Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.06
Liaison Laura Bain
Submission Date June 22, 2021

STARS v2.2

Furman University
IN-18: Green Event Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have or participate in a green event certification program?:
Yes

Has the institution held one or more certified events in the previous year?:
Yes

Does the institution’s green event certification program address the following?:
Yes or No
Sustainable transportation options, teleconferencing options, and/or carbon offsets Yes
Sustainable catering (e.g., sourcing local and third party certified food and beverages, providing vegetarian/vegan options, using reusable/compostable materials) Yes
Paper consumption (e.g., minimization and recycled/FSC certified content) Yes
Energy efficiency (e.g., equipment and lighting) Yes
Waste minimization and diversion Yes
Communications and/or signage about the sustainable practices Yes

A brief description of the institution’s green event certification program:

Our green events certification serves a number of purposes; first and foremost, it is a teaching tool and a reminder to the organizers of a given event that there is a lot they can be doing to reduce their environmental footprint; second, it is a benchmark and a measurement to assess which events meet the requisite standards to be considered "green;" third and finally, it is a nomination to determine which of Furman's many events and many clubs are eligible to be chosen as the sustainability award-winner for the events and organizations categories.

Five categories: food and catering, venue and energy use, waste, communication, and post-event follow-up.

All of the above aspects of the green event certification are included in a Qualtrics form for event planners to read through and fill out. Once the form is filled out, all of the submissions go to the Shi Institute Fellow in charge of green events and organizations, who will read through and score the submissions. The three or four best submissions (individual events and organizing groups) will then be provided to the leadership planning committee in the spring so that they can choose which of them deserves recognition.


Website URL where information about the green event certification program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Our first green event was held in August 2019 as the opening convocation lunch on the main mall. All student and employees were invited to attend the lunch. Eco-Reps and other volunteers manned several waste stations to help sort waste and educate the Furman community about recycling and composting. COVID-19 prohibited events for most of 2020.

Revision notes: Based on feedback from submission review, we have added a "virtual attendee" and "sustainable transportation" option to the Venue/Energy Use section of our Green Events checklist. Because the program is new and was quickly put on hold due to COVID, only one green event has been held to date (see convocation lunch description above) and this event was on-campus and did not require any vehicular transportation. Future events will include this consideration. The Qualtrics form revision is live and active.

Question:
The event will include a virtual attendee option or sustainable transportation options to/from the event.

Answer Options:
Yes, the event includes a virtual attendee option.
If off campus, sustainable transportation (like bus, bike, or carpooling) will be provided to this event. If on-campus, we expect that attendees will walk or bike to the event.
No, this action will not be taken.


Our first green event was held in August 2019 as the opening convocation lunch on the main mall. All student and employees were invited to attend the lunch. Eco-Reps and other volunteers manned several waste stations to help sort waste and educate the Furman community about recycling and composting. COVID-19 prohibited events for most of 2020.

Revision notes: Based on feedback from submission review, we have added a "virtual attendee" and "sustainable transportation" option to the Venue/Energy Use section of our Green Events checklist. Because the program is new and was quickly put on hold due to COVID, only one green event has been held to date (see convocation lunch description above) and this event was on-campus and did not require any vehicular transportation. Future events will include this consideration. The Qualtrics form revision is live and active.

Question:
The event will include a virtual attendee option or sustainable transportation options to/from the event.

Answer Options:
Yes, the event includes a virtual attendee option.
If off campus, sustainable transportation (like bus, bike, or carpooling) will be provided to this event. If on-campus, we expect that attendees will walk or bike to the event.
No, this action will not be taken.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.