Lafayette College’s Office of Sustainability launched a green events certification program last week, with plans to promote eco-conscious gatherings among faculty, staff and students.
“The Office of Sustainability is always looking for initiatives that we can create like this, just ways that we can try to penetrate the current way we’re doing things at Lafayette and just make them a little more sustainable,” said Paige Lavelanet ’25, an outreach and engagement intern for the office who took over the project last summer.
The events are assessed on a point system, with three tiers based on how sustainable an event is. To earn a bronze certificate, an event without food must have 14 points, and with food must have 30. Silver events have 16 points sans food and 32 points with food, while gold events require 18 points or 34 points with food.
Event organizers can apply for certification on the Office of Sustainability website.
“We know not all actions are easy to do, and we get that,” said Samantha Comas, the sustainability outreach and engagement manager. “So if you put in the extra effort to do something that’s not always considered an easy thing to do, then we want to reward you for going that extra mile.”
Among the 45 opportunities to earn points are offering proper waste and recycling bins, using reusable dishware and skipping out on giveaways.
“At Lafayette, folks love their swag, and so they’re ordering lots of different T-shirts and key chains and stickers, and a lot of times that swag — while it’s fun and cool — can end up in the landfill or end up in Green Move Out,” Comas said. “So that’s a really big category with really high impact.”
The certification process also promotes inclusion and social impact, with the opportunity to gain 17 points for considering these areas.
“What’s the use of having a wonderful green space on the Quad if not everybody can access it,” Lavelanet said. “Or hosting a plant making event in Hogg Hall, but somebody who might need accessibility accommodations doesn’t have that opportunity.”
In line with the goals of the program, a reusable certificate will be given to coordinators to display at their events.
Lafayette for Reproductive Autonomy, Justice and Empowerment, also known as L-RAJE, piloted the certification process with its Equal Pay Day tabling event in March.
“It’s been a part of our minds, like, ‘How can we make this more sustainable?’” L-RAJE President Rebekah Lazar ‘26 said. “A reward of it is knowing that we are making that effort, and it helps us center that a little bit more in our conversations.”
Post-launch, the Office of Sustainability is taking steps to integrate the process into Lafayette event planning, including potential collaboration with Student Government and the college administration.
“Most of my job’s focused on, now that we’ve formally launched it, engaging with more specific stakeholders, and getting them on board with that,” Lavelanet said.
Disclaimer: Managing Editor Elisabeth Seidel ’26 and News Editor Makenna McCall ’27 are both employees in the Office of Sustainability. Neither contributed writing or reporting.
