Tufts University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Tufts Office of Sustainability was established in 2006 and includes a full-time Sustainability Program Director, a full-time Education & Outreach Program Administrator, and a full-time Communications Specialist. The office spearheads a number of major programs and initiatives and works across all three Tufts campuses. Major accomplishments include the following: The Office of Sustainability convened and organized a Transportation Working Group, and the Program Director sat on the Fleet Management and student driver sub-group. The Sustainability Program Director also chaired the working group, which created a Transportation Demand Management Plan completed in Spring 2015. The Office of Sustainability has regularly offered an undergraduate course “Environmental Action: Shifting from Saying to Doing,” which empowers students to take sustainability action on campus. The course was historically taught through the Ex-College but is now offered through the Environmental Studies Department and Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP). (http://sustainability.tufts.edu/programs/for-credit-courses-from-the-office-of-sustainability/) The Office of Sustainability launched a Green Office Certification program in FY12. The program is designed to recognize, support, and promote offices that are engaging in sustainable practices. There are four levels of certification, allowing offices to be recognized for their current conservation actions while still providing a goal to work toward. The program was updated and relaunched in Summer 2014. (http://sustainability.tufts.edu/programs/green-office-certification/) In 2012, the office introduced the Tufts Eco-Tour, a self-guided tour of the Medford/Somerville campus that encourages community members to learn about sustainability initiatives at Tufts. The tour is made up of signs on buildings across campus with QR codes that can be scanned with a smartphone to provide participants with information on university initiatives and milestones related to sustainability at each tour stop. (https://sites.tufts.edu/ecotour/) The Office of Sustainability began developing a database of student projects related to Tufts’ campuses, primarily sustainability-related projects. The database allows students to upload their projects online and may eventually be integrated with the Tisch Library catalog. The Office of Sustainability has seen successful expansions of both its Eco-Reps program for students and Eco-Ambassadors program for staff and faculty members (please refer to credits EN-1 and EN-6 for more information about and accomplishments of the programs). In conjunction with other sustainability-focused groups at Tufts, such as the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), the Eco-Reps, and the Tufts Sustainability Collective, the office has organized a number of sustainability events, including Earth Day/Week, Bike Week, Car-Free Week, and Zero Waste Week. The Office of Sustainability maintains a website, blog, Twitter account, Your Tube page, Facebook page, Tumblr site, and newsletter. The office also creates and disseminates a wide variety of publications and other sustainability resources, including transportation brochures. In 2013, the office introduced a bike map that shows locations of bike racks, terrain elevation, bike-friendly routes, and bike safety tips and is designed to foster biking on campus. For more information on the Tufts Office of Sustainability and its accomplishments, please visit http://sustainability.tufts.edu/. The President's Sustainability Council was established and started meeting in 2012. Made up of undergraduate and graduate students as well as staff and faculty members from across the university's schools and three Massachusetts campuses, the Council and its three working groups on waste, water, and energy & emissions examined Tufts' progress toward meeting its existing sustainability goals and set news goals for the university to achieve in the coming years. The Council released a report of its recommendations in May 2013 (see below for more details) and progress reports in March 2014 and April 2015. (http://president.tufts.edu/strategic-initiatives/campus-sustainability/)

When President Anthony Monaco joined Tufts in 2011, he articulated sustainability as a key priority of his administration, and he established the Tufts Council on Campus Sustainability, which started meeting in 2012. The Council established 3 working groups: Water, Waste, and Energy & Emissions. The working groups met throughout 2012 and into 2013 to review Tufts' current goals, progress toward meeting those goals, existing data, and relevant benchmarks and to develop new goals, objectives, and recommended strategies. The working groups' findings culminated in the release of the President's Sustainability Council Report in May 2013.

Chair: Anthony Monaco, Tufts University President Co-Chair: Patricia Campbell, Executive Vice President Linda Snyder, Vice President for Operations Peter Brodeur, Associate Professor, Pathology Department, School of Medicine Dan Doherty, Trustee, Chair, Buildings & Grounds Committee, Board of Trustees Kelly Sims Gallagher, Associate Professor, Director, ECI in CIERP, The Fletcher School Timothy Griffin, Associate Professor, Program Director, AFE, Friedman School Marc Hodes, Associate Professor, ME, School of Engineering Betsy Isenstein, Director of Facilities Technical Services Jonathan Kenny, Professor, Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences Colin Orians, Professor, Biology, Director, Environmental Studies Program, School of Arts and Sciences Kent E. Portney, Professor, Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences Dawn Quirk, Waste Reduction Program Manager, Facilities Services (position now vacant) Andrew Ramsburg, Assistant Professor, CEE, School of Engineering Ann Rappaport, Lecturer, UEP, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Kartikeya Singh, PhD student, The Fletcher School Giovanni F. Widmer, Professor, DBS, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Tina Woolston, Sustainability Program Director, Office of Sustainability President of the undergraduate Tufts Sustainability Collective (varies annually)

The Tufts Office of Sustainability serves as a resource, a catalyst, and an advocate for environmental sustainability at Tufts. The Office of Sustainability's mission statement is available at http://sustainability.tufts.edu/about-the-office-of-sustainability/mission-statement/.

Sustainability Program Director: Responsible for fostering a culture of sustainability among students, faculty, and staff by leading a coherent, campus-wide sustainability program. Coordinates staff and student sustainability activities and collaborates with academic and research units to enhance sustainability learning and application at Tufts. Identifies, prioritizes, and assesses the cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and means of achieving acceptance of potential and existing sustainability practices. Plans and develops long- and short-range programs to enhance university sustainability. Engages with institutional leaders to foster sustainability broadly across campus units. Serves as a point‐person for all sustainability activities on campus, annual reporting requirements and other University policies related to sustainability. Coordinates and consults with all Tufts campuses. Facilitates communications as the campus spokesperson on sustainability issues. Receives guidance from and supports the activities of the Sustainability Committee and represents the University at national professional conferences.