Many students at Tufts say they care about environmentalism, but are often unsure about how to get involved in the cause. The campus on Sunday had the chance to take part in a "barnraising" hosted by the Tufts Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity chapter, in which teams worked together to improve the energy and water efficiency of the house, making it not only more eco-friendly but also more comfortable.
The event was part of a Global Work Party, a series of worldwide events planned for Sunday through which participants sought to make 10/10/10 the largest-ever global day of action against climate change. The initiative was overseen primarily by 350.org, an organization committed to lowering the parts per million of carbon dioxide concentration from the current level of 392 to 350 — the safe upper limit, according to scientists.
For the events at Tufts, 350.org teamed up with Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), which was largely responsible for the organizational planning and funding, and the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), which provided the technical assistance and leadership, along with the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP), Fletcher GREEN, Tufts Energy Forum, Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO) and the Office of Community Relations.
Volunteers worked under crew leaders from HEET to install low-flow shower heads to decrease water flow and toilet tank banks that reduce the amount of water used per flush. Others worked on "weatherizing" the house, or using weatherizing strips around doors and caulk around windows to decrease the amount of air that escapes.
Another team went door-to-door in Tufts' surrounding neighborhoods to conduct a Compact Florescent light bulb (CFL) exchange, providing Medford/Somerville residents with free energy-efficient light bulbs in exchange for their incandescent, less eco-friendly ones. Fletcher GREEN, a Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy environmental group, spearheaded the CFL exchange.
The most successful aspect of the event, according to Libby Mahaffey, a graduate student at UEP and a TIE intern, was that it broke down environmentalism into tangible, low-tech activities with practical and visible effects.
"I was so amazed by how easy it is," she said. "It just makes me think that anyone can do this kind of stuff."
Mahaffey, who planned the barnraising, said she had never been involved with energy efficiency until she started organizing the event at ATO. After this experience, she changed the faucet aerators in her home as well as at those in the TIE office. This type of hands-on activism gets people excited about setting environmentalist goals in their own lives, she said.
"Students get to be involved in this," she said. "They learn how to do it themselves."
Of course, there's also the social aspect — the event fostered teamwork and gave volunteers a chance to hang out with friends while benefiting the environment.
"It's supposed to be fun. They're called ‘work parties,'" senior Sara Carnahan, a member of ATO who was involved in the event planning, said.
At the end of the day, participants were rewarded for their work with an "After Work Party" at Johnny D's, where Muse Stew, a jazz band with West African, Cuban and Brazilian influences, performed to support 350.org.
Residents of the ATO house will also reap long-term benefits from the weatherization, which Carnahan hopes will allow the house to save money on energy and heating bills so that it can invest in new, energy-efficient refrigerators among other home improvements.
"I've been at ATO in the winter, and it is really cold," Carnahan said. "I know they could really use the insulation."
That was largely how the ATO weatherization project began, she explained. When she heard that TIE was looking for a house to weatherize, Carnahan contacted junior Emily Shaw, ATO's president. Shaw discussed the idea with the ATO Alumni Board, and with its approval, planning for the barnraising began.
First, TIE conducted an audit of the ATO house, the results of which were less than impressive.
"[The house was] ridiculously leaky; the windows don't close all the way," Mahaffey said. "In the wintertime, it'll be burning hot on the third floor and freezing in the kitchen."
The house had other major problems: Windows did not close properly, some did not fit in their frames and doors leaked heat.
With a few low-tech improvements, though, the ATO house was turned into a much more comfortable place in which to live, with increased water, heat, energy and money savings.
There are many other ways that students can do their part for the environment, Carnahan said. She recently had MassSave, a company that assesses and helps manage houses' energy costs, audit the house she rents off campus, after which they replaced all the light bulbs for free. She encouraged other students who live off campus to do the same.
"You'll get lots of free lighting and you can talk with your landlord about lowering your utility bills," she said.
Carnahan is also a member of ECO, a student group at Tufts that is currently working on a bike-share project to set up bike stations in Boston, Somerville and Medford.
Still, Carnahan explained that even with all the resources available, motivating people to do something about environmental issues can sometimes be difficult.
"Any environmental campaign is an uphill battle, getting people to change what they're doing now," Carnahan said.
Mahaffey voiced a similar opinion, explaining that the most effective way to attract people to the environmental cause is to use multiple tactics and find one that works.
Still, Mahaffey saw the ATO barnraising, and the Global Work Party in general, as a huge step forward for the environmental movement.
"The thing that I like so much about all of this is that I'm doing something, a concrete action, to help combat climate change," she said.
Mahaffy emphasized the importance of active participation in environmentalism. Last year, with 350.org's help, she organized a rally in support of an International Day of Climate Actions, she said. This year, though, she wanted to focus on activities that actually allowed people to help the environment directly.
Carnahan echoed this sentiment, explaining that this year's ATO event allowed people not only to spread awareness but also to effect positive and immediate change.
"This year, it's not … just advocacy, it's actually solving problems," she said. "All local communities are doing things. All over the world."
