Carbon Footprint GEDT

To further improve environmental consciousness and accountability, GEDT started the new initiative on calculation and reporting of the Institute’s carbon footprint.

The first calculation was made for year 2017 based on business travel data submitted by collaborators. The project is inspired and closely supervised by Jörg Balsiger, director of the Institute.

The research indicated that total carbon footprint of the Institute equaled to 117 t CO₂-eq with the by far largest contribution from air travels (around 95% - see figure hereunder). In the rest 5%, train transportation dominates, which indicates that our colleagues already now make informed choices when planning their short and medium-distance trips. Rail transport stays the most environmentally friendly and still feasible travelling option for distances below 500-600 km.

The project team expresses gratitude to all participants and reminds to keep track of your business travels in 2018 for continuation of the project.