by Vicki Truong

             When The Pussycat Dolls grow up, they want to be famous, they want to be stars, and they want to drive nice cars. Conversely, the Green Tower wants to shoot for something better, to change the world; make it a better place. That is why they are pushing two new environmentally-friendly initiatives at Babson that will affect everyone who eats in Trim Dining Hall. These changes will impact the entire student body, which is why concerns were brought to President Schlesinger, Dean Hanno, and, of course, the Green Tower.

           Think back to last semester. Do you remember the week that Trim went tray-less? Green Tower suggests that we go tray-less every day. Additionally, they suggest that Mondays be meat-free.

            Ben Cox (2010), co-President of the Green Tower, reports that Tray-less Trim is going into effect next semester. The year-long initiative was piloted last spring and brought about fantastic results. According to Ben, “thousands of pounds of food and an Olympic-sized pool of water” were saved as a result of going tray-less for one week; many students were unaware of the great numbers. They also didn’t know that Trim is planning on getting rid of its trays permanently.

            Students expressed concern about how they would carry their food around the dining hall; those who don’t utilize the trays during the meal still need them at the end to send their plates away on the conveyor belt. What it boils down to is that going without trays is inconvenient. Trim’s dish pit is designed for trays; the conveyer belts cannot transport plates, cups, or mugs without the use of trays or buckets. Darline Lefevre (2012) and Meagan Poteete-Johnson (2011) said that they thought the bucket system used last spring was “gross and unsanitary because of the fruit flies.” Most of us would agree. Many students suggested that if we go tray-less, Trim should implement a better process…which is exactly what they plan to do. This winter, Trim will undergo a capital-intensive project to completely revamp the dish pit. Starting in January, Trim Dining Hall will be tray-less.

            Meat-free Monday is still a concept. The student reaction to Meat-free Monday was either indifference or resistance. The Green Tower has distributed a petition to build support for this initiative. They have made it clear that they do not want to force a lifestyle change upon the student body. Rather, their objective is to make students more conscious of how their behavior affects the environment.

            There has been talk about alternatives to Meat-free Mondays. Gerry Praysman (2011) says that if any day were to be meat-free, it should be Friday. Why? Many students observe religious holidays where they don’t eat meat; these often fall on Fridays. So, Green Tower, how about Fish Stick Friday instead of Meat-free Monday? Awesome alliteration is still intact.

            If you were wondering where all the money saved from Tray-less Trim will go, you don’t have to worry. Ben says that the Green Tower is working with Stan Park, Operations Director of Sodexho, and Peter Russo, Director of Purchasing and Auxiliary Services for Babson, to obtain better quality food in Trim. Not a fan of tofu? Not to worry. If Meat-free Monday does go through, you WILL have better alternatives.

          When asked his opinion on the Green Tower’s initiatives for Trim, President Schlesinger says that he is “completely supportive of student initiatives that reduce our carbon footprint.” Moreover, he says that “it is better for Babson that these changes are peer influenced.” Regarding the push for Meat-free Mondays, President Schlesinger is interested in seeing how the Green Tower will “employ an influence strategy to further their initiative.”

          Dean Hanno is excited about the push for a greener Trim as well; he says, “It’s a great step forward as we try to find more ways to create a sustainable Babson.”

          What do YOU think? Are the minor inconveniences worth saving the planet? Let us know.