New Charging Station and Mural

by W. Parker MacLure

Last September Tufts worked with National Grid to install an electric vehicle charging station in the Dowling parking garage on the first level. In order to make the charging station more visible, Tufts Recycles was commissioned to create a mural that highlights Tufts efforts towards a more sustainable future. The mural was designed by Rachel Ison (’14) and painted with the help of Tufts Recycles.  The mural was completed on May 17, 2014, the day before Tufts Graduation.

Rachel graduated this spring with a degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies. She spent her senior year interning here at Tufts Recycles. Her mural features a green and white color palate and is approximately 8 feet high by 20 feet wide. It features images of renewable energy sources such as windmills and solar panels, as well as a picture of an electric car.

The charging station is owned and operated by National Grid, a multinational British electricity and gas company headquartered in London that also operates in the northeastern United States. The station is capable of charging up to two plug in electric vehicles (PEVs) at a time. Electric cars have the potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions because they do not emit exhaust from a tailpipe and can be powered by renewable resources. The use of electric cars however is limited due to the lack of infrastructure in the form of charging stations that exists. Tufts choice to install the charging station demonstrates a commitment to a more sustainable future.

Update 7/31/14: An earlier version of this post failed to clarify that the station is owned and operated by National grid.