UMass Amherst Sustainability

12/21/2020

Amanda

The UMass Amherst's Environmental Conservation Graduate Student Symposium (ECoGSS) organizing committee is excited to announce ECoGSS 2021!
Inviting all Graduate Students involved in environmental conservation-related research! Whether you are from ECo, MS3, OEB, or anywhere else, we want you to be involved! ECoGSS is a great space to present your conservation science research to friendly faces, whether you are just starting out in your graduate career or seasoned at attending conferences!
The symposium, hosted by the Environmental Conservation Department, will be held via Zoom on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Abstracts for talks, posters, and discussion panels are due Friday, January 22nd at 11:59 pm.

The UMass Amherst's Environmental Conservation Graduate Student Symposium (ECoGSS) organizing committee is excited to announce ECoGSS 2021!
Inviting all Graduate Students involved in environmental conservation-related research! Whether you are from ECo, MS3, OEB, or anywhere else, we want you to be involved! ECoGSS is a great space to present your conservation science research to friendly faces, whether you are just starting out in your graduate career or seasoned at attending conferences!
The symposium, hosted by the Environmental Conservation Department, will be held via Zoom on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Abstracts for talks, posters, and discussion panels are due Friday, January 22nd at 11:59 pm.

11/07/2020

UMass Amherst

A message from Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy:

With the results of this most contentious presidential campaign finally clarified, albeit pending states’ certification of vote tallies, I again want to acknowledge the significance of this election as a testament to the power of participatory democracy. We witnessed a historic voter turnout in the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, and many barriers erected to suppress voter participation, demonstrating the strength of the American people’s determination to ensure their rightful say in the future direction of our nation.

While there can be legitimate disagreements on policy matters, there is no denying that the personal style and rhetoric of the incumbent president contributed to a climate in which the interests of partisan politics were prioritized over the important work of governing. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the federal approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism and immigration policy, all of which have had a direct impact on our campus community.

By embracing reason and advancing knowledge, we at UMass, along with colleges and universities nationwide, can contribute to an educated populace that values facts and truth over opinion and dogma. And through research, scholarship and expanding access to education, we can play a vital role in helping to meet the incredible challenges we face as a society. Among them are shortening the length and lessening the public health and economic toll of the pandemic, addressing racial inequity, confronting the threat of climate change, improving media literacy, and redesigning policies and practices that contribute to economic inequality and health disparities.

We offer our congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, and pledge to do our part to help unite the American public for the common good. I want to restate our campus’s commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. We are continuously striving for a campus environment, and a broader society, that celebrates the differences among us and fosters dignity and respect for all.

I am hopeful that, while striving for truth and understanding, all of us stay engaged and do our part to contribute to the formation of a more perfect union.

Full message here: https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/message-about-presidential-election

10/29/2020

Yesterday, our sustainability fellows Lilly and Jesse took a tour of the Waste Recovery Transfer Facility at UMass! Jesse created these graphics to help teach you all about where your waste goes. Special thanks to Mike Dufresne for showing Jesse and Lilly around, and thanks to all the amazing staff at the Office of Waste Management who work so hard every day for our campus! 🙂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CG5btjlhYGo/?igshid=yll8ojc3f2lf

10/27/2020

Election Day Resources 2020 | UMass Amherst Libraries

Thanks for creating these Election Day resources, UMass Amherst Libraries! https://www.library.umass.edu/news/election-day-resources-2020/?fbclid=IwAR115fQaZbkDCUDXV839pCd--B6Kai-bAR2MhPkJacnEzpWO0W6QAkSIdic

Check out our list of workshops on such topics as Creative Commons, Zotero, Adobe After Effects, and Copyright and Information Policy. All free and online!

10/23/2020

Sustainableumass-l Info Page

Did you know we have an email listserv? Use it to announce and receive info about sustainability-related events, programs, courses, projects, opportunities, etc. at UMass Amherst and beyond. Open to all. Sign up to receive emails on the listserv here and join the community: https://list.umass.edu/mailman/listinfo/sustainableumass-l

This list is used to announce sustainability-related events, programs, courses, projects, opportunities, etc. at UMass Amherst and beyond. Open to all.

10/19/2020

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Bridge Panel. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Informational webinar about BRiDGE Program
Monday Oct. 26 10-11AM

Over the past few years, BRiDGE, an organization founded by graduate students at UMass Amherst, and supported in part by the Institute of Diversity Sciences, has been working hard to help increase the representation and visibility of early career scientists from underrepresented groups within our respective fields. To date, BRiDGE has hosted 13scholars to the UMass campus, with each scholar presenting not only on their science, but also on their community impacts and academic mentorship.

