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Green Fund projects can take many forms, from university-wide events to the installation of greener technologies. Learn about past completed Green Fund projects below.
The 2021-2022 academic year was the Green Fund's fourth full cycle, awarding participating projects a total of $26,000 in funding.
Two Terracycle Zero Waste Boxes for Disposable Masks were set up at the Tufts Medical School Campus in Boston to provide an easy way for the community to dispose of masks sustainably. The Green Fund committee granted this project funding ahead of schedule due to the immediate impact of the project.
With students being in a rush, it is very common to order food within a mile radius of campus and running back to lab or the library. Save the Fishes and Do the Dishes provided Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) students with reusable, plastic silverware kits. These kits included a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. This was a great way for all students to have silverware in their backpacks and to decrease the need to use and buy single-use plastic utensils. This also decreases the waste produced by takeout food. Moreover, it allowed students to have their own utensils, which was great for COVID-restricted events since meals need to be individually-packaged and served at the time. The Green Fund selection committee awarded this project $1,090 for purchase of utensils and outreach for the project.
Tufts Pollinator Initiative 2.0 (TPI 2.0) built off a previous Green Fund proposal, Tufts Pollinator Initiative. The Green Fund selection committee awarded TPI 2.0 $11,000 to enhance urban pollinator conservation by planting new pollinator gardens, training Tufts undergraduate students to become environmental educators, and to strengthen Tufts Pollinator Initiative’s research mentorship program. Previous Green Fund support has enabled TPI to plant 2500+ square feet of pollinator habitat on campus which supports 115+ insect species, helped them teach hundreds of Tufts undergraduate students about urban pollinators, conduct community outreach, and earn Bee Campus USA certification from the Xerces Society.
Five Terracycle Zero Waste Boxes for Disposable Masks were set up in the Grafton Campus for the second year in a row. The mask bins continued to be used on campus in the animal hospital past the completion of this project.
The 2020-2021 academic year was the Green Fund's third full cycle, though the COVID-19 pandemic put many of these projects on hold.
Two
+Terracycle Zero Waste Boxes for Disposable Masks were set up in the Grafton Campus to provide an easy way for the community to dispose of masks sustainably. Two collection boxes were set up on campus on February 11th, 2021 and were full and ready to be shipped to TerraCycle by May.
The 2019-2020 academic year was the Green Fund's second full cycle, awarding participating projects a total of $29,000 in funding.
The SMFA Garden created a collaborative space which ignited the cross-pollination of the artists and artistic ideas of the SMFA at Tufts community. The SMFA Garden involved:
The Tisch Rooftop Revitalization project, run by The Tufts Student Garden, revitalized the rooftop garden on top of the Tisch Library roof. This project materialized by planting native species of plants that were meant to target native pollinators, whose numbers are declining at alarming rates. The gardens were used for educational purposes and served as a means for helping native pollinator populations, reducing stormwater runoff, and absorbing solar radiation.
The project objective of Beautify TUFTS was to revitalize Tisch Library's rooftop garden and plant native pollinator plants in the garden to expand the habitat for native pollinators and beautify Tufts campus.
The 2018-19 academic year was the Green Fund's complete launch, awarding participating projects a total of $30,000 in funding.
Tufts Pollinator Initiative (TPI) is an educational, ecological, and collaborative plan to bolster pollinator health and promote community awareness by:
1. installing interpretive signage around campus
2. cultivating new pollinator gardens
3. developing new pollinator-focused undergraduate curricula
4. leading community-oriented workshops and guided walks
5. receiving Xerces Society for Insect Conservation Bee Campus USA Accreditation
The Tufts Food Security Assessment (TFSA) was part one of a research-action plan to comprehensively gain an understanding of and address food security in the Tufts community. This project collected data on food insecurity at Tufts and conducted a literature review of food insecurity focusing on college campuses. The TFSA was the only undergraduate student-led project awarded funding by the Green Fund.
The goal of this project was to raise appreciation and awareness that insects represent a sustainable protein source that’s not only a healthy, but also a delicious food that
can be beautifully plated by chefs. On April 17 & 18, 2019, the Green Fund sponsored an educational workshop, presentation and tasting dinner prepared by innovative Chef Joseph Yoon, founder of Brooklyn Bugs, an edible insect ambassador. Read more about this project on the Boston Globe or The Tufts Daily.
On April 18, 2019, the SMFA paused its daily functions to honor the late professor Julie Graham, who passed of lung cancer in August 2018. While eating a zero-waste meal, attendees heard from invited speakers and guest artist John Sabraw about using reusable materials, non-toxic methods, and building community-driven projects that highlight issues of climate change, consumption, and health. Sixteen workshops were held to explore how artists can practice being healthful, safe, and sustainable. Read more about this project on the SMFA website.
Summer 2018 was the Green Fund's soft launch, awarding participating projects a total of $10,000.
Compost was previously unavailable on the Boston Health Sciences Campus. This project encouraged and facilitated the diversion of food scraps from landfills by providing easy access to compost bins. For more information about this project, check out their Instagram. For more about how to compost on the Boston Campus, check out our Recycling and Waste Management website.
Spearheaded by the Tufts Energy Group, this project seeks to provide the campus community with an educational renewable energy experience. Solar panels donated by SunBug solar were installed on the side of Hodgdon Hall to provide power to outlets in the interior common room and outdoor lower patio.
In order to promote the use of reusable water bottles, the School of Dental Medicine installed an additional water bottle filling station on a high-traffic floor of their building.