Sometimes green ideas come from places you don’t expect.
Like a college cafeteria.
Today, Rockford College’s dining services department introduces ”Trayless Tuesdays.” Why?
1. To reduce the amount of unwanted food. Students take 1 ounce less per plate because they have to carry their plates, meaning leftovers go down, too!
2. To reduce the amount of water and detergent used (about a quarter gallon of water per tray saved, not to mention the electricity saved).
Colin Mossop, general manager, wants to make the college’s carbon footprint smaller while still serving 400 meals a day in the Burpee Dining Hall. He says he’s received positive feedback about the idea so far.
The side benefit? Trayless service “provides an overall positive impact on student health. It discourages overeating and requires guests to get up and walk to get more food,” according to a document Mossop sent.
Sodexo Campus Dining nationally has implemented trayless dining on several campuses, including Georgia Tech and South Carolina State University.
Here’s a story from USA TODAY about the trend.
