“Greening” of DESK
DESK and the Environment
In the last few months, Board of Directors members Michelle Reynard and Efan Wu have been researching ways for DESK to “go green.”
DESK has traditionally used Styrofoam plates and cups at our nightly meals. Given the increasing number of meals we serve per week—nearly 1,000 during certain times of the year—the use of Styrofoam plates and cups generates not only an enormous amount of non-recyclable waste but also a substantial monetary cost. Now that DESK has centralized operations at 311 Temple Street, we’ve been able to consider a more environmental and budget-friendly solution: plastic trays and cups cleaned by a retrofitted commercial dishwasher.
Invaluable Support
DESK would have been unable to afford these changes were it not for the generosity of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, which funded the dishwasher upgrade; Olympia Properties, LLC; the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, which funded drying racks; and Shalom United Church of Christ, which purchased trays and cups in conjunction with an anonymous matching grant. We look forward to putting the dishwashing system to use in 2009.
Results
Director of Operations Jeanne May estimates that DESK will save over $1,200 per month in Styrofoam and trash hauling fees, money which will help defray ever greater costs during this difficult economic time.