Why it's not easy to be green — at least with some things
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Those Oles must love their college. I'm still getting e-mail about my visit to St. Olaf last month.
My little piece on the chicken wrap at the Lion's Cage also seems to have touched a minor environmental nerve, judging from feedback I've received.
(After seeing so much environmental consciousness at the school, at the time I was just a bit surprised at the amount of plastic packaging it came with.)
Just now, I received a link from 2010 St. Olaf alumna who wrote:
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I cannot defend the plastic covers they put over the plates, but I do know that while the plates and utensils appear to be plastic, they are biodegradeable.
Here's the snippet in the St. Olaf Web site link she sent:
Until this year, Bon Appetit used plastic plates and utensils in the Lion's Cage, but St. Olaf soon will be one of the beta-test sites for new line of biodegradable plates and cutlery, which can be composted with the cafeteria's food waste as well.
Great idea. But when I talked to folks at Bon Appetit, they said there was no program at the moment. General Manager Peter Abrahamson said finding a viable way to collect all of the plates and utensils and then transport them to composting -- and not just dump them into a landfill -- has been an issue.
Hmm. I wish them luck in finding a solution.
