On September 18th, UMass Dining hosted its first Dining for A Cooler Planet event of the Fall 2024 semester. Dining for a Cooler Planet is an educational event series highlighting a diverse array of food system practices that reduce carbon emissions and respond to climate change. In the past, events have showcased local farmer stories, Indigenous foodways, kelp farming, and more.
This event was centered around local farms and climate resilience. On top of a special menu with locally curated ingredients, the event included a panel discussion. The panelists were Margaret Christie – the Special Projects Director of CISA, Gideon Porth – the owner of Atlas Farms, Chef Bob Bankert – Executive Chef at UMass Amherst, and Elinor Everett – Integrated Pest Management Coordinator at the UMass Student Farm. The discussion touched on drought and flood resistance, crop replacements, and the passing of knowledge from one generation of farmers to the next.
Chef Bob and Kathy Wicks, Director of Sustainability, shared how UMass Dining addresses climate change on campus. “Our students are open to trying just about anything,” said Bob, who then mentioned preparing parts crops from Atlas Farms that typically go to waste. Kathy shared the menu identifiers that identify which dishes have local ingredients in them. The event concluded with a cooking demonstration by Chef Bob, who prepared a tomato gazpacho with heirloom tomatoes from Gideon’s Atlas Farms.
