Creighton’s Center for Service and Justice (CCSJ) environmental advocacy group has developed a plan attempting to replace all of the plastic bags given at “Simply To-Go” in Brandeis and Becker dining halls with reusable canvas bags.
On a daily basis, a very large number of plastic bags are given out at the “To-Go” breakfast and lunch stations for students who don’t have enough time to eat inside of the dining hall. These plastic bags generally get thrown away and will eventually end up in landfills. This is a problem because plastic, unlike organic material such as food, wood, and grass, does not readily decompose in a natural way. Instead, plastic material will sit in the bottoms of land fills for hundreds of years before they are fully decomposed and broken down.
A select few Creighton students took notice of this problem and decided to make a change. They came up with the idea to replace all of the plastic bags on Creighton’s campus with canvas bags. They suggested that at New Student Orientation during welcome week, each new freshman would be given their own reusable-plastic bag. The price of the canvas bag would be included in the meal plan for all students. It would then be the student’s responsibility to bring the bag with them to “To-Go” when they needed it. However, if the student forgot the bag, the student could “rent” a bag by paying a small sum of money. As of right now, this plan will not be implemented this year. However those working on this initiative have brought the plan to the attention of the students on campus, as well as, many individuals who would be instrumental in actually implementing the plan.
In talking with various Creighton students, it can be seen that the students at large have greatly varying opinions on this initiative.
“I think the canvas bag initiative is a great idea and I fully support it. I feel that making a small change, such as using canvas bags instead of plastic bags, will help to improve the campus,” said Heider College of Business student Andrea Engler
School of Nursing student Kaylee Arakaki says that the initiative is a great idea but she is wary of how it will actually work out. She is worried that many students will not be on board with the idea, and thus, the idea might not be as successful as it otherwise could have been.
Overall, by replacing all plastic bags with canvas bags, Creighton’s campus would become much more environmentally friendly. In its current state, the initiative to move away from plastic bags may be full of great intentions but it may also have a few kinks to be worked out. Once these are worked out, the plan could easily be implemented on campus. In the end, this initiative reflects Creighton’s desire to move towards a green campus.