UMass Dining

For Enhancing Your Business

Power of Sustainability and Permaculture

Meghan Little William Tripper O’Mara

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UMass Dining One of the largest (2nd), comprehensive food service programs in

the country

17,000 students on meal plans

99% of students living on campus have a meal plan

(+3000 off-campus students)

Serves over 40,000 meals daily

Self-supporting and operated by Auxiliary Enterprises

Employs 685 FTEs and 1500 students

15 Chefs and 1 Dietitian

One of the most talked about dining programs

in the nation

Award winning for its innovative and quality programs and the Princeton Review placed UMass in the Best Campus Food category 2012

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Mission Statement

The Mission of UMass Dining Services is to contribute to the campus life experience by providing a variety of healthy and flavorful meals featuring local, regional and world cuisine in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner.

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Importance of Sustainability

Sustainability is a growing trend

Reduce your ecological footprint

• Now & in the Future

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UMass Student Surveys

UMass Dining Services does not need to persuade students to

eat healthier, and more sustainably

• 84% of students support the purchasing of local food

• 95% of students state healthy, sustainable options are important

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UMass Dining Supports Sustainability on Campus

Purchased 27% of our produce from local farmers in 2012

Purchased 11% of our products from local industry in 2011

Compost our food waste and recycle in our operations

Serve only sustainable seafood in accordance with Seafood WATCH guidelines

Serve 100% local, cage-free eggs

Use of biodegradable packaging

Offer options for Fair Trade, shade grown and organic coffees

Distributed reusable bags and water bottles for Grab ‘n’ Go dining

Permaculture Initiative including gardens at 3 Dining Commons

(OS1) Green Certified Cleaning Program

Trayless dining to reduce food waste

Educating students about combating food waste

Educating students about sustainable food production

Support on-campus Student Farmers’ Market

Creation and growth of Sustainability Office

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Local Produce

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Local Produce

Supporting local, small-scale farming

Saving money

Less transportation needed

Building friendly, supportive networks with local farmers and suppliers

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Czajkowski Farms

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Short Growing Season

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Season Extension Experiments

Flash Freezing

-broccoli, carrots,

hardy vegetables

Aquaponics

- growing fresh lettuce

locally year-round

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UMass Dining Supports Sustainability on Campus

Purchased 27% of our produce from local farmers in 2012

Purchased 11% of our products from local industry in 2011

Compost our food waste and recycle in our operations

Serve only sustainable seafood in accordance with Seafood WATCH guidelines

Serve 100% local, cage-free eggs

Use of biodegradable packaging

Offer options for Fair Trade, shade grown and organic coffees

Distributed reusable bags and water bottles for Grab ‘n’ Go dining

Permaculture Initiative including gardens at 3 Dining Commons

(OS1) Green Certified Cleaning Program

Trayless dining to reduce food waste

Educating students about combating food waste

Educating students about sustainable food production

Support on-campus Student Farmers’ Market

Creation and growth of Sustainability Office

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Composting Food Waste

Today: All pre/post consumer waste is composted

Food waste sent to New England Small Farming Institute

Turned into compost

Valuable resource to be sold

Cost: $48/ton vs $90/ton for landfill

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Reducing Waste from the Source

UMass Goes Trayless LeanPath

Reduced Waste by 30%

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Food Waste Reduction

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UMass Dining Supports Sustainability on Campus

Purchased 27% of our produce from local farmers in 2012

Purchased 11% of our products from local industry in 2011

Compost our food waste and recycle in our operations

Serve only sustainable seafood in accordance with Seafood WATCH guidelines

Serve 100% local, certified organic, cage-free eggs

Use of biodegradable packaging

Offer options for Fair Trade, shade grown and organic coffees

Distributed reusable bags and water bottles for Grab ‘n’ Go dining

Permaculture Initiative including gardens at 3 Dining Commons

(OS1) Green Certified Cleaning Program

Trayless dining to reduce food waste

Educating students about combating food waste

Educating students about sustainable food production

Support on-campus Student Farmers’ Market

Creation and growth of Sustainability Office

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Cage-Free, Organic Eggs

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Boon to Business

Just the facts:

• Since 1999 student participation in university meal plan has doubled (8,300 to 17,500 enrolled.)

