| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 30.79 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Jones |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Austin College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
7.25 / 10.00 |
Kelby
Archer Coordinator Center for Environmental Studies |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
| All, Some, or None | |
| Business travel | Some |
| Commuting | All |
| Purchased goods and services | Some |
| Capital goods | None |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Some |
| Other categories | None |
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:
The Coordinator for the Center of Environmental Studies, along with help from the Director, collects data from campus offices, energy providers, etc., for entry into the Campus Carbon Calculator, managed by the Sustainability Institute of the University of New Hampshire. Summaries, spreadsheets, and accompanying narratives are available at the Second Nature website (http://reporting.secondnature.org/institution/detail!3759##3759)
Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 2,941 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 2,466 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 561 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 153 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 8,324 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7,106 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 11,826 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9,725 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Austin College President Emeritus Oscar Page signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007. We completed our first greenhouse gase inventory for fiscal year 2008. Because that was our first inventory we consider it our baseline. However, we reduced electricity consumption 7% from 2004 to 2008 thanks to new leadership in the Physical Plant.
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) | 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 sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon offsets | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
None
Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases | 8,267 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 336.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
We purchase REC's from two sources. Our long term electricity contract includes RECs for 15% of our electricity consumption and we buy additional RECs to reach our annual target for electricity from green sources. This year, of the 14,699,137 kWh of RECs, 15% (2,139,317 kWh) were included with the electricity contract and 85% (12,560 RECs) were purchased separately (12,560,000 kWh). We specify third-party certified, 100% wind power RECs for the larger REC purchase, but have less control over the RECs included with the energy contract. We have included all of these RECs as RECs rather than including the RECs from our energy agreement in the Custom Fuel Mix input section of the calculator. The REC vendor for the additional 85% was 3Degrees, and the Renewable Energy Certificate Product Content Label lists "National" as the "Generation Location." These are U.S. Wind Power REC's; the Applicable Standard is "Green-e Energy National Standard Version 2.3."
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions | 3,559 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9,388.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 990 | 822 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 10 | 10 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 2 | 2 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,229.93 | 1,288.89 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 315.50 | 305 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 1,411.07 | 1,405.42 |
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 | 2.52 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 6.68 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 29,925 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 3,900 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 3,776 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 1,066 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 549 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 757 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 1,785 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Increased electricity offsetting with RECs, achieving nearly 100% offsetting in FY 2015. Also, in 2016 all outdoor campus lighting was converted to LEDs and the College Administration approved a no idling policy. Indoor lighting is being incrementally converted.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
There are some data discrepancies from what we reported in our Institutional Characteristics earlier in this report and data included here in our Performance Year numbers. This is because the Institutional Characteristics data is the latest we have available (Fiscal Year 2017), where the Performance Year data here comes from Fiscal Year 2016 (the last year we have full greenhouse gas data on). There are also some discrepancies between what we reported in some of the linked documents/urls above and what was reported here. This is because the linked documents/urls contained errors that were corrected here.
There are some data discrepancies from what we reported in our Institutional Characteristics earlier in this report and data included here in our Performance Year numbers. This is because the Institutional Characteristics data is the latest we have available (Fiscal Year 2017), where the Performance Year data here comes from Fiscal Year 2016 (the last year we have full greenhouse gas data on). There are also some discrepancies between what we reported in some of the linked documents/urls above and what was reported here. This is because the linked documents/urls contained errors that were corrected here.
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.