As climate change has an undeniable impact on Global Health, we at the AMSA Global Health Conference see it as critical that we do the utmost to offset the Carbon Footprint of GHC2008. As most would remember, during registration delegates were asked to contribute to offsetting the carbon emissions of the AMSA GHC 2008. Thanks to your generous support, close to $1200 was raised which through our association with the Conference Sustainability Partner, Origin Energy, has contributed to offsetting 91 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions. But how did we get to this figure and how exactly will your money be used?

The calculation of the Conference’s total emissions was a process that we are sure you will agree was very worthwhile. Essentially a three step process, it involved using the Environment Protection Authority website to calculate precisely where our emissions were to come from, transforming data into a total number of CO2 equivalent emissions and finally forging a partnership with an offset provider. Consideration was given to the catering required for the conference, the amount of space occupied by the conference and the total number of beds occupied by delegates. This data was then compiled into an online database available through the EPA website to produce the following results:

These results showed that, with the exception of delegate travel, the conference would produce a total of 91 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This data was then taken to our Conference Sustainability Partner, Origin Energy, who, again thanks to the generous support of the delegates will offset this with a range of initiatives including tree planting, composting waste and creating energy efficient advocates.

Thank you for contributing to the environmental sustainability of this year’s conference. We ask that you be mindful of your energy usage whilst you are here, by reading the list provided and trying the ticked suggestions. Travel is an additional and significant contributor to emissions, so if you have not already done so, you can also retrospectively offset your travel through Origin’s website: http://www.origingreen.com.au.

To a healthy and sustainable future.

Written by:
Heidi Woolford and Tim Lindsay
GHC2008 Partnerships Team