As Virginia Tech's Dining Services ventures into the rapidly changing world of achieving sustainability by going trayless in its all-you-care-to-eat facilities, Tech students should be supportive, not selective.

Creating a sustainable university is not an overnight overhaul, it is step-by-step and April's Earth Week was a good preview to many sustainable practices the university is working to implement.

Criticizing Dining Services' first step toward reducing waste is detrimental to the process.

It is not too much to ask for students to get only one or two plates of food at a time. The argument that the cost of dropped and broken plates because of the lack of trays would offset the reduced waste is preposterous.  

It should not be such a problem to change D2 regulars' tray- piling habits.

Other universities, including Darthmouth University, the University of Delaware and the University of Maine have made the switch.

While some students have complained about the move, they need to step back and realize that it's not always about them — there are other people on this planet — we should act responsibly to help preserve the environment for the rest of the world.

Yes, right now it's new and terrifiying to those used to loading up plates and trays with whatever looks good, but most people hate change. The fact is, as more and more new students come through and replace those who graduate, this will become an accepted practice.

A 38 percent reduction in food waste, the equivalent of 1,546 pounds of food, during Earth Week alone suggests that although D2 and Shultz going trayless is a small step in the right direction, but it is indeed the right direction.

The university needs to keep working toward sustainability in everything it does, including dining. It cannot stop with removing trays; more can be done.

Tech has proved it can help lead the way — just look to Percival Zhang's biofuel technology which may help reduce dependance on fossil fuels.

Together, students and staff should cooperate to help conserve resources.

Sure, eliminating Styrofoam and finding replacements for to-go containers is also high on the to-do list toward a more sustainable dining system, but students should appreciate the university's first attempt, rather than suggesting it start elsewhere.

The editorial board is composed of David Harries and Lauren Lee