Have you seen big boxes around campus collecting your trash? Those are rStream’s AuditPRO units. rStream, founded by UMass alumni Ian Goodine and Ethan Walko, is a greentech startup aimed at solving the sorting issue in our waste stream. The two have won numerous awards, including the 2021 Innovative Challenge and Engineering Senior Design Showcase, […]
What is Causing Bee Losses? In the winter alone, beekeepers usually lose up to 20% of their colony. Although that may sound alarming, some beekeepers–like UMass Dining’s local partner, Red Barn Honey–say that “if you’re not losing bees, you’re not keeping bees.” That is, bee populations will naturally fluctuate over time. Besides overwinter deaths, bee
Buzzing into Spring Part 2: The Biggest Threats to Bees Read More »
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 »
