OP-ED "Green cleaners" at Midd Xpress

Author: Kate Lupo

Midd Xpress is a staple of student life on campus. The store provides not only late-night snack food, but also the essentials of everyday life: toothbrushes, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc.

Most students buy their favorite items at Midd Xpress out of comfort and reflex. Yet, what if students began to question what they purchase by considering the safety of ingredients and environmental impact of store-bought items? This op-ed will focus specifically on cleaning products at Midd Xpress in an effort to encourage students, as responsible consumers, to buy "green brands" like Seventh Generation and Ecover over toxic, generic brands like Febreze, Tide, Gain, and Clorox.

If you knew that Tide detergent and other traditional laundry soaps may contain toxic chemicals like alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate, chloroform and others that could potentially cause headaches, asthma, liver and kidney damage, skin disorders or even cancer, would you consider buying a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative?

Green products are not only better for the environment, but they are also safer for the consumer's ongoing physical health. A product like Gain detergent may have that fresh spring smell you prefer, but the chemicals used to make that smell are causing damage to your body and will eventually harm the environment by seeping into ground water once leftover laundry machine water is flushed down the drain.

Middlebury students regularly approach the manager of Midd Xpress, Dave Kerin, to discuss the selection of green products in the store. Mediating the demands of the eco-conscious clientele and the reality of making a profit gives him a more difficult job than most people realize.

According to Kerin, "It would be the ideal to only sell socially responsible, environmentally sensitive products, buy 100 percent local and achieve 100 percent recycling, but the greatest X factor has always been the limited commitment of our clientele." Students demand that Midd Xpress sell "green products," but once the items are on the shelves, students ironically do not buy them.

For a while, "green products" came with price and quality concerns, so consumers continued to buy generic brands. Yet now that prices and quality are competitive, Midd Xpress encourages students to buy the "green products" that are in stock.

While Middlebury students "talk the talk" about respecting the environment, they must "walk the walk" by following through as responsible members of the community and as responsible consumers. On your next visit to Midd Xpress, instead of defaulting to old habits, take a look at the display of more responsible, greener products on the opposite side of the aisle.