Dining Services and its employees have proved yet again that the department is one of the most dedicated on campus when it comes to making changes aimed at lessening the university’s impact on the environment.

Their latest eco-friendly effort will give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to collect used coffee grounds for free. The grounds contain certain nutrients that, when spread on soil, can help acid-loving plants grow. The grounds have also been shown to help speed up the composting process.

With the construction of the Brown-Lupton University Union last year, Dining Services implemented the use of a machine called a pulper. The pulper grinds and blends food scraps and other waste products and turns them into an organic compost material, which can then be used as animal feed.

When you add up these sustainability efforts, which also include take-out containers made from sugarcane, cups made from corn and potato-based utensils, it becomes clear that Dining Services is truly concerned with going green. Giving away used coffee grounds is by no means a giant step in the sustainability movement, but it should be applauded nonetheless.

If more university departments followed Dining Services’ lead, there’s no telling how much progress could be made in a short amount of time. Sure there are other eco-friendly measures being implemented on campus, but while most people are simply talking about change, Dining Services is actually making one.

News editor Michael Carroll for the editorial board.