Class of 2006 holds environmentally friendly graduation
May 26, 2006
New Haven, Conn. -- In a display of their environmental ideals and values, the 2006 graduates of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies held a commencement program that minimized climate-changing gases and solid waste.
Eight hundred pounds of waste generated from a post-graduation luncheon were either reused, recycled or composted, rather than trucked to landfills and incinerators. To minimize waste, the graduates, their families and the rest of the F&ES community used biodegradable cornstarch plates and cutlery, recycled napkins and locally grown organic food and flowers. Students and guests were also encouraged to bring their own mugs for drinks. Much of the waste was composted at the Yale Sustainable Food Project’s organic vegetable garden on Edwards Street.
In addition, the class offset the emission of 325 tons of carbon dioxide that were estimated to result from graduation. Carbon dioxide, emitted from vehicle tailpipes and smokestacks, is the principal greenhouse gas linked to global warming. Carbon offsets are generated by projects that either sequester greenhouse gases or help directly reduce emissions elsewhere.
“The decision to offset greenhouse gas emissions and to minimize solid waste resulting from graduation activities was based on trying to reduce the environmental impact of the event, and seizing an opportunity to educate family and friends about reducing their own impact on the planet and about issues we’ve been studying,” said Kate Hamilton, a member of the “carbon neutral” organizing committee.
The class of 2006 arranged for the carbon dioxide offsets with Sterling Planet, a Georgia-based retail renewable energy provider, and the Solar Electric Light Fund, a D.C.-based nonprofit charitable organization that promotes and develops solar rural electrification and energy self-sufficiency in developing countries.
To actually offset the carbon dioxide, Sterling Planet supplied renewable wind energy for the event via renewable energy certificates and forestry-based offset credits from a native tree-planting project in the Mississippi River Valley, managed by The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program. The Solar Electric Light Fund provided offsets resulting from the replacement of diesel generators with solar panels in a Nigerian village.
Hamilton, who managed the transaction, explained, “Each of these projects fulfilled criteria set by F&ES. For example, each of the organizations has demonstrated how their projects generated offsets, that they have clear ownership of the offsets and that the offsets are all third party-verified to confirm that reductions are actually occurring. The projects we’ve chosen to support also contribute social or environmental benefits in addition to greenhouse gas reductions, such as reducing other air pollutants, providing habitat or contributing to sustainable development.”
The primary source of the 325 tons of carbon dioxide emissions related to the event were from the travel of guests to graduation, including those from as far away as Bhutan in Southern Asia. Each graduating student was given an estimate of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from their guests’ travel.
Catherine Schloegel, a program organizer, said: “We worked hard to be accurate, but also to be practical when calculating the emissions. For example, we didn’t include emissions resulting from the food served or electricity use in local hotels in order to manage the program’s scope. Hence, it is almost impossible to be carbon-neutral in the absolute sense of the term, but our carbon footprint was drastically reduced.”
Eight hundred pounds of waste generated from a post-graduation luncheon were either reused, recycled or composted, rather than trucked to landfills and incinerators. To minimize waste, the graduates, their families and the rest of the F&ES community used biodegradable cornstarch plates and cutlery, recycled napkins and locally grown organic food and flowers. Students and guests were also encouraged to bring their own mugs for drinks. Much of the waste was composted at the Yale Sustainable Food Project’s organic vegetable garden on Edwards Street.
In addition, the class offset the emission of 325 tons of carbon dioxide that were estimated to result from graduation. Carbon dioxide, emitted from vehicle tailpipes and smokestacks, is the principal greenhouse gas linked to global warming. Carbon offsets are generated by projects that either sequester greenhouse gases or help directly reduce emissions elsewhere.
“The decision to offset greenhouse gas emissions and to minimize solid waste resulting from graduation activities was based on trying to reduce the environmental impact of the event, and seizing an opportunity to educate family and friends about reducing their own impact on the planet and about issues we’ve been studying,” said Kate Hamilton, a member of the “carbon neutral” organizing committee.
The class of 2006 arranged for the carbon dioxide offsets with Sterling Planet, a Georgia-based retail renewable energy provider, and the Solar Electric Light Fund, a D.C.-based nonprofit charitable organization that promotes and develops solar rural electrification and energy self-sufficiency in developing countries.
To actually offset the carbon dioxide, Sterling Planet supplied renewable wind energy for the event via renewable energy certificates and forestry-based offset credits from a native tree-planting project in the Mississippi River Valley, managed by The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program. The Solar Electric Light Fund provided offsets resulting from the replacement of diesel generators with solar panels in a Nigerian village.
Hamilton, who managed the transaction, explained, “Each of these projects fulfilled criteria set by F&ES. For example, each of the organizations has demonstrated how their projects generated offsets, that they have clear ownership of the offsets and that the offsets are all third party-verified to confirm that reductions are actually occurring. The projects we’ve chosen to support also contribute social or environmental benefits in addition to greenhouse gas reductions, such as reducing other air pollutants, providing habitat or contributing to sustainable development.”
The primary source of the 325 tons of carbon dioxide emissions related to the event were from the travel of guests to graduation, including those from as far away as Bhutan in Southern Asia. Each graduating student was given an estimate of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from their guests’ travel.
Catherine Schloegel, a program organizer, said: “We worked hard to be accurate, but also to be practical when calculating the emissions. For example, we didn’t include emissions resulting from the food served or electricity use in local hotels in order to manage the program’s scope. Hence, it is almost impossible to be carbon-neutral in the absolute sense of the term, but our carbon footprint was drastically reduced.”
