Reducing Carbon Footprint at UMF
Sidney Belanger
Contributing Writer
UMF prides itself on lessening its carbon footprint and protecting the environment in as many ways as possible. In an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint, it employs strategies including: buying produce and seafood locally, recycling as much compost as possible, and letting little go to waste. There are systems in place at the Dining Hall and with local businesses to fulfill these goals as best as possible that are in place all throughout the school year.
In the Dining Hall, all of this is accomplished by doing research on produce that is most popular amongst the students on campus, including which foods are chosen the most and wasted the least. It is carefully thought out, applied, and altered as things change.
“We want to provide options for everyone’s needs but we don’t want to waste. We recycle all of our waste which is good,” Dining Hall employee Morgan Nooman said.
Nooman goes on to explain that they are improving all the time to constantly produce as minimal waste as possible through use of the methods listed above and consistent data collection.
UMF partners with community members and businesses to make these goals and constant changes more achievable. The Farmington Water Department, being one of those partners, plays a big role in what happens to the recyclable items after they are collected. Farmington Water Department employee Leia Durrell explains that they collect all of the compost, store it, and maintain the freshness. They use their equipment to frequently turn the compost and add more as it is collected.
“We also help out with sales. We have an employee who loads the compost in local trucks and trailers,” Durrell said.
The Water Department maintains the collection of compost and sells it back to community members.
There are many positives that come out of this process and it is a great way for the University of Maine at Farmington to reduce their carbon footprint. Also, it holds benefits for the community as well through providing local compost.
