Reducing the emissions impacts of PSU travel: How it works
The Planning & Sustainability Office has created a travel offset program designed to help mitigate the greenhouse gas impacts of University business travel. University travel was responsible for 7922 MTCO2e or approximately 6% of total campus emissions in fiscal year 2014.
From the airplane flight itself and ground transportation, to the emissions embodied in the lodging and food services that make a business trip, travel creates emissions impacts in several ways. The goal of the travel offset program is to mitigate those impacts by setting aside funds to lower our campus’s greenhouse gas emissions in other ways through efficiency improvements right here at home.
Currently a voluntary program, the program works by charging a participating department a fee of 2% of their total travel expenses. Those funds are then allocated to the Green Revolving Fund for efficiency upgrades on campus.
The following departments are participating:
- Planning and Sustainability Office
- Capital Projects and Construction
- Facilities and Property Management
- Materials Management
- Transportation and Parking Services
- Office of Information Technology
- Environmental Health & Safety
- Risk Management
- Treasury
- Research & Strategic Partnerships
- Institute for Sustainable Solutions
- University Place Hotel
- School of Business Administration - Global Initiatives Study Abroad Program
- Office of the President
- Human Resources
- Student Financial Resources
- University Financial Services
- Government Relations
- Office of Academic Affairs
Please contact sustainability@pdx.edu if your department is interested in participating, or for more information.