| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.35 |
| Liaison | Laurie Husted |
| Submission Date | June 9, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Bard College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.16 / 10.00 |
Dan
Smith Energy Efficiency Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
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 | Some |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | All |
| 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:
Clean Air Cool Planet, excel calculator V9.0
Scope 1 & 2 emissions are collected from bulk utility and fuel billing.
Data for Scope 3 emissions are collected from various sources, including records provided by Purchasing Department personnel, waste audits, operation reports, and commuter behavior surveys.
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:
Review of audit values are performed by colleagues in Bard Office of Sustainability.
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 | 4,252.50 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 4,643.90 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 3,575.90 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 4,890.40 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 | 7,828.40 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 9,534.30 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, 2010 | June 30, 2011 |
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):
FY2010/11 is the earliest data set for GHG emissions and energy consumption that we deem accurate and reliable.
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 | 89.90 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 89.90 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 | 89.90 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 89.90 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):
Carbon offsets include:
*(-89.9) MT eCO2 from composting (on average) 214 short tons of food waste on-site.
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 | 375.80 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
RECS purchased from Renewable Choice (Green-e Energy Certified).
= (-375.8) MT eCO2 from purchase of RECS (2,000,000 kWh), with reduction calculated by CACP excel calculator v9.0 (i.e. adjusts for regional electric grid emissions profile).
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions | 7,362.70 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 9,444.40 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,395 | 1,428 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 32 | 10 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 40 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,110.50 | 2,025.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 983.50 | 710 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,717.25 | 2,411.13 |
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 | 2.71 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 3.92 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 | 84,482 Square Feet |
| Healthcare space | 2,500 Square Feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 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 | 386.20 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Commuting | 2,891.30 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 26 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | --- |
| Waste generated in operations | 126.80 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:
For Scope 1&2 emissions, Bard strives to upgrade existing buildings for energy efficiency (i.e. retrofit lighting, insulation, HVAC controls and equipment, etc) and to construct new buildings that are comparatively more efficient than conventional new construction. Likewise, much of Scope 2 emissions can be attributed to "greening" of the regional electric grid, which has seen large conversion to natural gas-burning facilities and renewables.
For Scope 3 emissions, Bard strives to improve Transportation Demand management to reduce Commuter emissions, and to purchase goods and services that are comparatively more sustainable than conventional counterparts.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
All categories and values input to GHG calculator were collected and vetted as well as reasonably possible. Whereas values for Scope 1&2 have a high degree of accuracy (i.e. from utility and fuel billing), for Scope 3 values there is always a concern that information passed along to the Bard Office of Sustainability may not be complete, or properly vetted by initial sender. In particular, business travel records are notoriously difficult to collect and tally, due to the many possible ways for employees to book travel (including Travel Accounts, or personal purchase and reimbursement). Emissions from student and employee commuting are gathered via a Commuting Behavior Survey, and is only as good as the feedback provided (though values can be considered a "good estimate").
The data inconsistency between IC2 Gross Floor Building Space and subsequent credits (OP1, OP3, OP5, and OP22) is due to the fact the IC2 values represent Bard as it exists in FY2016/17 at the time of STARS submission, and the Performance Year values are for FY2015/16 (i.e. the most recent and complete set of data, 1 full year, for GHG emissions and energy consumption). In particular, this is due to the purchase/addition of the Montgomery Place property to the Bard Campus in January 2016, when additional acreage and buildings were added.
IC2 “gross floor building space” is value for FY2016/17 = 1,248,230 ft2
(i.e. after purchase of Montgomery Place property).
Performance Year “gross floor building space” is value for FY2015/16 = 1,204,980 ft2 (i.e. before purchase of Montgomery Place property).
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.