Our Commitment to a Green Future
UMass Dartmouth recently finished a 100+ page campus sustainability assessment and carbon reduction plan entitled Responsibility and Renewal. This effort brought together virtually every department and facility on campus for discussion and analysis about how the work of our campus can be done sustainably. Its existance draws links between peopl involved at all levels of running our University for a common cause - to find greener pathways forward.
Green Navigators
Student activists on campus work together on campaigns to improve sustainable practices and awareness in areas such as recycling, energy conservation, composting, and waste reduction. Over 40 strong, this group helps with our autumn Farmer's Market on campus, is campaigning for a campus bike path, and is the face of sustainability in peer-to-peer undergraduate interactions.
The Living Classroom
UMass Dartmouth is home to over 300 acres of woods. Caring for and appreciating this acreage sparked lessons in sustainability that make use of our campus natural habitats and also include studies of how we are actively maintaining them for healthy growth. Read the details of our plans to reinvigorate the area, find out about the Cedar Dell clearing, or our recently achieved Forest Stewardship Council Certification.
Sustainable SITES
The UMass Dartmouth campus was chosen as one of 100 locations nationally to test out green landscape maintenance standards. We're exploring how to promote indigenous plants, ensure resillency in the face of climate change, reduce irrigation, encourage biodiversity, and eliminate dependance on artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
Campus Partners
We are proud to work with a variety of offices on campus that are integral to the sustainability of our University. No office or department working in isolation can solve sustainability issues that are intertwined between the purviews of different authorities. For example, the Office of Campus and Community Sustainability is working with Dining Services to increase composting of food waste and encourage local sourcing of ingredients. The Office also collaborated with the Student Senate and Facilities Management to buy and install water filling stations for reusable bottles. We are currently exploring with Campus Maintenance how to improve our recycling system for greater capacity, and with Transportation to optimize our campus bus and van routes.
Faces of Sustainability
The campus would be significantly less sustainable if it weren't for a large number of people who go above and beyond the scope of their job descriptions to help the campus become more sustainable. See their profiles.
