Verger Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Carbon Neutral Event Using Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator

Verger Capital Management (“Verger”) is a leader in providing Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) services exclusively for non-profits. It was founded with the mission of helping non-profits achieve their goals and aspirations through the pursuit of strong, stable, risk-adjusted returns and consistent, reliable payouts in perpetuity. With such deep non-profit roots, it comes as no surprise that a focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) impact is an important part of Verger’s company culture and a leading factor in business decisions. In April 2024, the Verger team celebrated their 10th anniversary with a carbon neutral event using Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator.

As part of their celebration, Verger held an investor conference where the team celebrated alongside their clients, boards, and key constituents. Marking a decade of living their mission, “to invest in the lives of others,” was a meaningful milestone for the firm. The event was held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel. This venue was selected in part because of the hotel’s focus on sustainable practices, such as using glassware for water instead of single use plastic. As part of Verger’s planning process, they also chose to utilize Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator to measure and neutralize the anniversary event’s carbon footprint. The team at Verger shared that this was an opportunity to continue their partnership with Climate Vault in a unique and meaningful way.

Verger’s decision to use the Event Emissions Calculator was driven by Climate Vault’s reputation for providing credible solutions for tackling carbon emissions—which Verger has previously leveraged to neutralize their employees’ footprint as a workplace benefit. 

“For a first-time user, I found using the Event Emissions Calculator great. It was so simple,” shared Liz Laughter, Verger’s Managing Director of Client Service. “It was easy to enter the information and come back as needed. We were able to update information, such as the total number of attendees, right up until the day of the event in order to have the most accurate footprint measurement possible.”

Liz and her team highlighted four key benefits of the calculator:

1. User-Friendly Interface: As a first-time user of any type of emissions calculator or carbon accounting software, they found the calculator’s interface very intuitive and easy to navigate. They could input event details such as attendee travel, venue specifics, and food choices with ease, allowing for a comprehensive estimation of the event’s carbon footprint.
2. Flexible Data Entry: One of the standout features for their team was the calculator’s flexibility. It didn’t require every field to be completed, allowing them to estimate certain data points. The ability to leave the calculator and come back with additional information was also a benefit. 
3. Real-Time Results and Cost Transparency: The calculator provided immediate results, including the estimated carbon footprint and corresponding cost to neutralize the emissions via purchasing allowances through the compliance carbon markets.
4. Affordability: The Verger team was able to measure the impact for free using the calculator’s Starter plan, and shared that neutralizing the event’s carbon footprint directly within the software was surprisingly affordable, fitting well within the total event budget.

After receiving the finalized emissions data measurement, Verger’s event planning team had the ability to reduce the carbon directly within the software. This was accomplished via Climate Vault’s integrated reduction and removal method that leverages regulated compliance carbon markets. The result? A quantifiable, verifiable, and immediate carbon reduction that enabled Verger’s anniversary investor conference to be carbon neutral.

Liz shared, “Having an already established and trusted relationship with Climate Vault, we knew that the calculator would be a credible and reliable tool. Using it aligned with Verger’s commitment to sustainability and our corporate values. Using the Event Emissions Calculator was a great way to continue our partnership with Climate Vault and reinforce our firm’s commitment to mitigating our carbon impact.”

We congratulate Verger on 10 years of investing in the lives of others and are proud that our Event Emissions Calculator could support their sustainability goals during this milestone celebration. Verger’s experience highlights how businesses can integrate sustainability into their core operations effectively and affordably. The calculator’s user-friendly design and real-time results were pivotal in their decision to use it, and we look forward to supporting the Verger team as they plan to integrate the Event Emissions Calculator into future event plans. 

Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator makes it simple to measure, reduce, and remove the carbon impact of your events—no matter the size. Get started calculating the footprint of your first event for free.