Greening Your Event
In order to receive the Green Event Certification your event must achieve at least the minimum number
of requirements as listed below in each category. If a certain requirement is not applicable, please
provide a comment. Please submit your completed checklist to sustainability@duke.edu.
These actions can significantly decrease the environmental impact of your event and can greatly reduce
the event’s carbon footprint. However, these actions alone cannot achieve a carbon neutral event. After
earning the Green Event Certificate your event is eligible to purchase carbon offsets in order to more
closely approach carbon neutrality. Instructions and contact information for purchasing carbon offsets is
provided at the end of the checklist.
Before the Event – Planning & Logistics (At least 3)
☒We use naturally lit and energy efficient meeting rooms when available or when possible, we
schedule our event during the daytime and outside.
☐ We recommend a lodging site near the event if one is needed. This is not applicable to our event.
☒ We arrange to have recycling bins at our event. This is an action that our office has taken for a
number of years.
☒ We work with Duke Recycles to provide composting of food products at our event. This is an
action that our office has taken for a number of years.
☒ We use on campus equipment or local rental services. We use existing/permanent equipment
already available in our building (Levine Science Research Center) and rent tables (as needed) from
Best Rentals, Roxboro Rd., Durham, which is a local rental services.
Before the Event – Communications and Supplies (At least 4)
☐ If using decorations, we use ones that can be reused or donated, such as potted plants. This is
not applicable to our event.
☒ We use dry erase boards rather than flip chart paper and powerpoints rather than handouts. All
of the Nicholas School class and conference rooms are equipped with chalkboards, no flip charts will
be provided for any of the sessions. A few Powerpoint presentations are expected for the Dean’s
and Nicholas School Ambassador’s sessions.
☒ We use reusable name badge holders and collect them at the end of the event. This is an action
that our office has taken for a number of years.
☒ We use reusable mugs or cups as promotional products or giveaways. Every year we provide one
reusable water bottle to each incoming student that we encourage them to continue to use during
their time as a student and beyond. It’s an eco-friendly gift for new students. In the years before we
distributed water bottles, we gave each new student a reusable coffee mug.
☒ If our event requires pre-registration, we use Duke’s online registration resource and we confirm
event registrations and provide event updates via email. While we don’t use Duke’s online
registration resource, we do have our own online registration resource
www.nicholas.duke.edu/people/students/admitted/orientation-week/2012-orientation-eventregistration-form (which was created by the Nicholas School’s Communications team and
managed by an in-house staff member) for students to confirm their participation in orientation
events/activities. Confirmation is returned to the student via email along with all other
preparatory information that students will need to attend fall orientation events/activities.
☒ We use web-based promotion and do not include dates on printed materials so they can be
reused. While we don’t do this for all printed materials, because certain documents must be
supplied via hard copy, there are several orientation materials that we reuse from year to year
such as (but not limited to) driving directions to events, information about local transportation
office, library services, and on-campus computer and technology resources.
☒ We use recycled paper products for printed materials and print on both sides if printed materials
are necessary. Yes! In fact, this year we are significantly reducing the number of printed
materials in our general orientation packet for students. We are currently working with the
Nicholas School’s Communications and Marketing team to establish a secured website where
new students can access the orientation packet using their Duke NetID and password.
☒ We minimize the number of printed materials by avoiding copies for every participant and
instead provide some printed information in public areas and provide handouts or transcripts via
email. Along with the actions noted in the section above, (about the orientation packet), we will
provide a small number of optional handouts for students to pick-up as needed on the small
information table located just outside of our office. We hope that only those students interested
in the content of a particular handout will take the hard copy instead of distributing copies to all
students regardless of their specific interests.
Before the Event – Food (At least 4)
☐ We seek local, sustainable caterers with vegetarian, organic, local and seasonal options.
☒ We avoid food with lots of packaging, such as individually wrapped items. We’ve continued to
work with our primary vendors (Saladelia and Nantucket Grill) to provide meals that are not
individually wrapped and but rather packaged sustainably (large baskets of muffins, bagels and
sandwiches rather than individually wrapped options); coffee to be provided in reusable urns
instead of smaller paper boxes, and water in large reusable coolers instead of smaller individual
gallon plastic jugs. Our vendors have been very good about working with us in these efforts and
honoring other requests as needed.
