Reducing our Footprint through Virtual Tabling
Studying abroad exposes students to the world. It also exposes the world to the environmental, economic, and social impacts of travel and program activities - and this includes study abroad fairs. Transportation to the event, accommodations, food, and all those thick program catalogs have tangible environmental impacts that are rarely acknowledged or accounted for.
At Carnegie Mellon University's Study Abroad Fair on Friday, October 10, 2008, Living Routes was the first study abroad program provider to experiment with lowering our carbon footprint through "virtual tabling." Instead of a person, we sent one box the size of a large toaster oven, which included a table drape, minimal marketing materials, and a computer, through which students videoconferenced with staff members in our office in Amherst, MA. We intend to do more virtual tabling in the future and, in addition to Amherst staff, we expect to make it possible for students to speak directly with program directors at Living Routes' sites in India, Senegal, Israel, Scotland, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, or Australia.
Virtual tabling at CMU saved close to a ton of CO2 that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere. While studying abroad really needs to be done 'in-person', we feel this is yet another way we can reduce our impacts and hopefully inspire other program providers to do likewise.
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Posted by: Living Routes Office on Oct 09, 08 | 2:42 pm
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