Food

Oftentimes, we hear about solar power and agriculture competing for scarce land resources. However, the evidence suggests that these two can co-exist and even be mutually beneficial to one another. Agrivoltaics is the dual-use of land for agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy generation. Although primarily used for crop production, solar grazing is a variation where livestock graze in and around solar […]

At its core, Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to end hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. It calls on institutions, governments, and communities to work together so that everyone can access safe, nutritious food every day.  But SDG 2 is more than ending hunger. It includes:  At UMass Amherst, we’re working toward SDG 2 from multiple angles: through food access,

Event Recap  On November 4th, UMass Dining held its second Dining for a Cooler Planet event of the semester. The event, What Indigenous Foodways Teach Us About Climate Action, featured a menu by James Beard semifinalist and member of the Penobscot Nation, Joe Robbins. Robbins sat down with UMass’s own Rachel Sayet, an educator in

This Thanksgiving, celebrate what matters most: good food, good company, and the farmers and chefs who make it all possible.  With UMass Fresh, you can bring home a holiday dinner prepared by our award-winning UMass Dining chefs, featuring ingredients sourced from farms right here in the Pioneer Valley. Each dish is made with care, rooted in the same sustainability

Farmer Spotlight   As the owner of Atlas Farm, Gideon Porth is part of a growing community of local agricultural producers working to connect people to their food sources. What started as a 2.5-acre plot has grown over 20 years into 120 acres of organic, sustainably managed farmland. The operation includes production fields, greenhouses, staff housing, packing facilities, a main office,

Clean water is one of our planet’s most essential resources. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) focuses on ensuring clean water and sanitation for all. Here at UMass Amherst, we’re doing our part through responsible operations, research, and innovation.   Green Cleaning at UMass Dining   UMass Dining supports SDG 6 through the Cleaning Cost Analysis

Did you know that 1 in 3 college students experiences food insecurity?   At UMass, we believe that everyone should have access to food, which is why the campus joined forces with the Amherst Survival Center to open an on-campus food pantry for members of the UMass community earlier this fall.   The Food Pantry resembles a

Event Recap  On September 24th, UMass Dining Sustainability hosted the first Dining for a Cooler Planet event of the Fall 2025 semester. The event, ‘Feeding the future: innovation, equity, and climate resilience in the food system,’ brought together an all-women panel of local food system leaders to discuss pressing issues within agriculture. Panelists shared stories

At UMass Amherst, sustainability isn’t just a goal–it’s something we’re actively working toward every day. When it comes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, UMass Dining is supporting campus-wide efforts that move us closer to a future powered by renewable energy.  The Carbon Zero Path  Reaching carbon zero on a

On April 17, 2025, the Hampshire Dining Commons at UMass Amherst was transformed into a hub of culinary inspiration and ecological insight, thanks to a visit from award-winning chef and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver. The event, centered on sustainable seafood, offered students and guests not just an exquisite meal, but also an eye-opening discussion on

UMass Amherst Dining is leading a transformative shift toward sustainability with its “No Taste For Waste” campaign. No Taste For Waste is focused on reducing single-use waste and promoting responsible consumption, this campaign aligns closely with Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. This SDG emphasizes sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources,

UMass Dining is the first university dining program to partner with My Emissions to analyze and rate the carbon impact for individual dishes using an A through E rating system. The A through E rating is based on the carbon intensity of the dish, looking at eachingredient and its lifecycle as a whole. The UMass

Did you know that despite covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, only 2% of the food we eat is supplied by the ocean? Although the first foods that come to mind when you think of the ocean may be animal products, such as fish, shrimp, and lobster, many people are also eating sea vegetables–specifically

“They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.” So begins the cookbook and family history recently created by Zoe Kaplan, a senior studying Communication and Sustainable Food and Farming. Zoe has always loved food, particularly the pungent flavors of her Jewish family, but it wasn’t until she moved to UMass Amherst that she discovered