Current and On-going Green Fund Projects

This project increases opportunities for experiential learning for the Tufts community, which is part of the ExCollege mission. It is a direct way for students to not only get experience identifying birds, but learn about community data collection, climate change, and the environment. Project Feederwatch is a citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where participants count birds at feeders and collect data which helps scientists track population trends, climate change, environmental factors, and more. On count days, participants come to the count site, are given an introduction to the project and bird identification, and then count birds for as little as 10 minutes or as long as two hours, allowing for flexibility and the ability to participate multiple times. The project runs from November through April and count days occur weekly.

This project will help reduce purchasing costs and overall hazardous waste production at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Formalin is the most commonly used fixative for diagnostic specimens submitted to the Cummings Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (CVDL). The CVDL must routinely purchase formalin for fixing specimens that require disease diagnosis. However, formalin is a hazardous chemical, and additional cost and effort are required to properly and legally dispose of it. This presents an opportunity for improved sustainability and an educational opportunity, as formalin purchasing and use- associated costs and resources must be utilized continuously to maintain supply and manage disposal. This project aims to reduce total hazardous waste use and disposal by recycling formalin into formalin that is appropriate for re-use. Doing so will encourage and educate our school about ways to reduce the environmental impact of diagnostic and research specimens.

The Double Arrows project will work with artist Elizabeth James Perry, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head - Aquinnah, to do a restorative planting garden with an emphasis on natural dye plants at the Indigenous Center in conjunction with her solo exhibition at Tufts University Art Galleries. It will extend the Galleries' project into a long-term engagement with the Tufts community through building outdoor container gardens and planters with Native plants conducive to natural dye, weaving and basketry practices. Double Arrows' gardens will continue to be stewarded by the Indigenous Center students through a manageable caretaking plan for the next three years. The group will create one or two container gardens at the Indigenous Center. Perry will do a workshop with students in advance of planting to share natural dye planting and weaving techniques and interested students can join her in the transplanting seedlings to the plot in May 2023. The Green Fund selection committee awarded Double Arrows $5,750 for container planters, facilities needs, seeds, plants, soil, gardening supplies, workshop supplies, an artist honorarium, and student stipends for project management and caretaking.

This project aims to get the Medford/Somerville campus certified as a Tree Campus Higher Education by the National Arbor Day Foundation. This will create opportunities for Tufts community members to get involved with urban forestry and build a support system for maintaining and expanding our canopy while drawing attention to the need for intentional tree protection. Long-term, the team hopes to create opportunities for students to volunteer and intern with the cities of Medford and Somerville. The Green Fund selection committee awarded the team $8,050 to fund trees, Arbor Tree event costs, tree inventory supplies and analysis, t-shirts, and identification signs.