Assessing the Travel Carbon Footprint of Faculty, Students, and Staff at a U.S. Dental School

Abstract

Background Transportation contributes most of the carbon emissions in dentistry. Therefore, this study investigates the travel-related carbon footprint at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and explores factors that impact it.Methods A cross-sectional survey, developed and administered to the HSDM community, examined the modes and frequency of transportation utilized prior to and since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, factors influencing transportation choices, and perceptions of climate change. The Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test were used to test statistical significance.Results Since the start of the pandemic, respondents had significantly lower annual carbon footprint (U = 1181, p-value = 0.049) and fewer weekly travel days to/from HSDM (U = 4457, p-value = 0). Over 95% and 85% of respondents are concerned about climate change and the effect of transportation on climate change, respectively.Conclusions Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, HSDM’s travel-related carbon emissions have been significantly reduced, likely due to the adoption of hybrid work schedules and resulting shifts in transportation habits.Practical Implications This study highlights a methodology for assessing travel carbon footprints in other dental schools or similar settings, which is a crucial first step in understanding these impacts.

Keywords

• Oral health
• environmental sustainability
• carbon footprint
• climate change
• transportation
• travel