MCLA Greenhouse Showcases Campus Sustainability Efforts

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Thanks to the MCLA Dining, Facilities, and the Campus Sustainability Committee, Venable Greenhouse is now home to seedlings that will become veggies and herbs for sauces, salsas, and pickles. 
 
When students return to campus next semester, they'll be able to try a few varieties of an "MCLA Pickle" created by MCLA Dining Executive Chef Tony Fiorentino.  
 
According to a press release, while the greenhouse will only produce a small amount of food, it's a visible reminder of the commitment MCLA and Aramark, which holds the college dining contract, have made to sustainability on campus. 
 
MCLA Dining staff are already composting, weighing scraps to keep track of and reduce food waste, and purchasing Fair Trade coffee, cage-free eggs, and other foods with a lower environmental impact.  
 
"Aramark/MCLA Dining was one of our strongest partners from the beginning when the Sustainability Committee started," said Environmental Studies Professor Elena Traister, who heads the College's Campus Sustainability Committee. 
 
Aramark has committed to reducing food waste by 50 percent across its entire span of operations by 2030; reducing its greenhouse gas emissions from its 2019 baseline by 15 percent by 2025; and has committed to reducing single-use plastics, including reducing plastic straws and stirrers by 59 percent since 2018.  
 
Students are involved in the greenhouse effort as well. Campus sustainability intern Anayra Colon has been helping with garden maintenance and raising awareness of the project via MCLA Dining's Instagram, @MCLA_Dining_Services. Traister said she's planning to recruit another student to take over this fall.  
 
 "It's always evolving," said MCLA Dining General Manager Scott Tolmach. "We're always trying to come up with ways to improve sustainability."

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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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