Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI) is a four day faculty development workshop that takes place in the week immediately following commencement in May. The goals of the workshop are to enhance faculty literacy on climate change and climate justice and to inspire participants to incorporate these themes into an existing course or to create a new course. Ultimately, the purpose is to increase the ability of all Tufts students to engage with issues that will shape their generation. Emphasis is placed on recruiting faculty participants from a wide range of disciplines. The workshop includes interactions with experts, access to resources, and a field-based learning experience.
The Climate Change, Climate Justice (CCCJ) initiative is an ad hoc committee that aims to connect environmental movements to social justice movements. CCCJ supports climate change and climate justice education, research, and activism on local, national, and global levels. It bring groups within and outside of the university together in order to address local and global community needs. Moreover, it aspires to incorporate a social justice lens into climate change initiatives throughout the university, as well as to increase the diversity of those who are at the table in climate change research, policy making, and activism.
The Energy and Climate Forum was conceived as a means of gauging interest in the topics of climate and energy, an area identified as being particularly promising for development as a cross-university effort. Sponsored by the Department of Economics, the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), and the Fletcher School's Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP), it consists of monthly seminars featuring both internal and external speakers addressing critical issues surrounding energy and climate. Topics include science, engineering, economics, health and the environment, and resources policy and politics.
The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition in which 20 teams of university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design. The Boston Architectural College (BAC) and Tufts University have formed a Consortium, combining resources and expertise to meet and exceed the Solar Decathlon project goals. The Consortium uses the competition as an organizational catalyst to address issues of energy consumption as well as larger challenges of sustainability at local, regional and international levels.
The Mystic Watershed Collaborative is a partnership between Tufts University and the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). MWC envisions strategies and catalyzes the resources of Tufts University and MyRWA to address challenges and opportunities in the Mystic Watershed. The MWC was formalized in 2000 under the leadership of President DiBiaggio. In 2005 on the 5th anniversary of the MWC, President Bacow reaffirmed Tufts University's commitment to the restoration of the Mystic River Watershed.
