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How Green is Your Cafeteria? An Interview with Chad Ethier |
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| By Aileen Marshall | |||||
| July 2008 | Campus life | ||||
 Image by Rossana Henriques In September, it was reported that during a typical week, the cafeteria served 1500 breakfasts and 5000 lunches, for a total of 6500 meals per week. Now, the cafeteria reports 1700 breakfasts and 4500 lunches, making the current total 6200 meals served per week. All of that eating can generate a lot of waste. Last August’s raffle in the cafeteria revealed that 24,000 napkins were used weekly. The new napkin dispensers, which allow single napkin release, have brought that number down to 18,000, a 25% decrease. Chad says that the “overall paper/takeout container usage decreased 28% from fiscal year 2006 to 2007 and an additional 14% from fiscal year 2007 to 2008.” Although the Styrofoam containers are not oil based, Restaurant Associates is currently talking with the University about changing the containers in the cafeteria to something even more environmentally friendly. However, the difficulty is that any container would stay in a landfill just as long as the Styrofoam, unless arrangements are made to bring them to a composting facility where they can be exposed to air. In the meantime, several new green initiatives are going on in the cafeteria. Eco Cards will give you 30% off your 11th meal using china instead of disposables. Cardboard boxes have been stamped “Please Reuse Me” to encourage users to bring it back the next day to be reused. You get 10% off coffee for using a mug. The coffee is Fair Trade—it certifies only farmers who uphold specified social and environmental standards, and guarantees prices that make it possible to sustain farms—so it helps fight poverty and create sustainable communities. The cafeteria uses non-hydrogenates, zero trans-fat oil for cooking and dairy products free of recombinant bovine growth hormone. Seafood is from sustainable sources whenever possible. Eco-Lab brand cleaners are used in the cafeteria, which are environmentally sound and are free of noxious, volatile organic compounds. There has been significant improvement in reducing the waste generated by the cafeteria, especially paper products. This is part of the broader efforts that The Rockefeller University is trying to make. We can all do our part by disposing of recyclable trash in the correct receptacles. For a complete list of the green initiatives in the Weiss Café, click here.Related Articles:
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