Trayless, Plateless Fridays

By Jarrett Dieterle

Richmond College '10

I am writing to first of all say "right on" to Michael Rogers' column in the Aug. 28 edition about how the Green movement is starting to careen out of control. Secondly, I wanted to comment about the soon-to-be No Tray Fridays at D-Hall. I applaud the fact that the university is looking for ways to reduce our energy footprint. That being said, I believe that there would be better ways to do this than removing trays from our dining hall once a week.

Some of the arguments advanced about how the program will be beneficial are questionable at best. The fliers in the dining hall suggest going trayless would "help diners to manage their weight as they took less food and walked back and forth between their table and the food counters." Considering a few years ago we were listed as the No. 10 "fittest campus" in the country, I don't think getting in shape is a relevant concern. But if the university still feels that way, then maybe a program for getting people off the couch and in the gym should be the focus. Walking back and forth from a table is not the path to the promised land of weight management.

Although the argument of saving electricity and water may have some merit, there are still better ways to tackle this. But then again who am I to complain? It would be even more efficient if D-Hall just got rid of plates completely. We could have "No trays or plates Friday." Students simply could go around to each food station and gather as much food as possible in their two hands. Then we all could return to our tables and eat it without silverware. Sloppy and disgusting? Sure, but a small price to pay for an eco-friendly campus!

We could take it further and go paperless on campus as well. I mean those text books are really just wasting paper, which in turns mean more deforestation. Also, having any sources of electricity in our dorm rooms surely consumes unreasonable amounts of energy. Probably the best idea there would be to get rid of air conditioners, heating, and showers (everyone can just jump in the lake to clean off). Not to mention those gas-guzzling cars we all drive which could be taken care of with a campus-wide ban on any non-hybrid vehicle. Finally, it seems reasonable to have our basketball team practice and play in the dark. After all, it will make the Robins Center more intimidating for opponents.

All kidding aside, we must seriously ask ourselves how far and at what cost should we let the push for a greener campus handicap our pursuit of an education and the freedom to enjoy ourselves.