Trays of our lives II: The "But every day is Earth Day...fool" edition
As companies put out Earth Day press releases documenting the sanctity of their sustainability programs, students and faculty at the University of Illinois have been busy instituting real policies and practices to "reduce the carbon footprint of dining services."
While a new university goes trayless seemingly every day, the University of Illinois is incorporating a broad array of initiatives into their sustainability program. Though these initiatives include
Current and future efforts made by University Housing Dining Services include: local purchasing, campus farm program, campus composting, recycling and waste reduction initiatives. Local purchasing is being defined by any produced or processed items within a three hour radius of Champaign-Urbana. Meats, dairy products, coffee, tea, breads, fruits, vegetables, and other grocery items are being purchased locally and served in the dining halls.
As Illinois' expansive sustainability initiatives exhibit, there is far more to creating a sustainable dining program than getting rid of trays, clever branding and issuing press releases. U of I, of course, is not the only university that is placing greater emphasis on purchasing local produce and operating a composting program; it is only one of many great examples of universities where students are shifting their university's food policies to reflect student values.
