All you can carry: College cafeterias go trayless

Derek Owens performs a nifty and somewhat precarious balancing act when he gets his meals at Pomona College.

At lunch one recent day, the freshman from Oregon held a plate of nachos and beans in one hand. In the other, he stacked a serving of pizza and a bread stick on top of a fruit juice cup. With silverware deftly added to the pile, he made it to his table without spilling a drop.

Call it eco-dining, or another sign of tough economic times in American academia. Pomona this fall joined a growing number of colleges in California and across the nation that have eliminated cafeteria trays in an effort to reduce food waste, cut water usage and save on energy bills. Read more here.

Photo: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times