According to ASU’s website, ASU has been designated one of the “coolest” campuses in the nation by Sierra magazine because of its efforts to curb global warming. However, ASU is failing to make one of the biggest changes possible to help the earth: modifying its diet.

Utilizing local and organic foods is one way to drastically reduce pollution and resource contamination. Consuming less meat and fewer animal products is another way, since the process of raising and slaughtering animals is resource intensive and results in land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and water contamination.

For these reasons I am perplexed every time I enter the MU to get a quick lunch between classes and find only meat based and industrial fast-food chains. While it is possible to avoid actual meat, it is nearly impossible to avoid other animal products such as cheese, milk, and eggs, and to find local or organic ingredients.

Even though it is possible to eat sans meat, the vegetarian options often are singular and bland, not to mention industrially produced. Meat eaters have lavish choices at each restaurant. A single sandwich place offers multiple sauces, several types of meat cooked several different ways and even different kinds of buns, not to mention an array of vegetables placed atop the meal by default.

Vegetarians have the option of a veggie burger on bleached white bread topped with a handful of wet, limp lettuce, a squirt of mayonnaise and optional ketchup.

I can already hear voices politely indicating to me, “Uh, hey, you’ve got Engrained.” Trust me, I know about Engrained. It is one of the most delicious restaurants I’ve eaten at. The produce is organic, local, and the building itself sustainable. Basically, it’s pretty freaking sweet.

But it’s not fast, nor downstairs.

I think that it is time for ASU to welcome some new additions to the MU: think an express version of Pita Jungle with meat and produce from Arizona, California and Mexico. A venue like that would allow a diverse group of students to eat in an environmentally friendly manner.

It is imperative that ASU have more quick and eco-friendly dining choices downstairs so that healthy and earth-friendly eating can take place there as well. As I mentioned before, having non-vegetarian options would be great, too. This way, students who choose to eat local or vegetarian won’t have to be isolated upstairs at Engrained, and delicious sustainable food will be readily available to the whole campus.

More importantly, providing these kinds of meals would bolster ASU’s reputation as a “green” university.

At a time when students are making decisions about where to pay tuition by assessing schools’ efforts to be environmentally friendly, ASU should make effective changes to the way students can eat on campus. Doing so would convince me, or a potential student, that ASU truly cares about being sustainable.

Reach Becky at rrubens1@asu.edu.