EDITORIAL
McDonald's to stop
use of polystyrene
Ronald McDonald and the folks from the golden
arches have decided to stop using polystyrene to
“wrap” Big Macs.
It's about time. Polystyrene is a nun-biodegradable
plastic that will forever sit in landfills. Years from now
archaeologists will dig up hamburger-shaped polysty
rene boxes, a reminder of a wasteful society.
Discontinuing the use of polystyrene was a long
time coming. But McDonald's has listened to custom
ers before.
A few years ago patrons protested McDonald's
practice of frying everything on the menu in animal
fat. Health reports and nutritional information eventu
ally persuaded McDonald’s to switch to vegetable oil
for everything except their french fries. However, con
tinued customer pressure forced McDonald’s to use
vegetable oil even on their beloved fries.
The next step for McDonald's is to adopt guide
lines encouraging recycling. They should only use re
cyclable paper products and. when possible, recycled
paper products.
Now that McDonald's will be saving money
through improved recycling methods, the costs should
be reflected in their prices. McDonald’s can show the
fast food industry that recycling not only benefits the
company, but customers, too.
Children will be able to watch commercials in
which Ronald McDonald battles Polystyrene Man in
stead of the Hamburgler. At a few Eugene outlets
McDonald's experimented by setting up separate re
cycling bins for paper and plastic. While this was a
noble gesture, it still left trashcans for the non-recvcla
ble polystyrene.
Now that one fast-food chain has taken a step for
ward. hopefully other fast-food establishments will fol
low McDonald's lead and stop using polystyrene.
Whatever else we may think of McDonald's, at
least they are reacting to environmental concerns. But
the only way to stop the use of polystyrene is to stop
the manufacture of polystyrene. If we all stop using it.
the chemical companies will stop making it.
Encourage eating establishments that you patron
ize to stop using polystyrene for coffee cups or doggie
bags. Remind your friends to follow recycling guide
lines because if McDonald's can do it, we all can do it.
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House the homeless, don’t arrest them
The arrest of three homeless people
Thursday emphasizes the continuing prob
lem concerning single homeless people in
the Eugene area.
The three people had been camped in
front of tin* Line County Courthouse in Eu
gene for more than a month. It was only af
ter the number of people camping there be
gan to increase that county commissioners
decided to have the protesters arrested.
They had been camping there to protest
the closing of the Opportunity Shelter The
shelter was closed because commissioners
said they wanted to use those resources to
find more permanent housing for homeless
people. However, the only new shelter that
lias been opened up is located in Clenwood.
It also is open to families only.
This is the second time homeless people
have been arrested in connection with pro
tests over the closing of the Opportunity
Shelter. This summer as many as 25 people
were arrested when the shelter closed.
While city councilors and county commis
sioners met with protesters at that time, no
real progress was made to ease concerns ex
pressed by the protesters.
It is time for city and county government
to come up with some concrete solutions to
ease the current tensions. There is a need in
Eugene for a shelter to meet the needs of sin
gle homeless individuals.
Finding permanent housing for these
people is good policy. It should be a long
term goal of both city and county govern
ments But. temporary housing alternatives
should not be abandoned before the long
term housing is in place.
Everyone has the right to have a place to
sleep. It is not a local government’s place to
decide that single homeless individuals are
not entitled to a bed or meals. And now that
the protesters have been arrested they not
only have to worry about finding a place to
sleep, they have to find a way to pay their
$50 fines.
LETTERS
Tar Side* fan
Print fewer letters and more
"Fur Side
Sam Nhem
Student
Seat you later
Thank you Mr Fred ()
Knelling ( ODE. Nov H) tor ex
pressing my opinion so well
lauive the "reserved” seats
alone
Hv the way. I have reserved
.ill the seats at Autzen Stadium
for next year and have hired lo
cal soldiers of fortune to insure
that rude people like Amy
Hope do not steal my seats
Do not mess with me. Yes,
that means greeks. too
Brian Kivers
Psychology
No G.O.W.
I, like many of you. have
la*en wondering wlnit is hap
pening in the Middle Hast and
why. I've also joined in won
dering why nothing has I teen
done to stop this movement to
ward war
Our historical attachments to
Saudi Arabia are primarily
based on interests in oil The
o< ( upation of Kuwait by Sail
dam Hussein is a historical goal
to unite the Arabic nations
With history in mind. I need
your help to lorm a coalition
called no (I ().\V No liulf
Oil War It's the people that
can tmlv make a difference it
we make a peat eful and logical
effort.
You i an begin In i ailing
vour president at (202)
456-14H and by coming to an
Oregon
DAILY EMERALD
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Sport % Editor
£nt*rt*inm*nt Editor
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Put
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informational mooting on
Thursday. Nov. 15. Call
H42-70H lor more information
Katie McVeigh
Political Science
Pepsi, no Coke
As most students know the
University has recently
switi hed from selling Pepsi to
selling Coca-Cola products
Dus was done liei uuse Coke
had submitted a lower hid than
any other company.
However, many students may
not know that the reason Coke
was able to submit such a low
hid is because it has been doing
business m South Africa since
l!»:t7.
Coke utilizes the black
"slave” labor force to manufai
tore Coke It makes nearly $J20
million yearly in South Africa
by controlling 6!1 percent of the
suit drink market there.
For the University to make a
large contract with a company
that openly takes advantage of
a slave-like system is horren
dous The financial planners
mav have only been trying to
maintain soft drink prices here,
lint no students were consulted
about this change
I personally would rather buy
.1 more expensive Pepsi product
uml we'rs sure many other stu
dents would, too Until the
Coke contract is discontinued. 1
plan to boycott all University
cafes and restaurants and to
stop drinking soft drinks at the
cafeterias.
Please join me in doing so
and lot the campus University
hierarchy know how you feel
atxiut this
keep apartheid ofi our ( ant
pus.
Alesha Durfee
Student
Nix Nike
1 want to thank Operation
PUSH and (hit Black United
front for making clear to the
rest ot us what sort of operation
Phillip knight and Bill
Powerman are running up in
Beaverton.
The fact that knight pur
chased the privilege of having
his name attached to the main
library does nothing to obscure
the fact that the operation he
runs is as white as a bedsheet
Henceforth I will refer to that
building as "The White Li
brary.”
I received a "personal" letter
from Bowerman written on
Nike letterhead promoting a
hate campaign against an able
legislator who has supported
higher education and lower tui
tion throughout his career. I re
fer to David Dix, whose oppo
nent can only be described as a
know-nothing, proto-fascist air
head whose campaign litera
ture repeated the most disgust
ing, shopworn lies of the anti
choice womb enslavement
movement.
This alone would give me
sufficient reason to boycott
Nike.
Ann Tattersall
GTF, (Geological Sciences
LETTERS POLICY
The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all
letters containing comments on topics of interest to the
University community. Comments must be factually
accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the char
acter of others.