Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.17
Liaison Tom Hartzell
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Calvin University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 10.00 Matthew Kuperus Heun
Professor
Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
No

None
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 No
Purchased goods and services No
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No
Waste generated in operations No

None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
No

None
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Calvin Sustainability Scorecard data have been used to complete OP1. Energy consumption as reported by main meters has been converted to CO2 emissions via known ratios.

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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?:
Yes

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A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Verified internally by ESC, which approves the CSS each year.

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Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 9,301 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10,290 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 455 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 397 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 14,542 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 16,104 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

None
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
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
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

None
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
N/A

None
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
N/A

None
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
N/A

None
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
N/A

None
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 2,269 2,284
Number of residential employees 10 10
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 3,885 3,983
Full-time equivalent of employees 758 816
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 10 0

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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2009 Dec. 31, 2009

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A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The baseline year was selected because it is after major renovations and building construction. The baseline year is recent enough to capture reliable data from the past and assess progress on sustainability efforts.

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Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
2,263,247 Square feet

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Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 170,910 Square feet
Healthcare space 9,370 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

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Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 2,495 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories (please specify below) ---

None
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
---

None
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
None
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
None
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
The primary, institutionalized GHG reduction initiative at Calvin is the Calvin Energy Recovery Fund (CERF). CERF is a Green Revolving Fund that improves energy efficiency and reduces carbon dioxide emissions on campus. The energy savings from CERF projects are routed back into the fund for five years after project payoff, thereby growing the fund to support future projects. In addition to CERF, Physical Plant challenges existing ways of doing things and looks for efficiency gains when replacing equipment and lights. Buildings are also put on a scheduled rotation for upgrades and scheduled down time to replace aging and inefficient equipment. Most appliances are put on a scheduled rotation that follows the buildings being evaluated.

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This credit indicates that not all Scope 1 and 2 emissions are accounted for because it may be the case that the square footage of some on-campus buildings is not included as part of the total square footage of the campus and that there are several off-campus buildings whose square footage is not counted, either -- and whose emissions are not accounted for. One possible way to estimate all Scope 1 & 2 emissions might be to extrapolate from the know emissions as follows: Emissions = Emissions from CSS * (total owned square footage / square footage in the CSS) where CSS = Calvin Sustainability Scorecard.

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.