Tufts Receives Award for Innovative Sustainability Programs

Sustainable CORE Fellows attend regional conference of student sustainability leaders.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced Tufts University as a recipient of the 2025 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award for its work on redefining sustainability programming to meet the needs of students today.

Tufts’ Office of Sustainability was amongst the first universities to create a student-focused sustainability program in the 2000’s, coined as Eco Reps, that ran successfully for almost two decades, engaging hundreds of students with sustainable living practices and other campus initiatives. In the early 2020’s, with the onset of the pandemic and accelerating impacts of the climate emergency, students in our Eco Reps program began asking for ways to more effectively center inclusivity and wellbeing into their work on campus. In partnership with students, the office embarked on a strategic planning process to align its programs with the university’s goals of education and research.

Simran Patel, A25, a Sustainable Solutions Fellow, presents her research on how Tufts can incorporate climate change impacts on air quality into its emergency management plan.

The result was three new programs under the umbrella of Resilient Climate Leaders, designed to help students develop diverse skills to tackle climate challenges by prioritizing community-building, reflection, and celebration in the same way we prioritize sustainable action. This allows students to develop their leadership skills in a holistic way, intended to provide them with the tools to deal with the complexity of climate change while preserving their wellness. This model centers equity and inclusion into the core of programming to expand the sustainability community on campus and it aligns with Tufts University’s mission: to provide transformational educational experiences and generate cutting-edge research. In its inaugural year, these programs engaged 47 students as direct participants and reached thousands of students indirectly through events and initiatives.

AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser commented on this year’s award winners saying, “The 2025 AASHE Sustainability Award winners demonstrate an inspiring commitment to accelerating sustainability impact in higher education. I applaud these winners who are leading the way in transforming their campuses, exemplifying dedication, creativity, and vision as evidenced in each of these winning initiatives.”