WALTHAM, Mass. — Mac-Gray has partnered with 14 colleges and universities and Carbonfund.org to offset 100% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from laundry equipment installed on each campus. More than 21 million pounds of GHG emissions will be offset through a $95,000 investment in Carbonfund.org third-party verified carbon-reduction projects, the company says.“We recognize that the first step in lessening laundry’s carbon footprint is reducing energy consumption, which is why we recommend the most water- and energy-efficient washers and dryers,” says Michael Calderaro, Mac-Gray’s vice president of campus laundry. “We then rely on our ‘Lighten the Load’ initiative to offset unavoidable emissions.”Three methane-destruction projects provided by Carbonfund.org were selected based on criteria, set forth by the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment 2008 Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol, that they must represent immediate and verifiable GHG-emissions reduction.The destruction of methane from such projects is important in the fight against global climate change, because methane is approximately 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Such projects not only reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere, but also help protect an area’s local groundwater, reduce localized pollution, control odor, and produce power for regional electricity grids, the company says.
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