Eckerd does 'green' takeout

With a $32,000 research grant, Eckerd College has developed a first-of-its-kind-in-Florida reusable takeout container for its hungry students.

The teal "EcoClamshell" is made from a durable, dishwasher-safe plastic material that Eckerd officials hope will cut down on the millions of Styrofoam containers that end up as landfill waste each year.

"Our society values convenience," says Audrey Copeland, a 2007 Eckerd graduate working with the school's Sustainable Campus Task Force and food vendor. "In a college cafeteria, convenience is translated to disposable takeout containers. The outcome? Tons of unnecessary landfill waste. Eckerd's EcoClamshell offers a recycling system that is cost-efficient, sanitary, environmentally friendly and … convenient."

Eckerd got the grant last summer from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, which gave the St. Pete liberal arts college the mission of developing an environmentally-friendly to-go container. The EcoClamshells were manufactured by Texas-based G.E.T. Enterprises.