The Eco-Clamshell sitting peacefully in Danforth Dining Hall
Back-to-back classes during lunchtime? Meetings during dinnertime? Is your schedule so hectic that sometimes you can't find the time to grab a bite? Worry no more! University Dining Services has got you covered. They devised a system to help all of us starving students eat on the go. This is the eco-clamshell: a green plastic reusable container with three ample compartments to carry all your food around campus so you eat at your convenience.
Although it provides a very favorable service for students, the true purpose of the eco-clamshell is to reduce waste from the use of disposable containers. By using a clamshell regularly, you can save up to 1,232 disposable plates over four years of studying!
How it works:
- Purchase an eco-clamshell at any dining location on campus using either declining balance, cash, credit, URos or one of your seven "additional guest meals."
- Don't lose it! The right to receive an eco-clamshell is yours until you graduate (unless you lose your clamshell, of course, in which case you must purchase a new one—so don't be careless!).
- Bring the clamshell to the cafeteria.
- Fill it up with delicious food.
- When you are done eating, you can bring it back and exchange it for either a clean clamshell or an eco-keychain (which serves as a voucher for a clamshell) that you can carry around campus easily.
The eco-clamshell is definitely an important part of the college experience here at the U of R for many students. For me, it has been a true lifesaver, as I have very little time between classes during lunchtime to eat in the cafeteria. I just fill up my clamshell and eat at my convenience anywhere on campus. It is especially useful during late-night study sessions, when eating in the cafeteria means losing precious study time.