BY CHIEF BIG RED
The push for going green has reached new heights in the dining halls. After trayless dining was deemed a success, administration agreed that doing away with plates and silverware would benefit the environment to an even greater extent.
“We felt that removing plates and silverware from the dining hall altogether would really help reduce waste as well as help conserve water,” said Michael Zanie, Director of Dining Services. “So far, students seem to be a little upset about the change, but we know that this will soon become routine. We’re thinking that other colleges and universities will follow in our eco-friendly footsteps.”
Students have mixed views about the new plateless dining program in both Brooks and McKinley’s.
“It’s kind of limiting,” said Holly Hartwick, ’12. “I don’t want to eat really hot food or really cold food anymore because it hurts my hands. It sucks to hold chocolate ice cream or piping hot lasagna in your bare hands, you know?”
Many students complain of burned hands, frequent spills and even dehydration.
“I get so thirsty,” said Mitchell Michaels, ’10. “Eating all that salty Brooks food makes me want to wash my meal down with a glass of milk, but I can only drink by the handful. It’s a major challenge. I really miss the drinking glasses.”
Yet other students see a bright side to the recent dining hall switch.
“Plateless dining definitely does reduce food waste,” said Nick Nantucket, ’11. “It’s such a struggle to bring food back to my table that I eat every molecule of food that makes it there.”
President Mullen sees yet another positive aspect of the plateless dining scheme.
“I’m glad that there are no more knives on campus, even just butter knives,” Mullen said. “It’s good to see that we are striving toward a non-violent cafeteria culture. And, as always, the wind is at our back so I feel good about this decision.”
No more water waste for washing dishes, no more purchasing of imported silverware, no more wasted food; it seems that an eco-friendly living style is here to stay.
