‘Progess’ say officials
Administrators and the like are saying that UMass has made some progress, and that it’s paying off!
Green grades
On college campuses, the effort to “go green” has reached new heights.
Across the country, in response to student demands as well as costs, colleges are building energy efficient buildings, getting students to conserve energy, and taking other steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
One reason why colleges and universities are investing more in research is because students are advocating for environmental consciousness from administrators. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of hundreds of schools with green initiatives, has made some notable progress.
But what exactly does it mean to go “green”?
According to Mark Orlowski, the Executive Director of The Sustainable Endowments Institute, the term “green” holds several meanings. The institute looks at college campuses and issues a report card each year rating campuses on their commitments to sustainability. 
“The Sustainable Endowments Institute is pretty much in line with the common understanding of green as being environmentally friendly and sensitive,” he said. “But green also means thinking about sustainability and how your decisions now have a long term environmental impact.”
According to Orlowski, it is the institute’s goal to make sustainability a priority on campus. More and more schools are seeing the importance of their green performance, particularly with how it affects their public image. (more…)
UMass goes ‘green’
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has unofficially joined the ‘green’ movement sweeping the nation – perhaps in some ways you might not imagine. At the Dining Commons, a commitment to the environment has been present for years. Evidence is everywhere – from the abundance of local foods available at the DCs to the recycling bins in each dorm room. Some progress has even captured both local and national attention.
Buying local brings recognition to the dining commons
Within the past month, Ken Toong, the director of Dining Services, received both the state’s Faces of Agriculture Award and 2008 Blue Ribbon Award for his contributions and support of local farmers and agriculture. According to Toong, Dining Services purchased less than 10 percent of its produce from local farmers in 2002. This year, that figure has risen to 23 percent.
UMass offers local produce at the dining commons.
For years, Dining Services’ has led the campus in sustainability efforts, buying produce, dairy, and meat from local farmers whenever possible. They also serve only sustainable seafood, following strict guidelines set by Seafood WATCH.
Other actions demonstrate how Dining Services is environmentally conscious. These include composting food waste, using OS1 – a certified green cleaning program, offering the ‘Small Plate, Big Flavor’ program to help reduce food waste, and recycling grease. Dining Services also helped kick off the fall semester by hosting the “Welcome Back Green Barbecue.”
Green Building at UMass
Here are some great pictures taken by Assistant Professor Hoque on what some students have done in the Green Building Department.
Using a smoke puffer pencil to find window leakages.
Thinking about the future
Many departments on campus have made efforts this semester in going “green” – while others have plans in development. For instance, the UMass Bursar’s Office has eliminated its paper system and is exclusively offering online billing to help eliminate paper waste.
Other University efforts include the Environmental Sustainability and Energy Conservation Campaign’s introduction of the Eco-Rep program.
An Eco-Rep stands in front of her bulletin board.
The new pilot program invites students living in eight residence halls to educate other students about the environment. Recruitment for student-representatives of the program took place during September and a variety of topics chosen by the campaign will be discussed each month for the remainder of the 2008-2009 academic year.
A new event came to UMass this semester, the “Campus Consciousness” tour, featuring the band OAR, who just announced a partnership with the environmental group Reverb.
The tour offers students an environmental concert event at several college campuses. UMass Amherst was the tour’s first stop this year. At the Campus Center, a meeting similar to that at a town hall took place before the concert, and featured organizers of the event, including Josh Stoffel, and one member from the band OAR. Panelists answered a variety of student questions concerning green initiatives and ways to lessen their carbon footprints.
