Open Menu Close Menu Open Search Close Search

Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, the Office of Sustainability hosted monthly webinars featuring Tufts staff across many departments that are working on reducing the university's carbon and environmental footprint to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Scroll down to watch these discussions!

 

A zoom meeting showing the Tufts energy and waste data dashboard

Thao Hoang from the Operations Division introduces guests to the Tufts energy and water data dashboard at the November 2021 webinar.

March: Shining a Light on Solar at Tufts

This webinar spotlights the benefits and challenges of solar energy at Tufts. Ruth Bennet, Senior Director of Capital Programs, Bill Thistle, Director of Purchasing, and Tina Woolston, Sustainability Director, introduce us to the different ways to use solar energy and support its creation across the country, as well as highlight Tufts’ current solar projects and future plans.

Aired Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

February: Energy Efficiency and the Central Energy Plant

Explore the complexities of making Tufts’ buildings more energy efficient and creating our own heating, cooling, and electricity through the Central Energy Plant (CEP), both of which are key to helping Tufts reduce its carbon emissions. Andrea Woelfel, CEP Operations & Maintenance Planning Manager, and Dariusz Raczkowski, the Director of Engineering in Facilities Services, discuss how Tufts identifies and implements energy efficiency projects and the benefits that Tufts gets from operating the CEP.

Aired Thursday, February 17, 2022.

January: Reducing the Footprint of Tufts Dining

Tufts Dining has been making its operations more sustainable for decades and first started composting pre and post-consumer food waste in the 1990s. In this webinar, we hear from Patti Klos, Director of Dining and Business Services, and Kelly Shaw, Nutrition Marketing Specialist, about how their team is currently working on sourcing food locally, purchasing Fair Trade and Organic ingredients, creating delicious plant-based menus, and reducing food waste. We suggest having a snack ready in case you get hungry while watching!

Aired Tuesday, January 25, 2022.

December: Fossil Fuel Divestment and the Endowment

The push to include fossil fuel divestment in Tufts' investment strategy has spanned a decade and continues to be sought by multiple campus groups. In this webinar, Craig Smith, Chief Investment Officer, explains the importance of Tufts' endowment and the reasoning behind the Tufts' responsible investment plan announced in February 2021. Fossil fuel divestment, positive impact investing, and future investment plans are all discussed in detail. Read a summary of this webinar on our blog.

Aired Monday, December 13, 2021.

November: Tufts Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Data

Have you ever wondered how much energy Tufts uses? Or which campus has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions? Tufts staff members Thao Hoang and Shoshana Dodge answered these questions and more during this webinar that examines data trends in Tufts' energy and water use while the university works towards its zero carbon goal. Explore more of this data on the Energy and Water Data Dashboard.

Aired Thursday, November 18, 2021.

October: Decarbonizing Tufts Buildings and Utilities

Curious about what Tufts is doing to curb its carbon emissions from buildings? In this webinar Ruth Bennett, Director of Strategic Capital Programs at Tufts University, discusses how the Operations Department is leveraging existing projects and implementing new ones to reduce carbon emissions from our buildings and infrastructure.

Aired Thursday, Oct 7, 2021.