The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a sustainability leader serving as a model for communities across the country.

• UMass Amherst is rated a STARS Gold University for the fifth consecutive time by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The 2020 v2.2 report score is a 76.93 up from a 75.77 in 2018 and placing UMass Amherst #7 in the U.S. among peer institutions (public doctorate granting institutions with 20,000+ FTE enrollment (as of May 29, 2020).
• Established in 2017, the School of Earth & Sustainability, students work alongside world-class faculty to investigate defining environmental and social questions of our time.  At UMass Amherst, students learn about sustainability theory and practice through 300 courses, 20 undergraduate majors, 15 graduate programs, co-curricular activities, and undergraduate research experiences focused on sustainability. 
• Our campus is a sustainable community for food, energy, transportation, waste, and social equity. We live sustainably!
  • UMass Amherst maintains five demonstration permaculture gardens and we are committed to expanding our local, sustainable food sourcing beyond current spending of over $3 million a year. 
  • We have cut our greenhouse gases by 27% based on the state baseline of 2004 and have installed the largest set of solar projects on a college campus in New England on 5 parking canopy systems and 5 rooftops systems, generating roughly 10 million kWh of renewable electricity per year, the equivalent of 1,430 Massachusetts homes (30% of homes in Amherst), all existing while comprimising zero acres of open green space.
  • UMass Amherst is a founding community partner of the ValleyBike Share Program with 5 stations on the campus providing the community with electric-assist bike sharing and a fun, sustainable, healthy transportation alternative.
  • The iCons Program (Integrated Concentration in Science) prepares our best undergraduates to be problem solvers, leaders and innovators in science and technology using the campus as a sustainability living laboratory.
  • We have a robust recycling program that includes composting 1,500 tons of food waste each year. 
  • We encourage and support organizations that promote social justice and diversity on campus.
• We are at the forefront of sustainability research and innovation. 
  • UMass Amherst is leading a $7.5 million federal grant to address climate change through the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, a consortium of seven other universities. 
  • We’ve been on the cutting edge of green technology for more than forty years with our Wind Energy Center. 
  • We have more than 200 faculty in 36 different departments engaged in sustainability research.
• We are a community of changemakers honored for our leadership. 
  • We are one of the top universities in the country for sustainability and have been acknowledged for our efforts, including: 2014 Second Nature Climate Leadership Award, 2015 AASHE’s STARS Gold Designation, and the White House’s 2012 Campus Champions of Change Challenge. 
  • UMass Amherst students run key initiatives like our bike share rental program and community farm share. 
  • Anyone can make a difference through our Sustainability, Innovation & Engagement Fund (SIEF), which supports students, faculty, and staff who provide sustainable solutions on campus.

We Learn, Live, and Lead It! Sustainable UMass!