BREAKING NEWS: Freshmen Discover Trayless Initiatives

Ever wish there was a way to get a workout, eat less, save water, and cut through the pre-Ec 10 tray return lines in Annenberg all in one fell swoop?

Green ’13ers Isabella Wechsler and Michele Zemblyeni have a proposition for you.

These two, along with the food subcommittee of the eco-friendly freshman group Green ’13, dreamt up the “Trayless Challenge,” currently underway in the hallowed halls of Annenberg. To reduce food waste and save water, Green ’13 is encouraging students to go trayless for a week or two and then fill out a survey to see how rewarding—or painful—the experience was. Get some of the feedback after the jump.

“I love traylessness!” Lilian Alexander ’13 said.  “I still get my fair share of food, I get extra exercise walking back to get my drink, I zip through the lines—and I’ve gotten really good at balancing stuff.”

But not all of the 93 freshmen who have filled out the survey thus far have been quite as enthusiastic.

“Traylessism is the opiate of the masses; it will lead to the immediate decline in Harvard's taste and decency if this is absurd trend is not countered head-on,” one of the anonymous survey commenters said.

This critic may be concerned with the inconvenience of making multiple trips to the sometimes anxiety-inducing entrée line, the danger of carrying hot plates, or may just be lazy—all of which were mentioned as turn-offs by a handful of tray-advocates in Annenberg.

But the Green ’13 movement has found plenty of supporters as well—some who are trayless through and through, and others who are recent converts.

“People might complain for a little bit, but they forget after a while, and anyway, the moment someone brings up how energy-saving it is, most people can't keep up their arguments,” another anonymous comment said.

Wechsler and Zemplenyi aren’t trying to force students to give up deeply embedded habits, just open their minds to helping the environment and see where the new lifestyle leads them, they said.

“Just try it sometimes,” Zemplenyi said.  “It’s always good if a little more water is saved and a little less food is wasted on a conveyer belt.”

Though they said no major changes are really possible until next year, the two should perhaps keep an eye on some of their more vehement opposition.

“Please don't try to change the policy of providing trays for students,” one survey-answerer wrote.  “Or I will hunt you down.”

Freshmen can test out the trayless challenge and fill out the survey here.