• Revenues increased from $28 to $80 million

• Listening to student demands customer satisfaction/loyalty

• 5.2 9.2

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Sustainable Goal Setting:

Short Term:

• 20% “Real Food” by 2020 as per the Real Food Challenge

• Sustainably Grown, Local, Humanely Raised, Fair Trade

Long Term:

• Carbon-neutral food system

• Net-zero waste

• 100% Local food

• Culture-Shift “Sustainable Campus Culture”

• holistically sustainable campus-body

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Sustainability

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Permaculture: Design tool for creating regenerative systems (social, ecological, economic) that meet human needs while increasing ecosystem health.

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Permaculture and UMass Dining

UMass Amherst Permaculture

• An award-winning program that educates the campus and local community by creating edible, ecological, and self-sustaining landscapes that provide food to our dining commons.

• UMass Dining began its commitment to transforming the campus community by regenerating conventional grass lawns across the campus into permaculture food gardens that provide service-learning and community building opportunities to students and staff.

Replicable Model for other campuses, businesses, town residents and city/town planners

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UMass Permaculture

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UMass Permaculture Committee

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UMass Permaculture- Fall 2010

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UMass Permaculture- Fall 2010

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Franklin Garden Fall 2010-Spring 2011

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UMass Permaculture

Involves over 1500 volunteers • Including 300 local youths (K-12 schools and Big Brothers Big

Sisters)

Done with very little start-up costs

Gives students academic credit • Hands-on sustainability education, during all seasons

Supplies UMass Dining local sustainable foods

• 1500 plants (150 different species) on a ¼ acre

• Fruit trees, nuts, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, insect-attracting flowers, soil-builders, perennial vegetables (asparagus, arugula, etc.)

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Integrate rather than segregate: Companion Planting, Use and value diversity: Stacking and Multiple Functions Observe and interact/valuing feedback: winding diagonal pathways

Permaculture Principles at Work

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Companion Planting

Plants help each other with…

• Nutrients: Tomatoes and basil

• Pests: Marigolds or nasturtiums

• Pollination: Tea herbs

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Perennial Polyculture – Multiple Functions

Multifunctional plants in beneficial

relationships

• Nitrogen fixers • Ground covers • Edible leaves, fruits, shoots, roots • Dynamic accumulators • Aromatic pest confusers

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Stacking

Layering plants with different heights and sun

requirements to maximize production

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Observation, Valuing Feedback

Pathways following observed movement

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Regenerating Land and Community

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Franklin Dining Commons

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Worcester Herb Garden

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Berkshire Dining Commons

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UMass Chancellor’s Garden

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Permaculture: It’s HOT

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UMass 1st place in White House Champions of Change

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Permaculture Your Campus (PYC) is a working conference

that provides the education and necessary tools to implement a successful permaculture initiative on your college, university, or school campus.

Permaculture Conference

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Permaculture Your Campus Conference 2013

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Permaculture Your Campus Conference 2013

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What Can You Do?

Utilize resources around you:

• Free knowledge and labor

• Academic credit

• Abundant resources: compost, newspaper, wood chips

• Set sustainability as a foundation for your business

• Attend the Permaculture Your

Campus Conference 2014

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Permaculture Business Model

“A true permaculture enterprise has to be truly ethical, both in its processes, its internal behavior, and what it offers. While placing

ethics at the top of an enterprises’ priorities is not yet

common in small business circles, it is the only way to

create and sustain truly right livelihoods, ensure fair share, and create a future containing

regenerative economies.”

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Sustainability Model

Awards Grants Food

Cost

Savings

Farmers

Market

Waste

Savings

Local

Food

Community

Engagement

Carbon

Offsets

Food

Security

Ecological

Diversity

Service

Learning Green

Visibility

intangible

benefits

tangible

benefits

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B Corporations

Today, there is a growing community of more than 760 Certified B Corps from 27 countries and 60 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to redefine success in business

B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.

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Thank you!

Contact:

info@umasspermaculture.com

Follow us on Facebook:

UMass Amherst Permaculture

Twitter: umasspermacultr