October 28, 2009 – Our Town – OWU

“Why is My Spoon White?”
Chartwells switches to biodegradable dishware

Image by Doug Thompson

“This need for change has been a conversation piece for years,”says senior director of Ohio Wesleyan’s dining services, Gene Castelli,  “WCSA (the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs) kept coming to us and telling us we had to do something.” The increased cost of moving to the biodegradable dishware was a factor, as discussions continued.

This year, Castelli and OWU’s executive chef, Steve Ishmael, forged ahead by looking at reasonable ways to save money in certain areas, and Chartwells actually self-funded the switch.

“We are trying to incorporate the benefits of the bio-ware into all of our areas,” says Castelli, who along with Ishmael, is a member of OWU’s Sustainability Task Force.

“Chartwells is very willing and active when dealing with wastes, and have made ongoing efforts to do so,” explains Laurie Anderson, associate professor of botany-microbiology and chair of the Sustainability Task Force. “The change was in partnership with the task force, but it was more all about Chartwells taking the action.”

When using the black Styrofoam plates, the campus sent about 320,000 nine-inch plates and 160,000 forks to the landfill each year. The biodegradable dishware should greatly reduce the amount of waste that comes from the use of these materials.

EarthSmart, the company from which the dishware is being purchased, boasts that their products are not only biodegradable, but renewable, which plays into their plan of Company Steps to a Smaller Carbon Footprint. Instead of petroleum-based products, EarthSmart products are plant-based, using annual renewable raw materials such as fiber and bagasse, (a by-product of sugar production), which do not affect the food supply. Products using these materials are not only renewable and biodegradable, but they also need less energy to make.

“Of course the greenest option would be to use china in all the food courts,” says Castelli, “but with our number and locations around the campus of our dining areas, it’s just not plausible.” He and his staff members are always looking for those “greener options.”

“We are always looking at ways to increase sustainability,” explains Castelli. Chartwells has already been active in buying local produce, and using milk free of artificial growth hormones and limited antibiotic poultry.

“Some farmers give their chickens antibiotics every day. It just doesn’t make sense. We buy the poultry from farmers that only give antibiotics to their animals when they are sick, just as you and I would take antibiotics,” says Castelli.

Both Chartwells and the Sustainability Task Force are continuing to work to find and initiate efforts to make Ohio Wesleyan’s campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The task force, created by President Rock Jones last spring, has as its mission, the work of looking into sustainability options. Composed of 15-20 students, faculty, staff, and a trustee advisor, group members are currently working on the signing of a Presidential Climate Commitment, the recycling program, and the coordination of efforts between themselves and student environmental groups on campus. In the next few weeks, the spotlight will be on the Presidential Climate Commitment and assessing campus opinions on the issue. The task force will hold a town hall student meeting on Wednesday, October 28 at noon in Benes Room B to discuss the topic.

“The green movement has so much momentum, and we just want to keep moving with it,” says Castelli. “In return for our funding of the dishware, we just ask one thing of the students: Please recycle. The bins are there. Just pay attention. All you have to do is put the material in the right bin. It would really help us out.”

– Christina Fesz ’12