Conservation of What?
By: Michelle Adams
Around lunchtime one day back in February I wandered into the Lower UC as I would any other day. I was somewhat engrossed in my own thoughts as I walked over to the silverware and tray stand. Here I was confronted with a student, standing guard over the tray stand. “It’s No Tray Day,” he proudly proclaimed, convinced that his message was one of ultimate truth and importance, and pointed to the sign on an easel, written in chalk, as if I was a bad person for even having walked over to the tray stand. He then launched into a lengthy diatribe on the purpose and benefits of No Tray Day, at which point, despite the nuisance, I was more hungry than interested in debating someone on the pros and cons of not permitting the use of trays to fellow lunch-goers.
All students that went to lunch at Rathbone or the Lower UC experienced the zealous promoters of No Tray Day. Most students, however, cannot recall the particulars of why trays were not allowed, but do remember that day as one of special inconvenience. To the best of my knowledge, I understand that trays were not to be allowed in order to reduce excess consumption of food. The theory behind this was that, if students do not have a tray, their food-carrying capacity is reduced and thus the student will have to be more conscious of what they take off of the serving dishes in the first place. This assumes that, because a student has a tray, he or she will take more food, which is a questionable assumption at best. A standard Lehigh lunch tray can barely fit two large plates on it as is and it is unusual to see this arrangement on a tray. For most students, a tray is a convenient means of carrying silverware, a plate, and a beverage. Another small plate could potentially fit on the tray, but other than that, students must go back in order to pick up additional food. The vast majority of students know how much they want to eat and don’t need to be watched in order to make sure they take appropriate servings.
No Tray Day’s purpose was to reduce wasted food and combat wasteful behaviors in general. It was highly ineffective at achieving this goal. If Lehigh students are especially concerned and committed to reducing waste, perhaps there are more efficient methods to go about this. The take-out dining option alone produces a significant amount of waste. Styrofoam is a material that does not decompose with time and simply sits in landfills. In addition, the Styrofoam is in boxy shapes that take up a lot of space in trash cans, filling them faster than would ordinary waste. Many universities simply do not have take-out as an alternative to eating in the cafeteria. If Lehigh students are serious about reducing waste, they need to stop with gimmicks such as No Tray Day and put their focus where the waste is really happening.
