Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.93
Liaison Ezra Small
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Massachusetts Amherst
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.50 / 3.00 Ezra Small
Sustainability Manager
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):

AASHE, Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN), USGBC, Society for College & University Planning (SCUP)


Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):

UMass Amherst is currently involved with UMass System Sustainability Council, consisting of all UMass System campuses (UMass Medical, Lowell, Dartmouth, Boston, and Amherst), The Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) and MA DOER Leading by Example committee (MA state government agencies)


Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):

Campus Sustainability Manager, Ezra Small presented a poster on the campus solar projects at the 2017 AASHE Conference in San Antonio, TX. Garett Distefano, Sustainability Director for UMass Auxiliary Services presented a panel discussion at AASHE 2017 in San Antonio, TX.


Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
No

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
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Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):

Ezra Small, Campus Sustainability Manager served on the AASHE Advisory Committee (AC) 2017-2019.


Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:

UMass Amherst is currently mentoring other colleges and universities in how to manage sustainably focused, internally operated dining programs. One specific way in which it does this is through our grant initiative with the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, where we are documenting our journey towards sourcing additional local, healthy foods to make a defensible and cost-effective model for all campuses to emulate. The How-To Guide for Food Service Operators is a manual for restoring real food and regional food systems to their right place in our society. For over a decade, the Dining Services program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Dining) has been an industry leader in environmentally conscious practices. Our serious commitment to sustainability has changed the way college students on our campus think about food and food consumption. They now understand that food is an essential source of personal health and wellness; that eating local, sustainable meals contributes to a strong and vibrant regional food system in New England and beyond.

Currently UMass is mentoring both Westfield State University and Chicopee Public Schools:
A news article about this here: https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-dining-assists-westfield-state-food

https://www.localumass.com/how-to-guide-for-food-service.html


Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the peer review activities:
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A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.