What is the 25th Reunion doing to be more sustainable?
Generating meaningful impact means a multi-pronged approach. Our class is striving to be more green on multiple fronts.
- Sustainable Swag Choices. We are reducing the environmental impact of apparel and swag by choosing higher-quality, classic-design items that are made of sustainable natural materials
- Smart (& Delicious) Food Choices. Like many large event planners, we can reduce food related greenhouse gas emissions via menu planning (ex. substituting chicken and fish for beef for a few meals, as well as offering more vegan and vegetarian options as dietary preferences indicate). We’re also trying to reduce food waste sent to landfill by minimizing over-ordering via more practical food counts and looking to compost leftovers. Where possible, we are using wine glasses and metal flatware at meals and compostable plates for some HQ meals.
- Linen Rental Service for Campus Beds. The class is offering classmates who are staying in campus housing the opportunity to rent bed linens as an alternative to purchasing sheets and towels from the U-Store (which are often thrown away after the weekend, adding to textile waste and landfill usage, as many organizations do not accept donated bed linens). Linens can be rented at registration. The package is $30 for the weekend, and includes two sheets, a pillow and pillowcase, a blanket, two bath towels, and a washcloth. Alternatively, you can bring pillow/sheets/towels yourself. Princeton University is not offering linens for the 25th this year, but we felt it was important enough, for convenience and for environmental friendliness purposes, to pursue this on our own.
- Carbon Offsets. Using classmate donations received at registration, we are purchasing high-quality, quantifiable, verifiable carbon offsets after Reunions in order to help mitigate emissions associated with Reunions travel.
