Our project is based on the recognition that wasteful living is environmentally unsustainable. Reflecting upon the ways in which Carleton College could improve the sustainability of its practices, especially in public venues, we thought of the large amount of waste generated at certain Carleton events. In this area we decided that definite improvements could and should be made.

Kellie Hoyt and Gregg Severson

In order to concretely ground our suspicions of waste and demonstrate the availability of preferable solutions, we chose the annual graduation luncheon as the target of our waste analysis and improvement. Currently Carleton serves approximately 3000 picnic-style box lunches. Due the picnic style nature of the luncheon and the large number of lunches served, it is highly improbable to expect the serving materials to be reusable. Therefore, we are left with the task of procuring the most environmentally sound disposable materials availabe. The products would ideally be recycled, produced in a non-toxic manner, made of renewable materials, and either recyclable or compostable. Likewise leftover food items should be donated, composted, used as animal feed, or otherwise utilized rather than being sent to a landfill.

This table lists the currently used products, the problems associated with them, and more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Currently:	Price:	End Destination:	Other Problems:	Alternative:	Price:	End Destination:
Plastic Cutlery	500 for $34.78	Landfill	Petroleum-based	Biodegradable Vegetable-based Cutlery	200 for $35.00	Composting Facility
Moist Towelettes	1000 for $10.96	Landfill	Excess Packaging	100% Post-consumer Recycled Paper Non-chlorine Bleached Napkins	1000 for $7.98	Composting Facility
Plastic Clamshell	Unknown	Landfill	Petroleum-based	Cardstock Box	Unknown	Composting or Recycling Facility
Small Plastic Cups for Fruit Salad/Pasta Salad	Unknown	Landfill	Petroleum-based	Whole Fruit/Biodegradable Cups	Unknown/Under Development - Not Yet on the Market	Composting or Recycling Facility
Plastic-bottled Water	Unknown	Recycling Facility	Petroleum-based, Often Virgin Materials, Material Life Limited	(Returnable) Glass-bottled Water	Unknown	(Original Manufacturer or) Recycling Facility
Pop in Aluminium Cans	Unknown	Recycling Facility	negligible	none

5 Main Activities:

Through our work on this issue we hope to begin the process of lessening the negative environmental impact of Carleton's large events. As we and (hopefully) others attempt to reach this goal, there are 5 main activities that should be performed.

1. Research into the current products and investigation into better alternatives. 2. Communication to those involved in the planning of the events of the preferred alternatives. 3. Implementation of the improvements. 4. Education of the Carleton community in regards to their potential role in assisting and supporting the college. 5. Education of the public partaking in the event of their role in Carleton's efforts.

Contacts: Food service provider: Sodexho-Marriott Director: Joe Winegardner x4066

Office in Charge of Graduation: College Relations Director of Events: Nancy Lehman x4310

Helpful Links: BioCorp Seventh Generation