Tufts University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

The Tufts Eco-Representatives (Eco-Reps) are a group of residential students who help to raise awareness about ecological issues, encourage environmentally responsible behavior in their hallmates and peers, and plan related events and activities. They also manage compost bins in the residence halls, table for meatless mondays every week, organize group activities, collaborative projects, and represent the Eco-Reps program at various campus-wide events. Examples of these activities include movie screenings, clothing swaps, pop-up thrift stores, and "Waste Less" Dinners at the dining halls. Eco-Reps are also responsible for planning and executing behavior change campaigns in their residence halls. Eco-Reps use campaigns to effectively reach their residents through targeted behavior change centered around a common theme. Eco-Reps attend a four-day training at the beginning of the fall semester as well as mandatory weekly meetings throughout the academic year.

Eco-Rep selections are made at the end of the spring semester for the following academic year and are based on a written application and an interview. Recommendations are requested if the coordinators feel that an applicant's qualifications cannot be sufficiently assessed from the written portion alone. Occasionally, additional Eco-Reps are hired through a similar process during the last month of the fall semester to replace Eco-Reps who will not be returning for the spring semester. Applicants are evaluated on their: - Level of enthusiasm for the program - Dorm of residence - Ability to communicate effectively and get along with others - Past history of taking initiative - Creativity - Amount of time they are able to commit to the program - Environmental knowledge (not required, but a plus!) - Charisma Applicants who are self-starters, outgoing, eager to learn, comfortable teaching others, and not over committed in other areas of their lives do well in the Eco-Reps program and can make a big difference in their dorm's culture. Although it is not required that applicants live in one of the dorms with an Eco-Rep, individuals residing in the same dorm as their Eco-Rep assignment are preferred. Returning Eco-Reps may live off-campus, but first year Eco-Reps must live in on-campus housing. Every effort is made to assign Eco-Reps a dorm that is close to their own residence. Preference is given to students who will be on campus for the entire year, but individuals going abroad for one semester are also encouraged to apply. Students from all majors, interests, and backgrounds are also encouraged to apply, as it is desired to have as diverse a group of students as possible in the program.

Eco-Reps are expected to participate in a four-day long training during new student orientation and attend 1.25 hour weekly meetings throughout the academic year. The meetings during the first semester are knowledge and learning oriented around sustainability issues on the Tufts campus and around the world. During the spring semester, the focus of the weekly meetings transitions to also include guest speakers, attending lectures, and organizing the main spring event, EarthFest. Throughout the semester, during weekly meetings, each Eco-Rep is required to give a presentation about a topic that interests him/her and to lead a group discussion about the topic. Orientation training involves various 'getting to know you' and bonding activities, as well as event and campaign brainstorming, volunteering at a nearby farm, creating a student-written contract, meeting and interacting with dorm residents and residential staff during move in, staffing two zero waste meals during First Year Orientation, and learning their duties. The goals of training are broken down below: Values/Beliefs - Believe that what they do matters - Believe that they have the ability to affect change - Believe that working for a sustainable planet is a worthy goal - Believe that an environmentally concerned community is important, worth pursuing, and that they can play a part in creating it Behavior Goals - Enhanced leadership skills - Brainstorming creative events together and alone - Serving as a leader in the dorm, having dorm-mates respect them and come to them with questions, etc. - Environmental behavior goals - Understanding recycling infrastructure - Encouraging the use of reusable materials, such as waster bottles - Composting - Turning off lights and unplugging electrics - Paying attention to water consumption - Limiting single-use consumption - Setting out habits for life after dorms, knowledge for life after dorms Knowledge Goals - Skills for influencing people—effective ways to talk to their peers - How to talk to administration, those in positions of authority - What can be recycled on campus - Where to find environmental information/how to get your questions answered - How to plan an event on campus -Understanding environmental justice and environmental racism issues and the differential impacts of waste & pollution on marginalized groups - Understanding climate change, its impact, and its consequences - Knowledge of where to get information you do not know already - Know your residential staff and the people you live with - Tufts environmental programs and resources - Knowing your campus community, what problems affect your community

The program is coordinated by two upperclassmen, who are mentored by the Sustainability Program Director. Presently, the program is supported financially by the Office of Sustainability for student wages and events and the Office of Campus Life for on-campus meals and housing during orientation training.Students are paid on an hourly basis 3-5 hrs/week for Eco-Reps; 8-12 hrs/week for coordinators.

The Tufts GreEco representatives (GreEco reps) is program designed to bring sustainability initiatives to Greek houses and members of the greek community at Tufts. Each of the nine greek chapters at Tufts sends a representative from their chapter to weekly GreEco rep meetings, where weekly goals, updates, events as well as a focus topic (focus topics include reducing single use plastic waste, food waste in America, feasibility of renewable energy on a world wide scale and on a university wide scale, etc) is presented. Additionally, each rep is tasked with hosting one community engagement event per semester (examples include: Mystic River cleanup, hosting a Clothing swap/coat drive, and environmentally relevant movie screening with vegan snacks) The rep is then responsible for disseminating information to their chapter at weekly chapter meetings, updating the coordinator on what events they are planning, and keeping up with sustainable practices in their houses, such as composting and recycling bin upkeep.

GreEco rep coordinator is a student position under the office of sustainability and involves an application and interview. Reps are selected from a volunteer pool with no cut off on number of reps per chapter. Reps and coordinator are selected from students involved in Greek life on campus and immersed in the community and chapter. If a chapter has more than one rep, a "head" rep is then selected for that chapter (though all reps are welcome at weekly meetings). Preference for "head" rep is based if they actually live in their Greek house and how long they have been involved in the GreEco rep program.

The coordinator participated in the training program during new student orientation outlined in the first program, as well as 30 minute long weekly staff meetings at the Office of Sustainability. The reps participate in a weekly one hour long meeting lead by the GreEco rep coordinator and overseen by an Eco-rep coordinator.

Both budget and operating fees are low. Reps have a $50 budget for events (though many don't use it). Tufts Office of Sustainability pays the coordinator, but all other GreEco reps positions are on a volunteer basis. The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (under residential life) supports larger costs such as ordering t-shirts and any larger functions.

A student leader is hired to manage the Grafton Green Team, which is a group of faculty, staff and students who run sustainability initiatives at The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, such as the classroom compost program.

Selective hiring process

Limited supervisory support

Paid internship

Tufts was also home to one of the first "Student Sustainability Educators Programs," the original Eco-Reps program, which ran from 2001-2006. For information on that program, see http://sustainability.tufts.edu/?pid=106. We calculated "Students Served by Eco-Reps" by adding the number of residents that live in each dorm that is served by an Eco-Rep and the number of residents in Greek life impacted by the GreEco Reps. These students should not be double counted. In the 2017-2018 school year, the Eco-Reps program expanded to cover all upperclassmen residence halls, the medical student residence hall in Boston, and the apartment style student housing on the SMFA campus in Boston.