Laurier Community is Invited to Join New Air Travel Emissions Working Group

The Sustainability Office has launched a new initiative to better understand and reduce the climate impacts of air travel within the university community. The Laurier Air Travel Emissions Working Group (LATE-WG) is now accepting members, bringing together faculty, staff, administrators, and graduate students who are interested in tackling one of the university’s largest sources of Scope 3 emissions.

Over the past five years, concern around the environmental impact of academic air travel has grown among Laurier community members. With enhanced data on the university’s emissions profile, the Sustainability Office is now facilitating this collaborative, solutions-focused group to explore what’s possible.

LATE-WG will meet four times between June 2025 and April 2026. The group’s goal is to develop tools, recommendations, and awareness strategies that support the university in reducing unnecessary or excessive air travel. Key priorities include identifying best practices from other Canadian institutions, exploring the use of carbon offsets, and aligning with sustainability standards such as STARS 3.0.

Membership is open and informal—no application process is required. Participants will be asked to engage in light background reading and will be recognized for their contributions through meeting notes and performance review reporting.

If you’re interested in joining the Laurier Air Travel Emissions Working Group, please fill out the working group interest form, by Friday, June 20, 2025. The first meeting will be held on June 24^th at 11AM, with the door open for new members to join throughout the year.

If you have any questions, please connect with Kat Milicic at kmilicic@wlu.ca or Derek Hall at dehall@wlu.ca.