Welcome to the Team

Chris Young is currently the Sustainable Food Systems Purchasing Coordinator for UMass Dining. In this role, he is responsible for handling the data and metrics reports for all of the local food purchases that are made. UMass currently sources products and ingredients from over 100 small farms and businesses, many of which are located under 20 miles from campus. ​

Before working with UMass Dining, Chris was an outreach coordinator for the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success. He also served as the student advisor for the “Men of Color United” student group on campus as a part of the Vice Chancellor’s Diversity Board. ​​

Chris notes that the most rewarding aspect of his current job with UMass Dining Sustainability is “seeing how much students, as well as myself, learn about eating healthy, local, and sustainable food.” While the University is constantly working toward expanding its local food purchasing and has pledged to participate in the Real Food Challenge, Chris hopes to see UMass Dining not only meet but exceed its current goal of purchasing 20% local “real” food by the year 2020. ​

Due to its immense purchasing power and the size of its student body, the University of Massachusetts has an incredible opportunity to continue to set the bar higher in terms of environmental sustainability. When asked why he is passionate about food in particular, Chris explains, “I believe a crucial step towards a sustainable economy is through our food system, the impact alone speaks for itself.” ​

Phoebe Gelbard is a sophomore International Development major with minors in Natural Resources Conservation and Education. She is from Williamsburg, Massachusetts and has grown up in the Pioneer Valley for all twenty years of her life.

​She is passionate about the plants and animals with which we share our home, and she spends her summers teaching elementary and middle school students about the geology and bio-cultural history of the forests, fields, and rivers of Western MA. ​​

Phoebe is particularly interested in social justice, alternative economic systems, and environmental sustainability – and how we can bridge the gaps that exist between these three concepts. After all, as writer, farmer, and activist Wendell Berry reminds us, “The Earth is what we all have in common.” In the future, Phoebe hopes to work internationally as an environmental policy advocate and community-based food sustainability educator. ​

In Phoebe’s spare time, she loves to cook, spend time outdoors, and play the guitar, ukulele, and piano. On campus, she is a leader for both the UMass Outing Club and Food Recovery Network, and as part of her involvement in the International Scholars Program, Phoebe will be studying abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand, next fall. ​