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grown, prepared, sourced, processed, and trans- ported in ways that emit minimal greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Food production in the United States makes up 20% of overall green- house gasses and globally it’s about 30%. UMass Dining works with local fair-trade-certified farm- ers and rely on permaculture gardens to source their meals.
“We’ve been working with our local part- ners for a long time, we also work closely with companies around their practices and how they relate to sustainability,” Wicks said. “And this is a way we can help students practice everyday climate action with every food choice that they make.”
Wicks and others we spoke with stressed repeatedly that they are not trying to tell stu- dents what to eat. Rather, they are providing information that will help them make smart choices about what they might want to eat
— information that goes beyond calories and ingredients and dives into a food’s overall impact on the planet
“We play a role in educating them on food literacy, but we also love to talk about food,”
said Wicks. “We added this to the conversation because it is top of mind for so many people and the campus community as a whole.”
Carbon-use identifiers will be added to each menu, along with previous identifiers for aller- gies, ingredients, sustainability, plant-based, and locality.
“We have a very comprehensive menu system — we have identifiers for allergies, ingredients, and now they can assess it through the apps or on signs,” said Toong. “We just add it on the car-
bon calculator and put the rating on the menu.” Toong said the Amherst campus is perhaps
more diverse than ever, with many students, including those who are Asian, Latin, and Indian students seeking authentic cuisine that is mostly plant-based. More than 70% of the school’s menu items are already plant based, catering
to vegetarians, vegans, and those with a more plant-driven diet.
“We know that plant-forward meals are going
the need to back up the information being pro- vided with conversation about how to make smart choices.
“We’re not just going to put the information up there — we’re going to continue dialogue with our students about it and show them and give them tips that low-carbon dining is as easy as A, B, C,” said Wicks. “We’ve been dedicated
to healthy, sustainable, delicious food for a long time. We always want to do more to enhance the
“We started incorporating kelp on the menu — talk about a superfood; it’s a carbon sink, meaning it puts carbon back into the atmosphere.”
   to be a trend; there is still meat, but smaller por- tions,” said Toong. “We only give three-to four- ounce red meat portions, and same thing with chicken. We’re selling more seafood and more plant-based dishes. This has really helped us make the decision to start the program.
“We’re not saying ‘don’t eat red meat,’ — we’re just suggesting smaller portion sizes,” he went on. “We don’t tell them what to eat — we provide them with information. But we want to promote more than just food, we want to promote culture and cuisine. Our goal is to work with students and the community to try to make the world a better place. We can do it by working together.”
Those we spoke with said the partnership with MyEmissions is merely another step in efforts to promote sustainability. They stressed
student experience.
“We listen closely to what the students have
to say,” she went on. “We listen closely to what they’re concerned about and what they are inter- ested in and what their values are... the entire campus’ sustainability and the current issues with climate change are at the top of mind for everybody. So our expertise is food and custom- er service — that’s the area we want to do more. We know it has an impact on our environment.”
By making simple changes like trying out some new A-Rated dishes, anyone can help lower the carbon footprint — and those at UMass Dining know small changes like that can make a huge difference. u
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