Going trayless and brainless

No one, however, seems to stop and question any of these ideas. And Greening Princeton’s latest push for trayless dining is quite possibly the most fatuous plan yet. Seriously, was I the only person that laughed when I read about this?

As someone who has generally found fault with the vast majority of the campus’ “green” initiatives, I am in the minority here at Princeton, a liberal institution chock- full of many self-proclaimed “progressives.” But I would argue that most if not all of Princeton’s “sustainability” ideas are designed not with the true interest of the environment in mind, but rather to guilt any who disagrees with the ethos of the misguided “green” movement.

Ditching trays at the dining halls is not exactly the first silly idea to come out of the University. My first experience with Princeton’s radical desire to be “green” was on my OA trip this summer. We were told during the week that we couldn’t wash our utensils because the soap was “harmful to the environment,” and that we should try to avoid eating with them whenever possible. We were given a small plastic bag to contain any paper waste we might have produced when relieving ourselves — if we decided not to use the preferred choice of leaves — and were told that we would have to carry the bag with us the whole trip, rather than burying it. Never mind that toilet paper is biodegradable. As an Eagle Scout, I am a seasoned camper who practiced the “leave no trace” mantra on every trip — the only difference is that we weren’t so foolish as to believe that it’s evil to maintain a certain degree of cleanliness.

It seems that everywhere you look, Princeton is making every possible effort to “go green.” It’s really quite comical: fancy toilet flushing mechanisms, hybrid Toyota Prius Public Safety vehicles, compact fluorescent light bulbs, only organic and local produce and meats at Cafe Vivian. These are just a small sample of green “ploys” — but how often do students stop to question these initiatives? Not only do most come at a higher cost than their alternatives, but has anyone explained how tons of toxic battery waste produced by hybrid cars is “sustainable,” or how the mercury waste from the CFLs that are sprouting up everywhere on campus is good for the environment?

The answer is no. Princeton’s administration and the “green” progressives on campus ignore such arguments. Instead, we pursue efforts that are only viscerally “green” in a quest for good publicity and political correctness — but, in reality, such initiatives are usually costly and highly flawed in their conception.

Trayless dining is one such publicity stunt. Greening Princeton has portrayed this newest initiative as an effort to reduce water and food waste, a seemingly noble cause. But even if some waste is eliminated, the overall reductive benefit — which is most likely small at best — is hard to quantify from studying a few random dinners, as Greening Princeton has attempted to do.

Students generally support this cause using the logic that it is a small sacrifice for the greater good. But use of trays is a simple matter of both convenience and cleanliness, and, despite what an article titled “Go trayless and pay less” might lead you to believe, it’s unlikely that any savings from the system will be extended to the students through reduced costs of meal plans. Trays were designed to make it quicker and easier to carry utensils, glasses and plates of food all at once to the table — but they also keep the tables clean by preventing people from slopping food all over the place and by containing spills and messes. Without trays, the dining hall tables will probably be considerably stickier and dirtier, unless students take it upon themselves to wipe them down after eating (using the water they’re supposed to be saving).

But perhaps the greatest flaw in this new proposal is its utter inessentiality and its dependence on the “green” movement’s strategy of imposing uncommonly shared ideas onto everyone. As it stands, no one is forcing you to use a tray when you eat. So if you really believe in it, go ahead and make the trayless “sacrifice” on your own accord — just don’t make everyone else join you. If so much of the campus is in support of this plan, it really should not matter if it’s mandatory or not.

Since other Ivies have already succumbed to this trend, it’s probably only a matter of time until Princeton joins them. So enjoy your trays (and your utensils, for that matter) guilt-free while you can, because soon “progressives” may have us eating with our hands.

Kevin Halenda is a freshman from Murrysville, Pa. He can be reached at khalenda@princeton.edu.