What’s so great about the UMASS Amherst/SPE Certified partnership?
UMASS Amherst is proud to be the first SPE Certified University in the nation. The SPE Certified symbol indicates that a dish is not only nutritious and balanced but also has been properly sourced. And because SPE was born out of a Michelin-starred restaurant, SPE Certified dishes will be delicious and full of flavor.

What is permaculture?
Permaculture is a design system for creating ecological and edible landscapes, low-impact buildings, and sustainable communities and economies. It is based on thoughtful observation of the patterns and relationships found in nature, and provides a set of ethics and principles to help us transition our communities, campuses, and culture beyond sustainability and toward regeneration and resilience.

What is the UMass Permaculture Initiative?
A unique and cutting-edge sustainability program, UMass Permaculture provides empowering hands-on education and leadership training, community engagement, and fresh, local, organic produce to the UMass campus. Founded in 2010, the initiative builds and maintains highly productive, highly educational edible gardens right on campus. The gardens are designed using permaculture principles and are installed by students, staff, and volunteers.

How does UMass Dining define local?
In a three tiered priority system:  1) Within Massachusetts, 2) Within New England, 3) Within 250 miles

What local farmers and vendors do we source from?
UMass Dining sources from over 100 different local farmers and vendors.  You can find an interactive map with all of our local sources on localumass.com

Where does all the compost go?
Our food waste gets composted and turned into rich, usable soil at Martin's Farm Compost and Mulch located in Greenfield, MA http://martinsfarmcompost.com

How many permaculture gardens are there on campus?
There are 5 on-campus gardens: Franklin, Berkshire, Worcester, Hillside and Hampshire.