Dr. Karina VR Schäfer

Department of Biological Sciences

Rutgers University

Newark, NJ

Carbon Footprint of a Music Festival

 Wednesday, November 4, 2009           Tiernan Hall Rm. 373 @ 11:30 AM 

ABSTRACT

In an effort to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) and, by extension, greenhouse gas emissions various initiatives have been taken statewide, nationally, and internationally. However, benchmarks and metrics are not clearly defined for CO2 and CO2-equivalent accounting. The objective of this study is to estimate the carbon footprint of the Lincoln Park Music Festival which occurs annually in Newark, NJ. This festival runs for three days each summer and consists of music, food vendors, merchandise, and a green marketplace. In order to determine the carbon footprint generated by transportation, surveys of participants were analyzed. Of the approximately 40,000 participants in 2009, 3.3% were surveyed. About 30% of respondents commuted to the festival by car with an average of 10 miles traveling distance. Transportation emission amounted to an estimated CO2 emission of 188 metric tons for all three days combined. Trash at the music festival was weighed, components estimated, and potential CO2 emission calculated if incinerated. A total of 63% of the trash was found to be carbon based, which is the equivalent of three metric tons of CO2 if incinerated. The majority of the trash (>60%) could have been recycled, thus significantly reducing the carbon footprint. In order to limit the carbon footprint of this festival, alternative transport options would be advisable as transport accounted for the largest proportion of the carbon footprint at this festival.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Karina Schäfer is Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. She held prior positions as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Physics at Rutgers from 2005-2008 and at Duke University in 2003. Karina received her PhD in Ecology from School of Environment at Duke University in 2002 and completed her undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Her work focuses water and carbon cycling processes in forest, urban, and wetland ecosystems and has recently been directing a project on the strength of carbon dioxide sinks in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Karina’s work has appeared in Global Change Biology, Geophysical Research Letters, and the Journal of Geophysical Research (Atmospheres).

Seminar Series Coordinators:

 Dr. Zeyuan Qiu  973-596-5357   zeyuan.qiu@njit.edu

       Dr. Roumiana Petrova   973-642-4076   petrova@njit.edu