Students found a new addition to their list of campus essentials when the spring semester started: reusable to-go containers at the Dining Commons.

Bernard Green brought the idea to the student government’s environmental affairs committee.

“We liked the idea and spoke with Josh Martin, Sodexo's executive chef of dining services,” said Rachel Sutton, Associated Students environmental senator. “He loved the idea.”

Martin had implemented the program at other campuses where he worked. “It was easy to convince him to work with us to start one here,” Sutton said.

He ordered 500 containers to get the program started. In the first month, 300 students signed up for the program.

Students purchase a reusable to-go container at the Dining Commons for $5, fill it up and take the meal with them. Then, they bring the empty box back to the DC, where it is washed and sanitized. They can get another box to use then, or they are given a card that they exchange for a box the next time they want a to-go meal.

The clear, green-tinted to-go boxes replace disposable containers that had been sent to the landfill.

The Environmental Affairs Committee is working to grow the program. It was recently awarded a $2,000 grant from the California State Student Association’s Greenovation Fund. “With this funding, we will order more containers and give them out to students,”Sutton said.

A variety of other food-related sustainability efforts are in place at CSUMB, including:

"We are extremely conscious of our sustainability practices," Martin said. "We have even hired a sustainability intern, Gerardo Marenco, whose sole focus is to keep us on track and inform every one of the many things we do on a daily basis."