Student Projects & Events

Toby’s Spot

Photo: Steve Casad, Madison Sheffield, Anna Thompson, Katie Heineman

UC San Diego students Madison, Anna, and Katie were the driving forces behind Toby’s Spot, the re-use dish program that saves massive quantities of plastic, Styrofoam, and other take-away containers from being thrown into the landfill.

When and how did you conceive of the Toby’s Spot dishware/utensil re-use project?

We started thinking about the things that bugged us the most in terms of sustainability (or lackthereof) on campus. The incessant use of non-recyclable plastic plates in the dining halls was something that drove us, and many other people we know, absolutely mad! We talked about needing to promote the use of the ceramic plates, but that the dining halls needed a way to get them back from the dorms and apartments. We were aware that ERC already had a system in place, and we thought it could be propagated in the other colleges.

What steps did you take to start the process?

We interviewed Tom Clark from Café Ventanas, to ask him of the details of the bin program. He let us know that it was working well, and that it had helped somewhat in getting the expensive ceramic plates back, but not completely. We also spoke with Nancy Filtz (of Canyonview in Warren at the time), who told us that a similar system on a smaller scale had been going on in their ResHalls for some time.

We met with the Manager of each relevant dining hall to discuss the potential of this program working within their system. The major concern with all was the cost of replacing the fast-disappearing ceramic-ware; however, they were very receptive to a system that would counteract this. Our next step was to contact Steve Casad, Director of Dining.

Did you find the Dining and Administrative staff helpful and/or receptive to your ideas?

Yes, absolutely. Our budget did not accurately display the true cost of the project, and in this aspect alone we could not have carried out this project without the help and financial support of Dining Services.

Within five minutes of our first meeting with Steve, he was asking our opinion on which biodegradable-ware should replace the plastic to-go-ware—an idea we had dreamed of but thought was too much to put in the grant proposal. From then on, he went above and beyond anything we could have expected in terms of aid and management in the project. When we realized our funding ($1000) from the grant would not nearly be enough to buy all the bins, he did not hesitate in contributing his Housing and Dining Services funds to this noble project. Obviously, his position is extremely valuable in the implementation of this project, and that was of infinite value to achieving this project, and in a timely manner. He was able to employ the marketing department to help with the signage, which gives the bins a much more legitimate look. We could not believe that his excitement about this project matched ours.

What’s your next step - do you have any future sustainable projects in the works?

We are always tinkering in things here and there. Katie is happy to be currently holding a position in the new Greeks Gone Green club, which is open to all students. And Madison is excited about a new project of creating a Garden Class/ Seminar, http://www.greeksgonegreen.moonfruit.com. Contact Madison Sheffield if interested in helping with the project.

Anything else you’d like to promote?

Just a little PSA about the importance returning the ceramic plates to the Toby Spots or the dining halls! It is VERY important that the dining halls get these dishes back, as it keeps everything flowing smoothly and they are expensive to replace.

Grant info

Request “Green Grants” from HDH!

GREEN GRANTS are a portion of Housing • Dining • Hospitality’s (HDH) budget which will be made available to the residents and staff of UC San Diego’s Housing and Dining operations for use in furthering and maintaining SUSTAINABLE projects and efforts.

These efforts might include recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, or other resource saving measures. Any applicable expenditure will need to be tied to a sustainability project (new or ongoing) within HDH operations. The projects must benefit Resident students and/or HDH facilities and they must promote sustainability.

To learn more, download the Green Grants informational brochure.

Events

City Food Scrap Compost Program

In honor of Earth Week, UC San Diego partnered with the City of San Diego on a pilot composting program. On April 16, 17, and 20, 2009, Dining Services and UC San Diego Catering composted ALL items currently listed in the restaurants PLUS meat, bones, and dairy.

We collected 2840 lbs of compostables and are working with the city to make food composting happen in HDH.

For a full list of what can or cannot be recycled and composted, please visit the “What You Can Do” page.

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