So, after each meal we ate onboard Amtrak, the plates, cups, and bowls we used were thrown out. Even just our brief (or not so brief?) stint on Amtrak generated a lot of waste. Yet this happens in every Amtrak dining car, after every meal, every single day.
On the way to Flagstaff, I brought this up with a couple women working in the dining car. They were excited about the prospect of us writing letters to Amtrak with our opinions regarding this policy.
I mailed a letter last week and left an electronic comment here: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1237608364155. At our meeting last week, the Vassar Greens also wrote letters. I invite you all to do the same!
Mail your letter to the address below, and here’s a general template you can use to construct your letter. The more specific you make it, the better!
Amtrak
810 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Att: Gifton Graham
To Whom It May Concern,
I recently traveled on Amtrak from Poughkeepsie, NY, to Flagstaff, AZ, from March 1st through March 3rd, and then back again from Flagstaff to Poughkeepsie from March 15th through 17th.
On the Southwest Chief, I was very pleased to see a framed poster about “training oneself to recycle,” mentioning the opportunity to recycle glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic while onboard the train. However, I have some concern regarding the waste generated as a result of your dining cars. After my first few meals, it came to my attention that all plastic plates, bowls, and cups are thrown in the trash after a single use. I am writing to you out of an interest to see a change in your dining waste policies. If due to the small nature the dining cars Amtrak is unable to implement reusable plates, bowls, and cups to complement the already existing reusable silverware, I implore Amtrak to use recyclable bowls, plates, and cups.
As a major corporation, Amtrak has the potential to effect substantial positive change through improving its waste-related policies, thanks to the sheer number of passengers who travel daily on Amtrak trains nation-wide. Amtrak has the opportunity to present a positive example for all of its passengers, and to divert a massive amount trash from entering landfills and being incinerated daily.
Best,
