What is Pollination? Pollen is a powder-like substance that many plants produce for reproduction. You may already be familiar with pollen if you are part of the 25.7% of adults who experience seasonal pollen allergies–especially during the spring. Pollination is the process by which pollinators, such as honeybees, butterflies, bats, and birds, deposit pollen […]
Buzzing into Spring Part 1: The Importance of Pollinators Read More »
Our dear friend the trash monster is retiring, and we need your help to design a replacement! Lurking in Blue Wall Cafe near the dish return, the trash monster has stood as a reminder to students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus that the waste we create does not disappear – it simply ends up
The Return of the Trash Monster Read More »
As environmentalists, it is safe to say that the global environment is currently changing. From warmer temperatures to overfishing, our decisions have an impact on the world. This defines the core basis of planetary health. Planetary Health is the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends. Planetary
What is Planetary Health? Read More »
UMass Dining is committed to reducing single-use plastics from infiltrating our environment and impacting environmental and human health. With this focus, UMass Dining creates new initiatives that incentivize students to make better, informed choices regarding their waste management. The exchange of knowledge is an essential factor for change and growth, so it is important to
Waste Reduction: A Focus On Reducing our Plastic Usage Read More »
When you go shopping for new clothes, what do you pay attention to before making a purchase? You may consider factors such as the latest fashion trends, price, and versatility–but how often do you think about the environmental impact of the clothing you wear? It may be difficult to believe that something as simple as
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
Everyday Food Choices Can Be Climate Action Read More »
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
Keeping Up With Kelp: A Delicious Partnership with Atlantic Sea Farms to Save Our Planet Read More »
“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
Pickled Silly- A Jewish Fermentation Cookbook Read More »
This past semester, Anaadi Pooran, a student in the Master’s in Sustainability program, worked with UMass Permaculture Initiative Coordinator, Dan Bensonoff, to create a field guide to foraging on the UMass Amherst campus. The field guide presents detailed information on 21 different species of edible plants and mushrooms that can be readily found on campus. Also
A Foraging Guide to Campus Read More »
It is no secret that Scorpio season (October 22nd – November 21st) is a time for contemplating the ever-present cycle of death and rebirth. This, I can only assume, is why many of the holidays celebrated this time of year (Halloween, el Día de los Muertos, Samhain, All Saints’ Day, etc.), regardless of the cultures
As Above, So Below- Digging Roots and Scattering Seeds Under the Scorpio Moon Read More »
Shannon Mo (class of 2019) is currently a student in the Permaculture practicum course. They are an undergraduate student studying Sustainable Food and Farming, interested in how garden-based education can spark larger social change. This post is my attempt to better understand the history of the land that I have been able to learn and
Acknowledging the History of the Land Read More »
The UMass Student Farm is a student-run farm on campus that manages 14 acres of land and grows 35 different crops using ecologically sound practices. They supplied UMass Dining with over 10,000 lbs of local, fresh, organic vegetables in the past year. Produce from the Student Farm is featured in all four Dining Commons, at
UMass Student Farm Read More »
On November 27th 2018, UMass Dining hosted an event called Diet For A Cooler Planet that served a meal of delicious regenerative foods featuring contributions from local farms practicing alternative farming methods. The meal was served in all four dining commons on campus to highlight our local partners and encourage students to practice more mindful
Diet For A Cooler Planet Dinner Read More »
On November 9th, the Student Farmers’ Market held a Food For All Market with an attempt to address the stigma on hunger around campus. UMass Permaculture, the Food For All Program, and the Student Farm teamed up to organize this exciting Market, which featured a fresh and canned food drive, opportunities to engage in conversation
Food For All Market Read More »
Joe Czajkowski Farms carrot fields in Hadley, MA. Joe Czajkowski Farm, located in Hadley, MA, has been supplying food to UMass Dining since 2015 and is owned by Joe Czajkowski, a third generation farmer. Joe’s 400 acre farm grows a wide variety of crops including corn, winter squash, summer squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, strawberries and
