When going to get a meal this week, you might find something missing from Alliot: its trays! The Student Association announced in its meeting on Oct. 22 that Alliot would be instituting a tray-less pilot program during the week of Nov. 3.
This has caused a lot of controversy across campus. While a lot of the response has been positive, many are opposed to this new policy, says Gary Levante, SA secretary of Student Life.
So what’s the real issue here?
The majority of dissenters argue that not having a tray is an inconvenience, claiming that they can’t carry two drinks or two plates in their hands. We don’t want to have to get up a second time to grab another slice of pizza or a second glass of Sprite. We want to be able to sit down and enjoy our entire meal without having to leave the table.
Ultimately, we need to decide if having a tray is more important than having a sustainable campus. All it takes is a mindset change and perhaps a skillful plate and cup balancing act. |
But while we’d prefer not to change a system that works for us, the tray-less program is in line with some of the sustainable efforts that this campus has made during the past year.
The Alliot dishwashing system consumes 21 percent of the water on our campus, sustainability coordinator Heather Ellis says. It takes about a 1/2 gallon of water to clean each tray. The dishwasher also needs to be running all day with hot water for sanitary purposes. So in addition to consuming a lot of water, these dishwashers are also consuming energy to heat that water all day long. The time it takes to grab that second slice of pie is minimal compared to these numbers.
The University of Maine, a school not much bigger than ours with 2,265 undergraduates, has been tray-less since February, 2007 and has saved 288,288 gallons of water since the program’s introduction, according to an Aramark tray-less dining study.
Besides the reduction in energy and water waste, the tray-less program will significantly cut down on our food waste. While many of us like to pick up a couple different plates of food, about half of it lands on the dishwashing belt when we’re done. If we can only grab one plate of food, maybe we’ll reconsider that second plate unless hunger is clawing desperately at our stomachs.
In the same study at the UMaine, the tray-less program reduced food waste by 46 pounds per person per year.
But UMaine isn’t the only school that has gone tray-less. In this area, Champlain and Middlebury colleges are completely tray-less, and UVM is tray-less in some of its cafeterias.
Ultimately, we need to decide if having a tray is more important than having a sustainable campus. All it takes is a mindset change and perhaps a skillful plate and cup balancing act.
Next week when you’re cursing the fact that you have to balance two cups and two plates in your arms to avoid another trip, consider these incentives before you scribble an angry note on the Alliot suggestions board demanding your tray back. |
