| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.51 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2021 |
University of Pittsburgh
IN-18: Green Event Certification
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Erika
Ninos Sustainability Program Coordinator PittServes |
Does the institution have or participate in a green event certification program?:
Has the institution held one or more certified events in the previous year?:
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:
The University of Pittsburgh’s “Pitt Green Event” program was started in 2016 by the Student Office of Sustainability (SOOS), who continues to lead its deployment for campus-wide events. During the 2018-19 academic year, 99 events gained the Pitt Green Event designation. During the 2019-20 academic year, we were on pace to double the number of Pitt Green Events, but shutdowns due to the global Covid-19 pandemic reduced the number of actual Pitt Green Events in 2019-20 to 137 events (between August 2019 and February 2020).
A calendar year snapshot provides a better view of the year-over-year Pitt Green Event program growth, with 20 Pitt Green Events delivered in 2018 (with 5,209 attendees) and 112 Pitt Green Events designated in 2019 (with 26,574 attendees). Due to Covid-19, calendar year 2020 only had 37 Pitt Green Events (for 4,890 attendees, all in January, February, and March 2020).
Pitt’s Green Events designation encourages event organizers to utilize principles including mindful purchasing and waste minimization by deploying event strategies that include reusable items, recycling, and/or composting. The SOOS and Pitt Sustainability teams provide guidance and resources to event hosts on how to work with both on- and off-campus caterers to request local and plant-based foods. Other aspects of the Pitt Green Event certification emphasize accessibility of event locations; digital marketing and/or the use of recycled, reclaimed, or carbon neutral paper; alternative transportation for event guests; sustainable swag options; and more.
Learn more about Pitt Green Events: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/what-you-can-do/pitt-green-event/
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:
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.