Campus Sustainability

Sustainability at the UMass Amherst Campus is part of a long tradition of Sustainable Development and is driven by a century of policy, culminating in the latest efforts of the Massachusetts Commonwealth to plan for climate change and carbon neutrality. This presentation provides a summary of current initiatives and processes that are underway to reduce the UMass Amherst carbon footprint and to plan for a transition to renewable energy. It gives an overview of the sustainability and campus engagement resources that Campus Planning makes available to the public and its community of faculty and students, so that they can understand and study the campus physical environment as a living laboratory for the energy transition. The presentation also outlines the campus approach to conservation of historic buildings and landscapes, and underscores the important role that the renovation of mid-century modern buildings will play in addressing campus sustainability and improving the physical environment. A case study of the 2003 – 2006 upgrades to Herter Hall, designed by Colletti Brothers Architects and constructed in 1969, illustrates technical challenges related to phased renovation of mid-century windows and HVAC, as well as indoor air quality benefits associated with the modernization and conservation approach