Tufts Promotes Going Green On and Off-Campus
School to Finance Green Energy Projects on Campus, in Medford, Other Communities
Tufts University’s focus on sustainability will go beyond the campus this fall when Tufts students, faculty and staff will have a chance to voluntarily finance green energy projects in Medford and throughout Massachusetts.
Tufts is the first university in the state to sign an agreement with Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to join “Clean Energy Choice On Campus,” a green energy development program coordinated by MTC, the state’s development agency for renewable energy. By supporting the development of energy from wind, solar, and other renewable resources, Massachusetts’ reliance on coal, oil, and other fossil fuels that contribute to air pollution and global warming is reduced.
For every dollar donated by individual members of the Tufts community the MTC will put aside a matching grant of two dollars. The MTC will divide the matching funds three ways: one-third will be available to Tufts to use for future alternative energy sources on campus like solar panels and wind turbines, one-third will be put into a fund for renewable energy programs in the city of Medford and the remaining funds will go into an account administered by MTC for green energy projects in low-income communities across the state.
The original contributions from Tufts will be used to purchase renewable energy credits (REC’s) from Sterling Planet, a nationally known developer and marketer of renewable energy. When a renewable energy facility generates electricity, it makes two things: electricity and REC’s. The certificates represent the environmental benefits of renewable energy.
“By purchasing REC’s, Tufts community members not only guarantee that the electricity they are responsible for is not generating greenhouse gas emissions, but by supporting clean energy they are also helping the university, Medford, and low-income families in Massachusetts. Students from many facets of the university, faculty and staff will work this fall to recruit 1,000 donations to the program, which will generate $30,000 in matching funds,” said Tina Woolston, project coordinator for Tufts’ Office of Sustainability.
Woolston said Tufts’ participation in the program is consistent with the school’s leadership role in making sustainability a campus wide priority and will help Tufts reach its goal to meet or beat the goals set by the Kyoto protocol.
– InsideMedford.com
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