AMHERST — Green building expert Simi Hoque at the University of Massachusetts recently received a five-year, $508,714 National Science Foundation CAREER award to develop an integrated planning tool that will measure, evaluate and predict the impacts of energy, water and land use, waste management and transportation systems at an urban scale.
She intends it to help planners and policy makers guide growth and development in a coordinated, sustainable way.
Hoque, an assistant professor in the building and construction technology program, points out that cities today account for almost two-thirds of the world’s primary energy demand, a figure projected to increase to three-quarters by 2030. “The current urban outlook demands a comprehensive understanding of urban sustainability policies to address climate change and energy security,” she says.
“We want to create a tool that will integrate analysis of the systems that describe an urban area, in part so unintended consequences can be detected early,” she adds.
If planners want to try to lower vehicle emissions, for example, the tool might help to model and predict the impact of widening a road, adding commuter parking or changing a bus route.
AMHERST — UMass Dining Services has begun collaborating with world-renowned chef and author Jehangir Mehta with the launching of the Chef Jehangir Pledge that began in early February. Mehta was on campus Feb. 10-11 to personally oversee the new pledge program.
Operating from the Chef’s Table in the Blue Wall at the UMass Amherst Campus Center, the program will take place beginning every Thursday, but will expand to other days of the week later in the semester. Diners are being challenged to take a Pledge of the Day and pledges range from reducing food waste to increasing activity throughout the day. The overall goal is to promote practices that create better global citizens, he says.