Tufts University, a mid-sized university with three campuses in Massachusetts, has pledged to meet the Kyoto target by reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 7 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012.* Tufts will further reduce to 10 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 75 per cent in the longer term.†

In addition, Tufts is the first university to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, a contractual emissions reduction and trading pilot program. These commitments are consistent with Tufts’ environmental leadership position and create enormous learning opportunities for the university community. However, turning rhetoric into reality is a significant challenge.

Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI) works with the university’s Operations Division and Administration as a catalyst and a resource. It provides a link between students and implementers, and spawns new initiatives by providing additional resources for ongoing climate change-related efforts across the university. TCI’s approach is one of co-operation and partnership around three major areas:

l reduction of GHG emissions by assisting in the design and implementation of projects;

l research of technologies and measures, and monitoring of past projects; and l education and outreach, both within and outside the university..............

Questions 

1 Review the Tufts programme.
2 Examine ways other institutions might use similar methods.
3 Examine the barriers to introducing a Tufts-type programme.