| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.11 |
| Liaison | Kathleen McCaig |
| Submission Date | March 15, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Berea College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
10.00 / 10.00 |
Kathleen
McCaig Sustainability Coordinator Operations & Sustainability |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | Yes |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes |
| Capital goods | Yes |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
A student labor position, dedicated to data gathering and analysis of GHG for the college, was created in 2013. This student position, along with the Office of Sustainability Coordinator, uses the Cool Planet Calculator as the tool and methodology for compiling and analyzing GHG data. The data is compiled on an annual basis.
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:
The Brendle Group, a sustainability consulting firm focused on engineering and strategic planning audited the data.
http://www.brendlegroup.com/
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 3,422 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,831 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 568 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 776 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 20,910 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 19,667 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 16,440 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 16,451 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration | 16,355 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 16,355 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 96 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
As shown above the majority of the offsets are provided by the college owned Forest Stewardship Council Certified Forest. Additional offsets from composting come from the Agriculture Department and SENS departments
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
The 8,200 acre figure starts with the Fountains Forestry, Inc. (consultants who were hired to do a comprehensive inventory of the forest for Forest Stewardship certification) calculation of forest coverage on the Berea College Forest ownership in 2010 (7,800 acres) and adds known forest acreage purchased since that time.
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
The composting program captures all of dining services and event pre and post consumer waste for use on our college organic gardens... which are raised for use by our dining services. We have a closed loop system.
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
NA
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 1,378 | 1,525 |
| Number of residential employees | 615 | 505 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 1,600 | 1,525 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 615 | 505 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2008 | June 30, 2009 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 25,000 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 483 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 2,603 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 93 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 | 1,377 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 77 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 915 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Study abroad air travel
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
The biggest effort the past three years has been has been in all new construction and major renovation projects that are designed and built to LEED specifications with LEED Gold as the target.
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.