You can read my new blog, Green Gal: Environmentally Conscious Lifestyle, on the Seattle P-I Web site.

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Devon

An “e-media” recycling container in the HUB allows students to recycle old cell phones, batteries, printer cartridges and more. Photo by Devon Mills.

Students are encouraged to take a free newspaper from the lobby of McMahon Hall and recycle it when they’re finished. Photo by Devon Mills.

Thanks to this sign, patrons of the McMahon 8 dining hall can’t miss a chance to recycle. Photo by Devon Mills.

3-D posters help students learn which items to compost and which items to toss in McMahon 8. Photo by Devon Mills.

This flyer informs students about the utensil options available in McMahon 8. Photo by Devon Mills.

As I explored McMahon 8, I remembered the problems students were having with the heat-sensitive corn-based cutlery. The offending utensils are still widely available in the dining hall, but I only noticed a few of the experimental white birch utensils available. I headed upstairs to the McMahon Hall staff offices to see if Resident Director Darcy Hume could update me on the utensil situation.

Hume told me that all of the white birch utensils are in the process of being pulled from the dining hall. She said there are several problems with them:

* The tines on the forks are too short
* Production of the forks leaves splintered wood between the tines, creating safety issues
* The spoons are very shallow and essentially useless

According to Hume, the cornware will still be available in the dining hall while HFS explores other sustainable utensil options.

As for the complaints students had about the melting corn utensils, I noticed new labels next to the cornware warning students that the utensils are heat-sensitive.

HFS has already experimented with utensils made from corn and renewable white birch. Some people are getting frustrated with their efforts. What will they think of next?

Two students greeted me at the door to the event with free bags of Pirate’s Booty and Bear Naked granola to snack on. I was grateful – and hungry.

About 80 students attended the event – one of the better turnouts on the nationwide, 46-campus tour, according to KEEN’s Chris Enlow. Enlow, who coordinates corporate responsibility for KEEN, Inc., showed several videos and a documentary that illustrates the unique ways people promote sustainability.

The documentary put the spotlight on several people, but I was most interested in Matt Cartwright, an artist and sculptor who crafts sculptures using new and recycled materials. He creates everything from large public sculptures to quirky gates using things he rescues from dumpsters, according to the documentary. Check out some examples of his amazing work here.

To conclude the event, Enlow and KEEN’s UW ambassador, sophomore Karen Harris, raffled off KEEN hats and bags made of recycled materials to lucky students.

A bag made of recycled rice paper bags. Photo by Devon Mills.

Attendees also voted for a campus organization to receive $1,000 from KEEN, and were encouraged to enter any of the campaign’s three contests for a chance to win a portion of $150,000.

“I really encourage groups or individuals who are looking for funding to be an agent of change,” said Enlow. “Our hope is to get people to push their ideas out there.”

Contest winners will be honored at STAND’s Sustainability Festival on Jun. 22, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. According to Enlow, a 40-piece painting of the STAND logo will be the backdrop for the awards stage. He brought one piece of the painting to the UW for students to sign in silver Sharpie. I may not win any of STAND’s $150,000 prize, but at least my name will be on the awards stage!

Students sign a piece of the STAND painting that will be displayed at the Sustainability Festival. Photo by Devon Mills.

UW sophomores Tina Shoemake (left) and Karen Harris show off the signatures. Photo by Devon Mills.

My only choice was to dash to the nearest dining hall to keep dry, pass the time and eat something warm to counteract the drizzly weather.

My plateful of pasta was not as hot as I would have liked, but I learned later in the day that this might have been a good thing. Otherwise, my corn-based fork may have melted in my yummy alfredo.

New utensils made from corn have recently replaced plastic utensils in the campus dining halls, according to HFS (Housing and Food Services). The biodegradable corn-based cutlery can be tossed into a dining hall’s compost bin rather than be condemned to clog up a landfill like plastic utensils.

However, some complaints about the eco-friendly wares have surfaced. The Daily recently reported that students have experienced the cutlery melting when it comes in contact with hot food.

The Daily article ruffled the feathers of some members of SEED (Students Expressing Environmental Dedication), who in a meeting Tuesday discussed a letter they wrote to the editor concerning the new cutlery.

The letter asked The Daily to consider that although the corn-based utensils may not be perfect, they are a much better alternative to wasteful plastic cutlery and metal cutlery that students may accidentally throw away.

The biodegradable cornware “is a very, very progressive thing,” said McMahon Hall Resident Director Darcy Hume at the SEED meeting. “Of course there are going to be kinks in the system.”

Hume said HFS is working toward the satisfaction of residents, but other alternatives being considered may also raise concerns.

One of those alternatives, compostable wooden cutlery, would probably lead to complaints about splinters, said Hume.

It will be interesting to see what happy medium HFS can reach to please both hot-food-loving and eco-conscious students alike.

Upon entering the Pompeii Room, I met Chris Bruno, the director of SEED, who looked every bit the concerned environmentalist. I noticed his shoulder-length brown hair tied in a low ponytail and appropriately green t-shirt and knew I was in the right place.

Bruno told me that SEED is a registered student organization that has been around since the 2002-2003 school year. Funded by HFS (Housing and Food Services), it boasts an executive board of five students, and its weekly meetings attract about 25 people.

This week’s meeting drew 18 students, McMahon Hall Resident Director Darcy Hume and Karen Harris, a guest speaker representing KEEN Footwear. KEEN is a brand of “hybrid products that allow consumers to connect with the outdoors in its entirety,” according to its Web site.

Harris is a sophomore at UW and KEEN’s UW ambassador for their Hybrid.Stand College Campus Campaign (also known as STAND). According to Harris, STAND is a campaign to promote sustainability at 50 college campuses. The campaign includes three contests in which students can submit creative projects or statements to express their commitment to sustainability, positive environmental change and raising environmental awareness.

One person alone cannot save the world, but “there are little things we can do to inspire other people to help,” said Harris.

On Nov. 8, Harris will host a STAND event at the HUB to screen a documentary (appropriately entitled “STAND”) that illustrates what nine people have done to promote sustainability. Students in attendance can also vote for a campus organization to which KEEN will donate $1,000.

After Harris’s presentation, SEED members shared simple ways that they promote sustainability and help the environment. Some of these ways included:

* bringing their own coffee mugs to the dining halls
* putting their computers on standby when not in use
* reusing plastic bags
* turning off lights and electronics their roommates leave on

Students also brainstormed future projects and activities to work on. They mentioned:

* encouraging HFS to provide more reusable dishware in the dining halls
* trying to get students to use Nalgene bottles instead of buying bottled water with wasteful packaging
* creating incentives for students to recycle and compost
* working to make a garden accessible to students

The members of SEED seem very enthusiastic and committed to their cause. They are a welcoming, friendly group that has already made great strides in working with HFS to promote sustainability in the residence halls.