2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Styrophobics
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Opinion
Styrofoam is on the way out. Hopefully. Originally adopted in 1942 by the Coast Guard for its value as a floation device, the foam-like insulator is now dragging us down.
Entire cities have banned the use of Styrofoam food containers, beginning with Berkley, Calif. and Portland, Ore. The list now stands at over 20 cities that do not allow the use of the product, and all we are asking for is one college campus.
Styrofoam is estimated to take longer than cockroaches to disappear off the face of the earth and it is manufactured at the rate of three million tons per year in the United States according to the Environmental Protection Agency. At a school as committed to "going green" as the hype around campus has been lately, this seems like a glaringly obvious problem to attack head on.
And if you are not concerned about your planet, think about yourself! Studies have shown that trace amounts of styrene ingested with every meal build up in the body and that microwaving food in Styrofoam containers exacerbates the effects because of the extreme heat. These carcinogens can cause cancer as well as hormonal imbalances, particularly in women.
Our Association of Student Representatives (ASR) passed a resolution decrying the use of Styrofoam containers in our dining halls. ASR is a powerful voice on campus in some ways, but they can not do it all. It is impossible to expect that 18 people can muster the necessary pressure to convince a company driven by profit like Aramark to make this sort of change in a timely fashion. We must say that we will not wait, we will not throw away another Styrofoam container or eat another bite out of one until something is done!
But you want to eat in your room? You want to go to that meeting, or lecture, or you just got out of practice and you can't stand the thought of food until you've taken a shower? Then order your food "for here" and then take that plate or bowl with you. Now, we are not advocating stealing from dining services. In order to be a responsible revolutionary, you must bring your dish back and put it on the conveyor belt to be washed and reused.
Aramark has considered passing the cost of new containers on to students, who already agree to eat only their food on campus (even events held on campus must be catered by Aramark) and to buy a mandatory meal plan every semester you live on campus.
Shouldn't a giant corporation care as much about their image and social responsibilites as the rest of us? Until Aramark agrees to absorb some of the cost for this necessary change and to make a concerted effort to do it quickly, step away from the Styrofoam...
But bring that plate back when you're done, for karma's sake.
Entire cities have banned the use of Styrofoam food containers, beginning with Berkley, Calif. and Portland, Ore. The list now stands at over 20 cities that do not allow the use of the product, and all we are asking for is one college campus.
Styrofoam is estimated to take longer than cockroaches to disappear off the face of the earth and it is manufactured at the rate of three million tons per year in the United States according to the Environmental Protection Agency. At a school as committed to "going green" as the hype around campus has been lately, this seems like a glaringly obvious problem to attack head on.
And if you are not concerned about your planet, think about yourself! Studies have shown that trace amounts of styrene ingested with every meal build up in the body and that microwaving food in Styrofoam containers exacerbates the effects because of the extreme heat. These carcinogens can cause cancer as well as hormonal imbalances, particularly in women.
Our Association of Student Representatives (ASR) passed a resolution decrying the use of Styrofoam containers in our dining halls. ASR is a powerful voice on campus in some ways, but they can not do it all. It is impossible to expect that 18 people can muster the necessary pressure to convince a company driven by profit like Aramark to make this sort of change in a timely fashion. We must say that we will not wait, we will not throw away another Styrofoam container or eat another bite out of one until something is done!
But you want to eat in your room? You want to go to that meeting, or lecture, or you just got out of practice and you can't stand the thought of food until you've taken a shower? Then order your food "for here" and then take that plate or bowl with you. Now, we are not advocating stealing from dining services. In order to be a responsible revolutionary, you must bring your dish back and put it on the conveyor belt to be washed and reused.
Aramark has considered passing the cost of new containers on to students, who already agree to eat only their food on campus (even events held on campus must be catered by Aramark) and to buy a mandatory meal plan every semester you live on campus.
Shouldn't a giant corporation care as much about their image and social responsibilites as the rest of us? Until Aramark agrees to absorb some of the cost for this necessary change and to make a concerted effort to do it quickly, step away from the Styrofoam...
But bring that plate back when you're done, for karma's sake.
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