Traces of environmental friendliness are everywhere, from the shirts with a healthy earth slapped across the fronts to bags in the grocery store to other consumer merchandise advocating a “greener” lifestyle.

Loyola, too, has recently been aiming to make its campus more eco-friendly and to raise its D minus grade from the non-profit Sustainable Endowments Institute to a more acceptable score.

Marketing and Customer Service Manager of Dining Services Caitlin Craig Brewster spoke about Loyola’s current efforts at being more environmentally aware and active.

“It’s always the side-item that you have to continue to bring in. I think it just needs to be on people’s minds. Someone just needs to spearhead it.”

And spearhead it, someone did.

Several renovations to the Danna Center are apparent: the addition of a Community Coffee in the middle of the Orleans Room lounge, bright orange furniture and the new C-store.

However, there are other additions that are not as apparent, like the paint and carpeting containing biodegradable materials.

Plastic foam is no longer used on campus; Loyola Dining Services made the switch to cornstarch to-go containers. They’re not perfect because hot food items like soup can cause them to melt, but despite their imperfections, Brewster considers the biodegradable containers the better option.

“We’re not (using) Styrofoam whatever we do,” she said. The new dining utensils are also biodegradable.

Brewster dismissed the myth that the eco-friendly option is always the most expensive. “It just depends. With our to-go containers we’re actually saving money.”

Students may also notice changes in the Orleans Room. “The first thing in the O.R. was to go tray-less,” Brewster said.

The Market on campus is also taking a new initiative by incorporating re-usable mesh shopping bags and phasing out environmentally harmful plastic bags. Freshmen each received a mesh bag as a welcoming present, while the rest of campus will be able to purchase them at a reduced price.

All new Dining Service equipment is made by Energy Star, a government-backed program aimed at protecting the environment. The use of Energy Star equipment at Loyola will help conserve energy and avoid some greenhouse gas emission.

While Loyola has accomplished much, Loyola is still in a state of transition. There are still little kinks: for example, the flyers stating “Loyola Goes Green” are not printed on recycled paper. “Kinko’s is our other provider,” said Brewster, “and you can only print black and white on recycled paper.”

Emily A. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected].