Though we often come across the term deforestation, it is common for many of us — with Washington Square Park full of greens and Central Park just a metro ride away — to forget about the forests that provide us our notebook paper and paper towels. I, too, am guilty of such ignorance and find myself grappling with what it means to be eco-friendly. I was thus shocked to recently find out that disposable chopsticks — the little bits of wood that accompany every plate of sushi — are a major contributor to deforestation. What struck me as even more peculiar, however, was noticing that such disposable chopsticks are supplied to students at our very own dining halls. With wooden chopsticks at the Palladium dining hall and bamboo chopsticks at Upstein, the thought of tens of thousands of disposable chopsticks being discarded every week by our extensive NYU population is worrisome.

The fact that chopsticks are a source of deforestation is not recent news. Several organizations in China have been addressing the ecological harm of disposable chopsticks since 2006, yet this issue has persisted throughout the past decade. China, the largest chopstick-supplying nation, continues to produce 57 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks annually, which equates to 3.8 billion trees being destroyed to create single-use dining utensils. Globally, 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are discarded by some 1.4 billion people each year.

Deforestation is a glaring ecological problem in the U.S. as well, where only 14 percent of the 15 million tons of wood waste generated is recovered. With the U.S. and other nations deforesting by the seconds, it is terrifying to think that something as little as disposable chopsticks contributes to the stripping of the Earth. While actions on both national and international levels are necessary to reduce disposable waste, even the smallest individual action can create a positive impact. It is time that NYU starts replacing disposable chopsticks with reusable ones, all for the benefit of the environment.

Perhaps one intriguing perk to consider for the NYU administration is the economical benefit of investing in metal or washable bamboo chopsticks. Given that a single pair of metal chopsticks costs 78 cents and supports 100 meals, its long-term financial benefit is incomparable to that of a 7 cent one-use pair. For NYU to make the switch to reusable chopsticks does not simply revolve around the ecological nor the economic reasons, but also the fact that we would firmly position ourselves as an institution committed to creating a sustainable future. The change from disposable to reusable chopsticks should be the first of many steps NYU takes this academic year to promote a greener, more eco-friendly campus.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, September 14th print edition. Email Sunny Hong at [email protected].