Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	72.94
Liaison	Jen Maxwell
Submission Date	Dec. 5, 2023

STARS v2.2

Appalachian State University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	4.75 / 8.00	Jim Dees Data and Assessment Specialist Office of Sustailability

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion	21,295 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	30,611 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	1,044 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	882 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	13,700 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	31,075 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	36,039 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	62,568 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting	76 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration	970 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	67 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon sold or transferred	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks	76 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

Appalachian State University students, faculty, and staff can reduce their commuting carbon footprint by participating in the Carbon Neutral Commuter (CNC) program. Internal research shows that the average university commuter drives 4,300 miles per year, which is equivalent to emitting 1.9 metric tons of greenhouse gasses per year. CNC participants pay $8 per year, and 100% of the raised funds go to purchasing third-party certified offsets through Sterling Planet. During fiscal year 2018-2019, 2,833 metric tons of carbon offsets were purchased using the CNC fund to support North and South Carolina landfill gas destruction projects.

Appalachian State hold 970 acres of deed protected forested land in several plots around Watauga and neighboring counties. Based on the condition and age of these lands, we claim a sequestration rate of one ton of CO2 per acre per year.

Appalachian composted 83.45 short tons of material from the dinning hall and other on campus sources which has been been converted by the SIMAP online tool to 25 MTeCO2.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	35,963 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	62,524 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Performance year	Baseline year
Start date	July 1, 2021	July 1, 2008
End date	June 30, 2022	June 30, 2009

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

Appalachian's baseline year for GHG emissions is 2009. This year was officially introduced with the issuance of our first Climate Action Plan, Toward Climate Neutrality, on September 15, 2010. It was chosen mainly because if was the first year that offered a complete and soundly recorded data set.

In accordance with NC EO80, the university has adopted a baseline of 2005 for Scopes 1 and 2. For the STARS report, however, 2009 is adopted and acceptable because it is the first year that we have a complete data set for Scopes 1, 2, and 3.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site	6,022	4,996
Number of employees resident on-site	14	8
Number of other individuals resident on-site	2	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	19,580	16,153
Full-time equivalent of employees	3,105.70	5,686
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	1,752	1,103
Weighted Campus Users	17,211.28	16,803

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user	2.09 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	3.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:

43.85

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

5,904,574 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	422,059 Square feet
Healthcare space	203,000 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	15,276 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

7,169,968 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:

Appalachian’s basic philosophy as we continue our pursuit of carbon neutrality will be a pragmatic one that generally follows, in order, these three steps:

Increase Efficiency
First and foremost, the aim of Appalachian’s carbon reduction strategy is to work to increase efficiency in all emission areas. A philosophy of efficiency first must become our “standard operational behavior” in every area of campus operations and our routine behavior.
Fuel Sourcing
Efficiency alone will likely not deliver carbon neutrality. While Appalachian will conceivably, always need to consume some amount to energy to continue its endeavors, we will want to consider the source of the energy that we do use. A voice in public policy around energy and energy infrastructure, and action in rapidly evolving world of renewable energy resources will help further reduce Appalachian’s carbon impact.
Offsets Acquisition
Should Appalachian not be able to completely eliminate carbon emissions through the two previously described methods, certified third party offsets will need to be employed to achieve climate neutrality. We will, to the best of our ability, purchase offsets that benefit our local region, from projects that are relevant to the emission source for which they offset.

The majority of App State’s GHG reduction has come from efficiency work involving installation, maintenance and operation of building automation systems by the university personnel in conjunction with an energy savings performance contract. Reductions to both Scope I, Steam and Scope II, Purchased Electricity can be attributed to this strategy.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:

https://sustain.appstate.edu/initiatives/climate-action/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The copy from IC 2 buttons do not work on this page.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.