2008 Woodie Awards
UMass dining halls become eco-conscious
Frank Vitale, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: News
The "Green Cleaning" program replaced the chemicals used in the day-to-day washing of dishes and cleaning of the facilities with environmentally friendly alternatives.
Just like the New Dirt buildings have been designed to be greener, the DCs have taken steps to be greener buildings, especially Berkshire.
Upon the remodeling of the building, several measures were taken to make it a more eco-conscious facility. Porcelain tile floors and walls, made from natural materials, were installed, as well as new insulating glass, which reduces the amount of energy spent on heating the building. Eco-friendly paints and plastics were also used.
Another interesting feature at Berkshire is the implementation of a light-harvesting system, which automatically dims the lights inside the DC to a level that complements the amount of natural light.
So far in the 2007 fiscal year, all the DCs on campus have used around $820,000 worth of electricity. Toong intends to go as far as possible with these advances, adding that an eventual goal is to make Worcester a green building within the next few years.
While Dining Services has taken many steps towards being as green as it can be, student food waste is still a significant problem.
With the average amount of food waste per meal currently at .48 lbs (wet) and the amount of meals served so far in 2007 at over 2.5 million, the amount of food waste so far stands around 630 tons. While most of this food waste (around 60 percent) is diverted (recycled or composted), there is very significant room for improvement.
While most food waste is diverted, and either used as compost or recycled in some other manner, the remnants end up being mixed with the wastewater, causing damage to the environment and costing the University money to treat it. In fact, the updating of Berkshire, which brought about many advances in Dining Services quest go green, has also caused a problem in this area.
The Berkshire facility serves a much larger number of meals than it has in recent years, thanks to the remodeling.
Just like the New Dirt buildings have been designed to be greener, the DCs have taken steps to be greener buildings, especially Berkshire.
Upon the remodeling of the building, several measures were taken to make it a more eco-conscious facility. Porcelain tile floors and walls, made from natural materials, were installed, as well as new insulating glass, which reduces the amount of energy spent on heating the building. Eco-friendly paints and plastics were also used.
Another interesting feature at Berkshire is the implementation of a light-harvesting system, which automatically dims the lights inside the DC to a level that complements the amount of natural light.
So far in the 2007 fiscal year, all the DCs on campus have used around $820,000 worth of electricity. Toong intends to go as far as possible with these advances, adding that an eventual goal is to make Worcester a green building within the next few years.
While Dining Services has taken many steps towards being as green as it can be, student food waste is still a significant problem.
With the average amount of food waste per meal currently at .48 lbs (wet) and the amount of meals served so far in 2007 at over 2.5 million, the amount of food waste so far stands around 630 tons. While most of this food waste (around 60 percent) is diverted (recycled or composted), there is very significant room for improvement.
While most food waste is diverted, and either used as compost or recycled in some other manner, the remnants end up being mixed with the wastewater, causing damage to the environment and costing the University money to treat it. In fact, the updating of Berkshire, which brought about many advances in Dining Services quest go green, has also caused a problem in this area.
The Berkshire facility serves a much larger number of meals than it has in recent years, thanks to the remodeling.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Juliet Carvajal
posted 11/09/07 @ 4:50 PM EST
Addressing student waste is crucial. If students could somehow pay only for portions taken it could be a win-win situation (much less waste/less cost to the student, and probably less expenditure to Dining Halls, and definately less expenditure for land-fill costs. (Continued…)
Scott Sousa
posted 11/13/07 @ 1:28 PM EST
I agree with Julia. Other schools have implemented a pay-for-what-you-take and not only does that encourage students to grab only what they can finish, but it could potentially reduce meal plan costs and save the university money. (Continued…)
indycar01
posted 11/20/07 @ 5:01 PM EST
INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU DONATE.. before funding ANY! charity. please visit. siav.org mrmcmed.org (learn how charities misspend research dollars and place us at grave risk!) and pcrm. (Continued…)
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