A Special Christmas Gift for the Students of the ISPRA V.I.A. Summer School 2024 in Palermo

This year, Christmas comes with a highly symbolic gift for the 65 students of the V.I.A. Summer School 2024: the offsetting of 65 tonnes of CO₂.

Each student is given the offsetting of 1 tonne of CO₂, corresponding to the emissions generated by the school’s logistical activities. Offsetting the travel- and energy-related emissions of participants highlights the impact of our activities and represents concrete action to reduce it.

A different kind of Christmas gift, intended as a sign of consistency and measurable commitment to environmental protection, addressed to future Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) professionals: sustainability in action.

With a view to offsetting the ecological footprint associated with the management of all teaching activities, no plastic waste was generated and total emissions of 5.94 t CO₂ eq were calculated, attributable to the use of cooling systems, overall energy consumption of the buildings used, and travel by lecturers and students. Given the relatively small amount, ISPRA proposed the cancellation of 87 CER credits and the symbolic donation of the cancellation of 1 tonne of CO₂ eq to each participant. The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) expressed its appreciation for the initiative.

65 tonnes of CO₂ ≈

485 round-trip flights Palermo–Rome
3,200 round-trip ferry journeys Palermo–Civitavecchia
500,000 km driven by car
20 households for one year
12 people for one year