The deal with green dining

Over the last several weeks, there have been a number of articles and editorials about the new Bagasse take-out containers Dining Services introduced as part of its New Year's resolution and "Eat IN-itiative."

Well, the good news is that people across the campus are talking. There's nothing better on a university campus than healthy debate. The bad news is that some of the information shared through the course of normal conversation, through newspaper interviews and in the rollout of this product has been inaccurate or might have been taken out of context. We believe clarifying some of this will benefit the entire campus community.

It's important to recognize Dining Services has been and continues to be committed to doing its part in the university's larger and ongoing effort to improve its sustainability practices. From university President Dan Mote's commitment that the campus become "climate neutral" to the construction of Knight Hall, our first "green" campus building, to the collaborative "Feed the Turtle" campaign at Byrd Stadium and now, to eliminating the use of plastic foam products in dining locations across the campus - change is occurring. All of these efforts, large and small, make a difference. In furthering these initiatives, though, the campus and Dining Services will encounter challenges involving costs, policy and logistics.

The transition to Bagasse containers was based on several interests including: a desire to eliminate the use of plastic foam products made from fossil fuel and to introduce a functionally similar product made from renewable resources; a desire to reduce the generation of solid waste by encouraging students to eat in rather than take out and, finally, a desire to continue to take positive steps in stewarding campus resources. As you can imagine, there are no simple solutions and no perfect answers, but efforts across the campus are moving us all in the right direction.

Bagasse take-out products are made from sugarcane, a renewable resource. They are compostable and will biodegrade into environmentally benign materials (unlike plastic alternatives). At the end of the day, "eating in" is the most environmentally sound choice you can make, period. But there should be no doubt that the new Bagasse containers are much better than their plastic predecessors - whether they are composted in the dining hall dishroom or they are thrown away in a trash container on the other side of the campus. It's really just that simple.

We hope and believe the efforts under way across the campus will reduce our environmental footprint. We need to recognize, however, that change takes time and that it takes participation by all members of the campus community.

There are many small actions we can each take to make a difference. Several tips are provided on the Office of Sustainability's website (www.sustainability.umd.edu) - check them out, but when possible, eat in, please.

Colleen Wright-Riva is the director of Dining Services. Scott Lupin is the director of the Office of Sustainability. They can be reached at cwr@umd.edu.