South SFV Today

Graduate student Yuan Molly Tian has conducted a study on the waste and emissions associated with package deliveries at Stanford University. Her research highlights significant environmental impacts from daily package deliveries to graduate students, equating to 20.5 metric tons of CO2 emissions—comparable to 13 round-trip flights between New York and London per passenger.

Tian's findings suggest that if similar traffic occurs at the Tresidder Package Center, annual emissions could be equivalent to 195 such flights. To address these concerns, Stanford has introduced a new centralized delivery system through the Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE) Mail & Packages Services (MPS) program. This initiative aims to reduce emissions by consolidating deliveries through a central warehouse in Newark, California, before distribution on campus via Stanford-owned vehicles.

“Once we shift to Newark … hopefully retailers like Amazon will only need to send one vehicle from their warehouse to ours versus their warehouse to campus and multiple trucks, so we’ll have package consolidation and a reduction in emissions,” Tian explained.

The new system is expected not only to cut down on truck traffic but also address package waste issues by providing centralized recycling facilities for students. Data shows that package waste increased from 620 tons in 2023 to 715 tons in 2024.

Geophysics PhD student Becca Prentice commented on the changes: “I totally get how convenient online shopping is, but when you see the amount of waste from the packaging it makes you wonder – are there ways we can be more sustainable?”

The revamped delivery process will be fully operational by fall. Michele Rasmussen, vice provost for student affairs, expressed optimism about its benefits: “We look forward to a collective decrease in campus truck traffic, reduced trash and emissions, and increased community safety.”