UI club aims to curb dorm waste
Shawn Gude - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Take less, leave less: that's the message the Clean Plate Club is attempting to circulate this week at the Burge and Hillcrest Marketplaces.
Running Tuesday through the end of this week, the campaign aims to cut waste in the dining halls and raise awareness of the environmental and monetary ramifications.
"The goal is not to have students overeat, the goal is to have students recognize the impact their choices have on our environment and be empowered to make a difference," said Maureen Perkins, a UI graduate student who collaborated with food-service management to get the program started.
Jennifer Jordan, the recycling coordinator at the city's landfill and recycling center, also supports the campaign, which awards participants an orange button depicting a wide-eyed grinning plate, silverware in hand, saying "Don't overload me."
"It looks like a great program to reduce waste and promote healthy choices," she said. "I'm glad the university sees the importance of not producing the waste in the first place."
The methane gas emitted from rotting food in landfills is approximately 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It's this type of negative environmental effect that prompted Perkins to begin the program.
"The idea is to take less, to leave less, and make our environmental footprint smaller," she said. "If we can get students motivated to decrease their waste by even half, our impact on the environment is lessened."
Every year, the Burge and Hillcrest Marketplaces together throw away 396 tons of solid waste. On a national level, almost half of the food - 50 million tons - in the United States goes to waste, according to the EPA.
The money-saving aspect of the program is appealing to some, as well. About $7,600 worth of food is wasted every day at UI dining halls, according to the Marketplaces. This contributes to the national price tag of about a $1 billion a year, according to the EPA.
Running Tuesday through the end of this week, the campaign aims to cut waste in the dining halls and raise awareness of the environmental and monetary ramifications.
"The goal is not to have students overeat, the goal is to have students recognize the impact their choices have on our environment and be empowered to make a difference," said Maureen Perkins, a UI graduate student who collaborated with food-service management to get the program started.
Jennifer Jordan, the recycling coordinator at the city's landfill and recycling center, also supports the campaign, which awards participants an orange button depicting a wide-eyed grinning plate, silverware in hand, saying "Don't overload me."
"It looks like a great program to reduce waste and promote healthy choices," she said. "I'm glad the university sees the importance of not producing the waste in the first place."
The methane gas emitted from rotting food in landfills is approximately 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It's this type of negative environmental effect that prompted Perkins to begin the program.
"The idea is to take less, to leave less, and make our environmental footprint smaller," she said. "If we can get students motivated to decrease their waste by even half, our impact on the environment is lessened."
Every year, the Burge and Hillcrest Marketplaces together throw away 396 tons of solid waste. On a national level, almost half of the food - 50 million tons - in the United States goes to waste, according to the EPA.
The money-saving aspect of the program is appealing to some, as well. About $7,600 worth of food is wasted every day at UI dining halls, according to the Marketplaces. This contributes to the national price tag of about a $1 billion a year, according to the EPA.
Be the first to comment on this story