By your Carbon Neutral Working Group
You may have seen the article in the May 2023 edition of Fair Family News “Positively Neutral: Do your part! Carpool with friends!” That article described the work of some OCF volunteers concerned about our contribution to climate change. This group partnered with Portland State University’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions and developed a Phase 1 report that was summarized in the October 2020 issue of the Fair Family News (FFN).
This year the working group convened several sessions in the StewardShip Booth in Xavanadu to explore ways OCF could lower its carbon footprint and launched a survey about travel choices used during 2023 Fair.
Please help us by taking the survey using the dinosaur QR Code or CLICK HERE!
The OCF Survey crew also added transportation questions to their annual exit surveys. We will report on the results of both of these surveys in a future article of Positively Neutral.
To reach the Carbon Neutral Working Group, please email us at: carbonneutral@oregoncountryfair.org.
The Biggest Source of Emissions is Travel
Initial estimates place Oregon Country Fair’s carbon emissions at 4,500 tons, equal to the annual electricity use of 691 homes. The research also found that 97% of the carbon footprint calculated in 2019 is due to travel. The other 3% was primarily from the use of vehicles to service the event and the operation of the Fair’s year-round Eugene office.
Carpooling Can Significantly Lower Our Carbon Footprint
The survey found that travel by OCF volunteers and by the general public both significantly contribute to our overall emissions. Here are some of the findings:
Travel by Crews and Booths
- Nearly 55% of the Fair’s calculated emissions come from an estimated 60,000 trips made by both booths and crews before, during, and after the Fair.
- These trips tend to be concentrated to and from a few metropolitan areas such as Eugene, Portland, and Seattle, which provides a big opportunity for carpooling to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips.
Travel by the Public
- Nearly 43% of the Fair’s calculated emissions come from the public traveling to and from the event on one or more of the three days of the Fair.
- Of this travel, between 50% and 65% is from air travel and the remainder from driving.
- Driving assumed two people per car per trip, which means that increasing carpooling to an average three or four people would reduce estimated public fairgoer driving emissions respectively by 25% or 50%.
- Carpooling with two people—and especially three or four—is more carbon efficient per mile than air travel, suggesting that longer road trips with your friends may be a net positive on the Fair’s carbon emissions.