Emory University in Atlanta is pledging to "Break Free From Plastic" to better the environment.
The student-led initiative, Plastic Free Emory Project, outlines a five-year plan for reducing unnecessary single-use plastics on Emory’s Atlanta and Oxford campuses.
By 2026, Emory University and Oxford College pledge to:
- Establish a Plastic Free Task Force to engage stakeholders to enact the pledge.
- Carry out a year-by-year single-use plastics reduction strategy.
- Continue to use viable alternatives and establish purchasing guidelines to eliminate the procurement of unnecessary single-use plastics.
- Further invest in education, resources and infrastructure to reduce single-use plastics on individual and institutional levels.
- Increase efforts to eliminate plastic bags, plastic straws and styrofoam in accordance with the City of Atlanta’s ordinances.
Emory is the first higher education institution in Georgia to make a pledge of this kind, according to Post-Landfill Action Network. The pledge reinforces Emory’s commitment to divert 95% of its waste from landfills by 2025, reduce Emory’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
