The Frisbees were designed to replace paper plates, leaving less disposable waste and a more environmentally-conscious student body. Rather than serving fountain soda in paper cups, cans of soda were served at the picnic, and recycling bins were dispersed all over Thompson Hall lawn. Meal plan holders may have noticed that they no longer have to anticipate how many napkins they will need to get through a meal. By placing napkin dispensers on tables usage will be down from 40 percent to 50 percent, May said. Meal plan holders are encouraged to contribute to making UNH more sustainable by using the mugs.
Students seem pleased with the changes.
Freshman Nicole Vaznis uses her UNH dining mug every morning for coffee, rather than wasting Styrofoam cups. I also like that I am doing something to help the environment. According to May, not only will the changes be beneficial to the environment, but the university will also save money. Over the summer all three dining halls changed from electric to gas ovens in the kitchen to save electricity and the use of water disposals was reduced, which means less sewage waste. May. Next spring Dining Services and members of the plant biology department are planning to start composting food waste by transporting it to Kingman Farm.