufts is also considering a clean energy aggregation project or an investment in hydropower for its long-term electricity needs.

Future Initiatives

TCI was one of only 17 nation-wide recipients of the prestigious 2005 Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award, given annually to those who show originality, civic responsibility, and a global perspective in their efforts to reduce emissions of heat trapping gases. In 2004 TCI completed a report summarizing their projects and achievements over the last five years. Tufts was one of the founding members of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), a self-regulatory exchange designed to administer a multi-national, multi-sector marketplace for trading greenhouse gas emissions credits.

An undergraduate student vote in April 2005 overwhelmingly supported the creation of a yearly $20 fee to pay for wind power credits. Although the administration decided not the implement the fee, the Office of Sustainability worked with the administration and students to create a voluntary program for purchase of clean energy.

In 2006 Tufts changed electricity partners moving from the New England grid to hydropower, cutting emissions from electricity generation by half.

Contact

Tufts Office of Sustainability
(617) 627-5517 or sustainabilityoffice@tufts.edu