Sustainability Spotlight: Green Efforts Paying Off for Campus Dining

By Melyssa Allen

At the beginning of the fall semester, Meredith’s Campus Dining began offering reusable mugs and to-go meal containers known as “clamshells,” in support of Meredith’s sustainability goals.

Each student on a meal plan at Meredith received a clamshell container and mug. Faculty, staff and students who are not on a meal plan can purchase these items in the Bee Hive at a cost of $5 each. Campus community members who use the mugs at the Bee Hive can purchase drinks at the refill price, a savings that pays back the cost of the mug in less than 10 visits.

According to Director of Food Services David Frankel, approximately 1,200 of the mugs and containers have been distributed this semester.

Frankel says one student using a reusable mug rather than a glass in the dining hall results in a water savings of almost 15 gallons annually. In addition to the environmental impact, the clamshells replace 20,000 to-go boxes over the course of the year, which results in a net savings of $16,000.

The reusable containers are just the latest of Campus Dining’s sustainability efforts. Other efforts include going to trayless dining, which saves water, food waste and electricity, composting, and incorporating regional food into the menus as much as possible.

Click here for more information on Campus Dining sustainability initiatives.