Insights

October is recognized as Campus Sustainability Month by The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), an initiative designed to engage and educate students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities about sustainability and climate action. This annual event fosters a culture of environmental stewardship on campuses and encourages institutions to adopt practices that lower their carbon footprint. One of the significant areas of focus during this month is food waste management, specifically the innovative solutions rolling out across New England's higher education institutions, where food waste is being recycled through anaerobic digestion.

While biogas has only come into the modern public periphery in the last few decades, it has actually been utilized throughout history. Evidence of the use of biogas goes back to as early as the 10th century BC, where its combustion was used to heat the bathwater of the ancient Assyrians.

Our partner Fancypants Baking Co.’s recent Instagram Reels video went viral, now having over a million views!

The U.S. is catching up to growing international pressures, with state and local governments across the country enacting organic waste bans and waste recycling laws.

Manure management is a critical aspect of sustainable agriculture, particularly for smaller dairy farms where resources and space are limited. Methane, a greenhouse gas that is a leading cause of climate change, is released when manure is stored in open lagoons and land applied on the farm’s fields. According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), “Livestock - primarily beef and dairy cows – account for the vast majority of agriculture methane emissions,” which is why organizations like the EDF are working to help farmers mitigate as much methane as possible.