How can the forced closure of an increasingly successful, locally owned business be considered progress? It seems the EMU decision makers think their mounting financial problems can magically be solved by getting rid of a proven moneymaker that added to the University’s fame as the first organic restaurant in a college food court and replacing it with something supposedly more mainstream.
There’s something wrong when a leased space set aside for an organic, vegan/vegetarian restaurant is given away because the competitor serves meat. If credit cards were such an issue, then John Costello should have stipulated so during contract renegotiations five years ago. I’m glad Laughing Planet’s in Eugene but one must admit they lack the variety and environmental focus Holy Cow has built its reputation on.
The 2003 EMU Food Service Waste Report stresses the importance of composting, recycling and using reusable dishware to reduce the $18,000 spent annually on the disposal of solid waste. Holy Cow had already created its own “plate club” by this time (a full four years before the rest of campus caught on) and they compost and recycle everything possible, saving the EMU money and inspiring Lane Country to give a Trashbusters Award to the owners last year. Similarly, due to Holy Cow’s efforts, all EMU oil is now made into biodiesel. Kathee Lavine and Anton Ferreira are caring and creative businesspeople who are respectful and honest with their employees and they deserve the same treatment from their employers at the EMU.
Amy Leikas
University alumna