Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

The first lecture of our spring BCT seminar series was given by Ezra Small, who holds the title of Campus Sustainability Manager at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In his engaged presentation, Ezra outlined the various efforts that UMass is undertaking to improve food supply, reduce waste, promote green building and reduce energy consumption, and support climate- and carbon-goals of the university and the state. Synopsis Mr. Small’s role within Facilities & Campus Services includes implementing sustainable systems to reduce the campus environmental footprint in energy, transportation, and waste. Notable accomplishments include establishing the Sustainability, Innovation & Engagement Fund, installing the largest solar project on a college campus in New England, winning the Massachusetts Leading by Example Award for outstanding environmental and energy leadership, helping the campus win the Second Nature Climate Leadership Award, and most recently launching ValleyBike, the largest electric assist bike share program in the Americas. Links Presentation Slides Sustainable UMass Presentation Slides https://youtu.be/IiwIIfEpLdc...
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BCT Graduate Speaks at the White House

BCT Graduate Speaks at the White House

Yesterday, a White House Champions of Change event honored five young leaders for outstanding leadership on their college campuses. They were chosen by the public for projects that embody the President’s goal to win the future. As part of this group, the UMass Permaculture team was represented by Ryan Harb (shown on the right side of the image above). Ryan was the first BCT graduate student in the Green Building option of our Masters program. Congratulations from everyone at BCT for this amazing achievement! You can watch the full video on the White House web site. More information about the Permaculture team can be found on their blog....
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Recent BCT graduate creates permaculture garden at UMass

Recent BCT graduate creates permaculture garden at UMass

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is taking another groundbreaking step toward reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and combating global climate change by implementing one of the first permaculture gardens on a public university campus in the country. The scope of this project is considerable; UMass students are responsible for transforming a conventional ¼ acre grass landscape into a highly productive and low maintenance garden using no fossil fuels on-site. This involves layering over 150,000 pounds of organic matter by hand during October and November 2010. UMass Amherst Auxiliary Services fully supports and funds this project as it is part of the campus-wide Sustainability Initiative. Ryan Harb, a certified permaculture designer, has been hired as the Auxiliary Services Sustainability Specialist to design and implement the UMass Permaculture Garden with help from eight passionate and hardworking undergraduate students. Auxiliary Services will feed UMass students with the garden’s fresh, local, not-yet-certified organic produce. Ryan Harb, a certified permaculture designer and LEED Accredited Professional, received his...
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