BRiDGE’s mission feels more important than ever as we navigate conversations around White supremacy, anti-racism, and DEI within our departments and across our colleges and the campus more broadly. For this reason, BRiDGE is hosting a virtual webinar on Monday Oct. 26 to:
1) raise awareness about BRiDGE’s history and current work
2) answer questions about the program
3) expand the program’s reach to new departments.

Interested in learning more about BRiDGE, joining, or expanding to your department seminar? Please join us!

For more information see: https://blogs.umass.edu/bridge/upcoming-scholar/, and spread the word! The event is open and encouraged for all UMass community members.

Event registration (helpful for our records if you can register beforehand): https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i0Td3QMXQr-JqV4tFkHtBA
When: Monday, October 26th, 10-11 am
Where: Zoom meeting ID: 995 7493 0371

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Bridge Panel. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

10/19/2020

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: October IDS Climate Change, Diversities & Disparities Research Group Online Seminar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Fri. Oct. 23 11:00am – 12:30pm Climate Group Seminar on ZOOM: "For the IDS October Climate Group Seminar, we welcome Paige Warren (Environmental Conservation) & Nathan Chan (Resource Economics) and Nigel Golden (Environmental Conservation). Warren & Chan will be speaking about "racial and income disparities associated with biased sampling in a large-scale community science project." Golden will be speaking about "modeling the effects of climate change on the distribution and abundance of a tundra alpine indicator species in Denali National Park and Preserve, AK." Discussion will follow."
RSVP by October 20th: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIodemrqD4jHtQNN4uO9VFiOKY8eMiP-aXH

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: October IDS Climate Change, Diversities & Disparities Research Group Online Seminar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

10/19/2020

Wind Energy Center Seminar Series:

Thurs. 10/22 4-5pm: The Implications of City, State, and Business Climate Leadership in the United States. Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc569LCG4OqKmOtuSqI_aNdVNnFrPOct3DLvoYJmuGKUO96Xw/viewform

This seminar by Leon Clarke, University of Maryland, discusses a new study on the implications of an emerging movement for subnational leadership on climate in the United States, and its implications for global climate change action. Questions? Contact Jody Lally [email protected]

Please indicate which of the seminars below you will be attending. A Zoom link will be sent the day of the event to the email you provide.

10/19/2020

iCons Fall 2020 Workshop | Social Justice in the Energy Transition

Wed. 10/21 7-8:15pm: iCons Fall Workshop - Social Justice in the Energy Transition. Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtFp1D3eLl0Ys-U78UqyoeqEoxCT3nC-ZAjjrvxxSM3hsetw/viewform

This is an interactive workshop presented by a diverse STEM panel from academia, government, and industry. Participants are asked to read four articles in advance:
- Innu Nation Suing Hydro-Quebec over flooding of ancestral lands (link)
- Fates of Coal Workers in the fracking boom
- Racially-disparate benefits of residential solar energy
- A Conversation about "Just Energy Transition"
Participants should also come prepared to discuss the engagement question: Is Carbon Neutrality the right target for UMass Amherst in the coming decade?

Panelists are Prof. Christine Crago in Resource Econ.; Dr. Peter Green, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Dr. Ljiljana Rajic, Elateq. Questions? Contact [email protected]

UMass iCons (Integrated Concentration in Science) is delighted to invite you to the annual event – The UMass iCons Fall Workshop – that brings the UMass iCons community together, virtually this year, around a critical issue – Social Justice in the Energy Transition. We are pleased to present a...

10/19/2020

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Environmental Justice Panel. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Wed. 10/21 4-5pm: Environmental Justice for Engineers. Registration: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P2IEAIRCSvi1M63YGj5TJw?_x_zm_rtaid=bdzOvK_yQ7eHB-V3KLDg3Q.1603130482524.dc778a06bb5a789e2c9265d97ef89fdd&_x_zm_rhtaid=73

This panel will introduce some of the key concepts of environmental justice and discuss how they are relevant to engineering students and practitioners. The discussion is geared toward engineers but all are welcome. Panelists include Armanthia Duncan of Sociology; Christian Guzman of Environmental Engineering; Justin Richardson of Geoscience; and Michael Ash of Economics. Questions? Contact Erin Baker [email protected]

The environmental justice movement focusses on the disproportionate environmental harms that afflict minority and low-income communities. Engineers play an important role in designing the built environment and the facilities that impact communities; and they often hold key decision-making positions....

