Tufts University
ER-3: Sustainability in New Student Orientation

This has varied from year to year. Some examples are: green tours, Office of Sustainability open house, zero-waste meals with composting, green map and green living guide distribution (in new student packets), student mailers, trips to a local farmer’s market, commuting student lunches, Jumbo Drop yardsale (reselling items donated by the students the previous spring), Recycling Olympics, educational displays in the dining halls, light bulb exchanges, tabling, information in the guide to on-campus living, an eco-fair and materials for Residential Advisors and Orientation Leaders to pass along to new students. Sustainability is also a fundamental tenet of the optional pre-orientations that Tufts offers, specifically TWO (a backpacking program) and FOCUS (a community service program). In TWO, students spend 5 days in the woods and have to live completely without waste, so everything that goes into the woods must come out. In FOCUS, there are multiple groups of approximately 10 students that are specifically dedicated to helping the environment.

For more information about TWO and FOCUS, see http://www.tufts.edu/programs/tuftswilderness/ and http://www.tuftsfocus.org/ Jamie Engle is also a contact person for this information. She is the Coordinator for Orientation and Administration in the Student Services Center, jamie.engle@tufts.edu, (617) 627-3158.