Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.18
Liaison Ryan Todd
Submission Date May 9, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

California State University, Sacramento
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Nathaniel Martin
Energy Coordinator
Facilities Management—Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and/or guidelines in place to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources?:
Yes

A brief description of the policies and/or guidelines to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources:

Mobile Sources
The campus is guided by Executive Order 987, AB-32, and our Sustainability Policy. The three constants contained in all three documents are as follows: reduce energy consumption, reduce GHG emissions, and increase renewable energy generation.
Facilities Management:
One of the ways we have tried to achieve reductions in GHG emission as it relates to mobile sources, is we have installed 14 electric vehicle charging stations available for public use. This project was completed in the last 3 years. There are four stations located in Parking Structure 1, seven located in Parking Structure 2, and three located in Parking Lot 1. We also have 2 additional electric vehicle charging station not for public use. One is located at Sacramento Hall for administration and one in Parking Structure 1 in a fenced in area for the University Transportation and Parking Services (UTAPS).
Another method Sac State has used to reduce mobile GHG emissions, is by phasing out gasoline powered vehicles. We now have 135 electric facility carts/small trucks. We have 6 forklifts which in the past were powered by diesel fuel, but were replace by propane powered over the last 3 years.

University Transportation and Parking Services (UTAPS):
Beginning September 2015 Facilities Management Sustainability personnel began collecting post-consumer food waste for the express purpose of taking it to a local facility "Clean World" where it is processed into Bio Compacted Natural Gas. In our first semester with this new program we have delivered 26.49 tons of food waste that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. The Bio CNG is then sold to our UTAPS department which uses it to power its entire Hornet Express fleet, which is a free service to any student with a valid One Card ID.
“CNG vehicles emit 95% less pollution (depending on the pollutant) than a gasoline or diesel fueled vehicle. Natural gas is almost always significantly less expensive than petroleum, which means reduced fuel costs for Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) operators.”
http://csus.edu/aba/utaps/
Something else that UTAPS does to help ensure cleaner air is to have ‘Heat Maps’ on their Facebook page. These maps indicate which parking lots and parking structures are full(er) and should therefore be avoided. This leads to less time idling in cars which also helps to reduce carbon emissions.
https://www.facebook.com/SacStateUTAPS


Has the institution completed an inventory of significant air emissions from stationary sources on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:

Records of all refrigerants used on campus are kept, as well refrigerant replacement because of leaks at each campus location where refrigeration equipment is used. The majority of refrigerants used on campus are HCFC & HFC types, which represent approximately 74% of all refrigeration material used in all equipment on campus. However, the campus still has a few small systems on campus which still use R-22, which represent about 26% of our total refrigerant used on campus. These reports are updated annually.
Sac State keeps records of the boilers and emergency generators usage and tracks the emissions.


Weight of the following categories of air emissions from stationary sources::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 2,014.90 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) ---
Carbon monoxide (CO) 25,102.80 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) ---
Ozone (O3) ---
Lead (Pb) ---
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) ---
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) ---
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations ---

A brief description of the institution’s initiatives to minimize air pollutant emissions from stationary sources, including efforts made during the previous three years:

Sac State operates under Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD), and fully complies with all rules and regulations as they pertain to maintaining good air quality regarding stationary sources, including for example, permitting all stationary sources over 50 BHP. Sac State also has several stationary sources which were certified by SMAQMD as low Nox equipment.


The website URL where information about the institution’s outdoor air quality policies, guidelines or inventory is available:
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.