NEW ULM - In times of economic stress, trust a college - that natural bastion of creativity and brainpower - to come up with an inspired solution to a mundane problem.
As budget pressures mount on educational institutions and businesses alike, the Martin Luther College cafeteria is going "trayless."
Administrators are hoping that removing the trays - as well as other, equally creative, measures - will help conserve resources and save money.
"I choose to look at this as a good teaching time," said MLC president Mark Zarling.
"As Christians, we need to be good stewards of the resources we are given; we need to learn to waste less... Helping the budget is, of course, a welcome side effect..."
MLC is a private college run by WELS, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Zarling estimates, tentatively, that the college will save some $30,000 this year in water, detergent and sewerage costs alone, by removing the trays.
Added to that should be labor costs - to wash the trays - and the already noticeable reduction in food waste.
Since eaters cannot carry as much food at once without a tray, food waste is already down, according to Pioneer Caterers, the company that "feeds" MLC.
"It will likely have a major impact, bringing down our board costs," Zarling said.
A person can always make a few extra trips to the serving counters, of course - but, in these obese times, how bad is that?
Zarling takes the opportunity to appeal for understanding, patience and good will among the cafeteria's many community patrons.
"We are doing our best to wipe tables clean promptly and such," he said, aware that going trayless can be an inconvenience, indeed.
Next, there are the showers.
In a recent "pep" talk, Zarling appealed to the student body to shorten showers by just one minute each.
Assuming one shower per person per day - and, sure, athletes, for example, may take more than one - Zarling multiplied the number of dorm students by the number of days in the semester.
The exercise yielded an astounding result. If students heed his appeal for shorter showers, they would save the college the equivalent of 9.8 weeks straight of constant running water in the dorms. This doesn't even factor in the energy costs.
It's all voluntary, of course - no "shower patrols" are being planned.
"I assure you I won't be standing there with my stop watch out," Zarling laughs.
The unconventional steps are just some examples of what has been a conscious effort at MLC to conserve resources and "go green," said MLC Vice-President Steven Thiesfeldt, who heads the Environmental Services Department and teaches science and math (including a pertinent course in environmental chemistry).
Among the measures taken is turning the thermostats up in summer and down in winter.
The summer setting is now 78 degrees Fahrenheit, up from 73 degrees. The winter setting is 69 degrees, down from 72.
The step has been estimated to save $40,000 a year.
It might seem like a simple enough idea - but it actually is not, Thiesfeldt observed. Sections of the campus - the library and music rooms, with books and electric organs - require specific controlled temperatures and humidity at all times. So the computerized regulating system is actually fairly complex to "tweak" to make it "just right," he said.
The college has gradually stepped up conservation efforts over the years.
In the last two summers, classrooms have been renovated, with energy efficient lighting installed.
Two out of the four dorms are now closed during summer sessions, and one boiler gets shut down, to conserve energy and money.
Grants are in the process of being written to help renovate the Old Main building, with energy efficient windows being part of a potential package.
The campus is being irrigated "selectively," with outlying, less visible green space receiving less watering in summer.
The very concept of landscaping has evolved - the hillsides leading up to the campus are now covered with low-maintenance plantings, rather than grass, saving lawn-mowing time and gas.
Volunteers have pitched in taking care of flower beds - saving employee time - and the success of this idea has had administrators thinking about a long-range "adopt-a-bed" program.
"These are just some things, some ways, that you adjust, in times of challenge," Thiesfeldt points out.
MLC students - who travel to many area schools for student teaching "clinical experiences" daily - have always carpooled.
"It's the rare car," Thiesfeldt says, "that has fewer than four students in it - be it for trips to our schools, or the metro area, or shorter trips in town."
This saves the students money, of course, but it also conserves gas and the environment - harking back to the good stewardship idea. So it is encouraged by the college.
Conservation efforts happen at a time of staff reductions, with several faculty members being laid off and hourly employees being asked to work 35-hour weeks.
Administrators see the staff cuts as temporary - to weather the tough times - and have tried to soften the blow by offering employees more flexible schedules.
As to the trayless cafeteria, college leaders express "guarded optimism" as to how the idea is being received.
"I think the students are making a good effort to make it work," said Thiesfeldt.
"I can hear them talking about it - let's say it's generated a healthy discussion," smiled Zarling.