10/14/2020

Check out the living sustainably tips Jesse Russell, Sustainability Fellow (Class of ‘21) compiled for this sweet graphic he created! 🌍🌟🌳

Alt txt: As a member of UMass Amherst, you are part of a community dedicated to living more sustainably. Learn about sustainability and how to incorporate sustainable practices into your daily life. Waste: Two pie graphs are shown. The first pie graph describes the waste stream destination at UMass Amherst in 2019. 29% of waste was composted, 16% was recycled, and 55% went to the landfill. The second pie graph shows the composition of disposed trash by recoverability in 2019. Out of all the waste disposed in the trash, 48% was true trash, 29% organic waste, 16% recyclables, and 7% world centric compostables. “Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in the U.S.¹ We need to ensure we are doing our best to keep unnecessary waste out of landfills. You can do your part by reusing, repurposing, recycling, and composting appropriate materials. ‘EPA.GOV”
Recycling: A poster of UMass Single Stream Guidelines is shown with bottles, cans, glass, cartons, and mixed paper all going into one bin. Recycling is an important waste minimization strategy that keeps recoverable materials out of landfills. Recycling is an expectation of everyone at UMass Amherst. Composting: A pile of food scraps with a paper sign “we are not trash!”. All food waste (meat, bones & dairy), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags (staple removed), plants, dryer lint, hair, napkins, and paper towels are compostable. Reducing Energy Use: An image of the energy pyramid shows renewable energy, energy efficiency in the middle, and energy conservation at the bottom of the pyramid. The future of the planet depends on us realizing the importance of conservation in whatever ways we can. Turn off your lights, unplug your electronics, and shorten your showers whenever possible. Also consider purchasing Energy Star-rated electronics and appliances, a smart power strip, a drying rack, and LED bulbs to save energy. Invest in Sustainability: Purchase organic, fair trade, local and human whenever possible, beware of “greenwashing” marketing tactics.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGVjWtbBg_z/?igshid=1w2a7ig8xh8rm

10/08/2020

October is Campus Sustainability Month! 👖🧦Wondering what to do about textile waste? Swipe through for some tips from our Sustainability Fellow Lilly Kurina, Class of 2021!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFpinyhjJS/?igshid=18lb74pfdlngz

10/07/2020

October 2020 | UMass Calendar of Events

October 2020 | UMass Calendar of Events

Please join the Carbon Mitigation Taskforce (CMTF) for a 1-hour interactive webinar to learn more about UMass Amherst’s ongoing carbon mitigation planning. The carbon mitigation task force is looking for community input on the campus values that directs how UMass Amherst will become carbon neutral...

09/29/2020

There’s still time to register for this special UMass library virtual sustainability event, The Work That Reconnects. Tomorrow from 4-5:15pm. https://libcal.library.umass.edu/event/7024523

09/28/2020

UMass Department of History

“Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.”

In lieu of an in-person book signing, autographed copies of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, are available at Amherst Books in conjunction with the Feinberg and Creative Women Leading Climate Action keynote.

Visit the Feinberg Series event page for more information on accessing Kimmerer’s books and to register for the keynote address on September 30: https://blogs.umass.edu/feinberg/what-does-the-earth-ask-of-us/

09/23/2020

Feinberg Series

“One occasionally encounters a text like an earthquake: it shakes one’s fundamental assumptions with a massive shift that, in comparison, renders mere epiphanies bloodless: Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass is one of these kinds of books.”

In advance of the Feinberg Series keynote on September 30, join us in reading Braiding Sweetgrass, available through CWMars, the Five College Consortium Libraries and your favorite local bookseller -- including copies with a hand signed bookplate at Amherst Books.

Thanks to Libraries in the Woods - Community Read, a consortium of Franklin County Libraries that hosted a community read of Braiding Sweetgrass earlier this year and a partner in hosting this event, more than 300 copies of Braiding Sweetgrass are available to borrow. See a list of participating libraries at the link.

Details: https://blogs.umass.edu/feinberg/what-does-the-earth-ask-of-us

Quote by Heather Sullivan, Journal of Germanic Studies

09/16/2020

Meet the Fall 2020 Campus Sustainability Fellows! Read Jesse’s bio here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKuYJyht-k/?igshid=rhjdk760vv8q

09/16/2020

Meet the Fall 2020 Sustainability Fellows! Read Lilly’s bio here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKtXPVhqwg/?igshid=2radgx2nx34q

09/05/2020

Koru Mindfulness Course | Student Life | UMass Amherst

A free online Koru Mindfulness course is being offered through the UMass Libraries this semester! "Koru Mindfulness offers an introduction to mindfulness in everyday life. In this free, four-session course designed for college students, you will learn mindfulness practices, including various meditation techniques. Beyond decreasing your stress, this course offers an approach for finding greater satisfaction in your daily life as well as a sense of community.

We have found that students get a lot more out of Koru Mindfulness if they stick with it from beginning to end; therefore, attendance at all 4 sessions is required. There is usually a long waiting list so please double-check your calendar and then sign up below."

https://www.umass.edu/studentlife/health-safety/mindfulness/koru-mindfulness-course

Koru Mindfulness offers an introduction to mindfulness in everyday life. In this free, four-session course designed for college students, you will learn mindfulness practices, including various meditation techniques. Beyond decreasing your stress, this course offers an approach for finding greater s...