Campus dining halls go green with new bags

The dining halls on campus have made changes to help Ohio State go green.

All campus dining halls now have biodegradable bags for students who take their food home. The Fresh Expresses in Morrill and North Commons, as well as Marketplace, are selling reusable cloth bags for $1 each.

"By charging as little as $1 it creates a perceived value in hopes that the bags will be used consistently," said Kirsten Marinko, marketing director for Campus Dining Services.

Katie Wink, a junior in nursing, likes the idea of the bags, but is skeptical about forcing students to pay for them.

"A dollar is not bad, but if they want us to care about the environment they should provide the bags for free," Wink said.

Nonetheless, Wink said Ohio State's efforts to make the campus more environmentally-friendly have been great.

"I think there is more that everyone can do to protect the environment, but Ohio State has done a great job of staying ahead of the curve," Wink said.

With the cloth bags comes a frequent users program, where after nine purchases with the bag, students get an entrée for free.

Heather Banks, a junior in psychology said it is important for Ohio State to lead the way in environmentally-friendly reform.

"I think it is important for everybody to be environmentally-friendly. We are the biggest campus in the nation, so we need to be leaders and set an example," Banks said.

Marinko said the bags are a great tool to enhance students' environmental awareness.

"As a premier land grant university it is our job to take the lead in sustainability. By modeling environmentally responsible behaviors to students we can help to equip them with the knowledge and tools they will need to continue sustainable practices," she said.