Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI)

TELI, the Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute, is a multi-day faculty development workshop that educates participants about issues surrounding climate change. The goals of the 2008 and 2009 workshops were to enhance faculty members’ understanding of climate change and climate justice, and to inspire participants to incorporate these themes into existing or new courses. The ultimate goal of the TELI program is to increase opportunities for Tufts students to engage with the environmental and social issues that will shape their generation through increased exposure to climate change and climate justice across the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on recruiting faculty participants from a wide range of disciplines. The workshop includes interactions with experts, access to a range of resources, and a field-based learning experience.

Recent Workshops

TELI initially had a five-year run, starting in 1990. It was a summer workshop for faculty who wanted to incorporate environmental themes into their courses across the curriculum. This desire typified the Tufts approach to environmental literacy for its students: rather than being forced to take one or two designated courses on the environment, they would be repeatedly exposed to environmental issues in courses ranging across all disciplines.

The concept of investing in faculty literacy on environmental issues was pioneered at Tufts. In 1990, TELI was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and grants from corporations. In part because of the corporate role, the program received an award from President George H.W. Bush in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House. In subsequent years, programs to develop faculty literacy on environment and sustainability have been launched at other universities. The primary impetus for reviving TELI in 2008 to address both climate change and climate justice was the urgency of the issues: colleges and universities are ideally positioned to lead the development of solutions.

The rationale for TELI goes beyond subject matter - it enhances interdisciplinary collaboration. A recent study examining the long term effect of the 1990s version of TELI revealed that although faculty committed to work on only one course, half of those surveyed changed more than one course, and some changed as many as four. Many of these are the foundational courses of departments, enhancing curricular impact. The impact on research and interdisciplinary collaboration was also substantial. Collaborations in grant proposals and interdisciplinary teaching were reported by 58% of Tufts participants.[1]

If you would like more information about TELI, or are interested in being a participant in future sessions, please contact Antje Danielson, the Program Manager at TIE.

Plans for the Future of TELI

The goal is to attract funding for at least the next five years. Holding workshops in five consecutive years creates an opportunity to engage a critical mass of faculty from a wide range of disciplines and enhances the likelihood that long-term interdisciplinary collaborations will emerge.

An essential element of the long term plan is nurturing relationships with academics and decision makers in developing countries around issues of climate change and climate justice. Exchanges of scholars, opinion leaders, and students may facilitate the negotiation of global agreements on climate action that give equity a central role. One of the 2008 participants suggested collaboratively planning and implementing an emission reduction project in a developing country as part of the long term program.