☐ We serve fair trade coffee.
☒ We buy snacks and condiments in bulk. We purchase snacks in bulk during orientation and
continue to reuse leftover snacks for student events during orientation week.
☒ We use reusable dishware and utensils. Where this is not possible, we seek environmentally
friendly options such as recycled content and biodegradable products. This is another action that
our office has taken for a number of years. At the beginning of each school year we purchase a
bulk supply of eco-friendly sustainable flatware and related products from Not Just Paper, a local
vendor, such as cups, plates, forks/knives/spoons, and napkins – along with a host of other cornbased and recycled goods and products.
☒ We use reusable linens, either from our caterers or provided separately. Yes. Where appropriate
use reusable linens provided by the caterer. We also purchased our own bulk supply of reusable
table jammies that we use during the We’re Here for You Open House and Student Groups Fair
(both scheduled during orientation) and other events hosted by our office.
☒ We encourage participants to bring their own mugs or cups. Yes. For the past 3 years, returning
students have hosted the Back-to-School Camping Trip, in conjunction with Fall Orientation
www.nicholas.duke.edu/people/students/admitted/orientation-week/camping-trip-form.
Students who register to attend this event, held locally in the Duke Forest, are encouraged to
bring their own tent, flash light, sleeping bag, reusable flatware, etc. They also rent camping gear
from Duke’s Outpost and help guests coordinate carpooling arrangements.
☒ We ensure there is access to a water fountain or provide water in bulk and do not provide
disposable plastic water bottles. Yes, see note above about packaging.
Transportation to the Event (At least 2)
☒ We encourage biking, walking, public transportation and carpooling to the event by choosing an
easily accessible and convenient location and informing participants about these options. This is
an action that our office has taken for a number of years when planning an event off-campus. As
mentioned in the section above, carpooling arrangements are being organized for the Back to
School Camping Trip. Also, we encourage students to use local transportation such as the Bull
City Connector or arrange carpooling in advance for other off-campus activities. In the past, staff
members in our office have also assisted in providing students with transportation to off-site
events (whether or not our services will be needed this year is unclear at this time). Also we
provide 2-3 van shuttles for the Duke Forest Tours scheduled during orientation to decrease the
amount of individual cars traveling for this event. Only those students willing to ride the prearranged shuttle may participate in the Duke Forest Tours.
☐ We allow teleconferencing if appropriate and bring in local speakers. This is not applicable to our
event. No outside speakers or need to teleconference.
☒ We provide shuttles and information about carpooling and local bus transportation. Yes, see the
section above.
During and After the Event (All)
☒ We provide appropriate recycling signs to make recycling easy. We recycle all paper, plastics #17, metals, glass and cardboard as available and remind participants about recycling during breaks.
Yes. We provide appropriate signage about recycling, composting and general trash during all
events. About 6 years ago we had all of our signage laminated so that we continue to reuse our
signs for different events without fear of wear & tear.
There are existing recycling bins in the LSRC building (and a compost bin outside built by a
Nicholas School alum) and as a part of the Facilities Tour we make sure that our student
volunteers point out the recycling sources available to them. During orientation week, Duke
Recycles provides additional bins (& signs where appropriate) throughout the building and during
special events such as the Nicholas School Community Picnic, which occurs on Wednesday,
August 22. Written in the orientation agenda, students are encouraged to return all unwanted
orientation materials to our office for recycling but in most cases, we simply reuse those
materials (if still intact) for other students, recruiting fairs and in some cases as scratch-paper in
the office.
☒ We ensure that all lights and equipment are turned off after the event. Yes, always. It is our
practice to check all rooms and spaces after each event for things left behind by students or
presenters, to return the furniture (such as desks and chairs) to the order that we found them in
and to turn off all equipment used either by students or presenters. Fortunately, a number of
rooms in the LSRC are equipped with energy saving technologies that help with overall efficiency
efforts by the school and Duke.
Other
☐ After reducing the environmental impact of our event as much as possible, we offset our
remaining greenhouse gas emissions for the event by investing in a local carbon offsets project
through the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative.
Please submit your completed checklist to sustainability@duke.edu.