Tulane University Dining Services, in conjunction with Sodexho Inc., is making several changes to on-campus dining in an effort to be more environmentally conscious.
Among the key changes students will notice this semester are the absence of trays from Bruff, an increase in the use of plastic as opposed to Styrofoam containers in the Lavin-Bernick Center food court and the option to buy meals "for here" served on ceramic plates. In addition to the changes already visible, TUDS is investigating the use of more environmentally-friendly chemicals in the kitchens and is in the process of replacing current napkins with ones made from recycled paper, said Jeanne Charlebois, district marketing manager for Sodexho Campus Services.
Next fall, as a welcome gift, freshmen will receive a recyclable grocery bag that can be used at Le Gourmet and McAlister Market.
"This is not a trend that is going to die," Charlebois said, referring to increased attention to sustainable lifestyles and consumption. "Students are more conscious now and are taking these issues to heart."
The movement toward sustainable on-campus dining started last fall when Lisa Norris, the associate director of Dining and Vending Services, purchased a Web conference called "Understanding Sustainable Dining Options." All dining services managers, students from the Green Club and students involved with the recycling program received invitations to participate.
"We learned from the Web conference that we can start with little things to become more 'green' and work up to a full blown program," Norris said.
Both Charlebois and Norris feel that raising awareness about sustainability boasts of paramount importance in relation to the initiative's success and that sustainable choices have a serious impact on the community.
"The big objective is to create awareness about how the individual can have an impact," Charlebois said.
On Tuesday, Bruff held Sustainamania, an event specifically designed to educate and excite students about making their eating habits more sustainable. The event featured samples of food products from companies with environmental focuses and showed students the amount of food waste produced at Bruff during a single meal.
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