As concern for the environment seems to grow, Sustainability Manager Ezra Small is working to make the University of Massachusetts more environmentally friendly by hosting the first ever Sustainability Week.

Sustainability Week – which will start today with locally grown food in the dining commons, a bike tour and a film screening – is an effort to increase student awareness for the environment, according to Small.

“I think that we need an overall transformation of the way we think about sustainability,” Small said. “It’s going to take a lot of effort to educate each other.”

Sustainability week is Small’s way of starting to educate people.

“The goal is to inform students of all the things that we’re doing on campus,” Small said.

For example, the bike tour today will highlight the new bike share program that allows students to borrow school-owned bikes, and is designed to reduce traffic congestion and provide a fresh alternative to riding a bus or walking.

However, according to Small, the highlight of the week will be a fair on the library lawn Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ll have students tabling and giving info. on all of our projects, and we’ll get student input on what’s needed,” Small said.

According to a press release, the fair, called the “Green Zone,” will feature games, food, live music and 20 educational tables of environmentally minded Registered Student Organizations.

Also on the schedule for the week is a student workshop on sustainability, which will occur on Wednesday.  A farmers market, a green building lecture and eco-bus tours will also occur on Friday.

According to the release, Small got the idea for Sustainability Week when he learned that the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education was sponsoring Sustainability Day on Oct. 26, and that the Center for Science in the Public Interest was sponsoring Food Day on Oct. 24.

Small hopes that Sustainability Week will engage students and change their mindset about conservation.

“My first goal is to get students thinking about ‘What is our story?’” said Small. “What are we going to be telling people in 2030 about how we got through these challenging times?”

Small is using sustainability week to draw attention to other projects he is orchestrating on campus, such as his plans to increase UMass’ recycling rate. While UMass already recycles 56 percent of its waste, he hopes to improve that number.

“Our recycling rates are really high,” Small said, adding that some universities have rates as low as 7 percent. “But I think we can do even better.”

However, to improve that number, as well as to accomplish other tangible projects that he would like to see – such as solar panels, more permaculture gardens and increased food production on campus – Small feels that he needs the support of the students.

“In order for this to happen, everything has to be on the table,” Small said. “Imagination, innovation and creativity are all necessary.”

While he maintains an optimistic attitude, Small said he remains aware that changes won’t happen overnight.

“It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get more people included,” he said. “But there was momentum when I got here. Now this is a continuation.”

Tyler Reilly can be reached at [email protected].