Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 47.04
Liaison Debbie Liddick
Submission Date April 21, 2023

STARS v2.2

Black Hills State University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.76 / 8.00 Maggie Torness
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Services
"---" 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 2,241.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,079 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 36.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 413 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 209.85 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6,991 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 2,488.46 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 9,483 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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ---
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 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):
---

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 2,488.46 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 9,483 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, 2019 July 1, 2006
End date June 30, 2020 June 30, 2007

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
FY 2007 was the first year BHSU performed a greenhouse gas emissions report.

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 720 736
Number of employees resident on-site 7 3
Number of other individuals resident on-site 4 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 4,508 2,950
Full-time equivalent of employees 377 337.70
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 985 760
Weighted Campus Users 3,110.75 2,080.52

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 0.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4.56 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
82.45

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
835,385 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 44,745 Square feet
Healthcare space 367 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 3,571 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
929,180 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:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
BHSU has reaped the benefit of the installation of 931.9 KwH of new solar panels in the past three years (between spring 2020 and spring 2023). BHSU has a total of 1,070.6 KwH solar panels. This is the main reason for the percentage reduction in carbon emissions and decreased the amount of electricity we purchase from 2,969.66 (CO2MTCDE) to 209.85 (CO2MTCDE).

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Even though, in some areas like stationary combustion and commuting, our carbon emissions have risen, the decrease in carbon emissions from the installation of solar panels (as highlighted above) and the corresponding and drastic decrease in electricity purchased has still greatly reduced our overall emissions.

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.