This editorial gives serious cause for concern. I agree with William Haun's letter and with last issue's last Eagle Rant.
It's certainly a good thing to want to protect the environment by all reasonable means. However, at least as envisioned by the author of this editorial, the move to ban trays seems driven by a total disregard of other legitimate concerns. As far as I can tell, the author is willing to ban anything and everything that even might need washing or otherwise use energy. I see no stopping point in his/her logic. And his/her willing to proceed even in the absence of any hard evidence, and casting the alternative in hyperbole "environmental apocalypse" so as to justify any imposition on people's liberties - frighten me.
As the Eagle Ranter pointed out, without a tray people risk burning their hands. Presumably, medical supplies - not to mention transportation to where they can be used - also cost energy. Not to mention the slight possibility of serious physical pain.
Beyond that, without trays people may drop their plates. Broken plates, and time (and water and cleaning supplies) to mop things up, seem like a waste of energy to me. Not to mention an additional safety hazard.
In addition, the "slight inconvenience of needing to make an extra trip or two around the cafeteria" is a waste of the ultimate nonrenewable resource - time. We can recycle paper and plastic and we can look for more sources of oil, but time wasted is gone forever.
Alternatively, maybe you can convince the Terrace Dining Room to give something like a raffle ticket or a little prize to anyone who forgoes the use of a tray. That way, no one's freedom will be infringed, yet going without trays will still be reinforced.
Last but not least, however, since the author seems to like grassroots change, I have some good news for him/her:
If it's such a great idea to avoid using trays, you don't need to enact any policy changes to start doing that right now. No one will stop you from carrying your own plates barehanded. You also have the absolute right to try to persuade other individuals to do the same. Hint: if you scratch the hyperbole, and show that you care about other concerns like personal freedom, avoidance of physical pain and conservation of time, you may get more converts.
Jeff Deutsch School of Public Affairs, Class of 1988
