Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 81.34
Liaison Mary Whitney
Submission Date Nov. 26, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Chatham University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.54 / 10.00 Mary Whitney
University Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

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 All
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 Some

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:

Chatham uses the University of New Hampshire SIMAP calculator.


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

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:

We verify internally with invoice and billing data, as well as cross-checking with our energy billing services vendor. All data has to have either a bill or report for verification (parking registrations, course registration, etc) There are dozens of various reports, let us know if you need them.


Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 2,899.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,735.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 223.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 5,681.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6,876.70 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 8,804.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,612.40 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 Jan. 1, 2017 Dec. 31, 2017
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2007 Dec. 31, 2007

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):

Our 2005 Baseline was determined by STARS requirements at the time we began our STARS reporting. 2007 includes Eden Hall and Eastside properties.


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 278 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting 269 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 23 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 547 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 35 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):

Chatham composts onsite and commercially. Weights are collected monthly from both.
Forest sequestration calculated using LIDAR survey from Tree Pittsburgh and iTree data from National Forest Service.


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 0 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 are Green-e Certified National Mix from Renewable Choice.


Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 8,257.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,577.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 583 400
Number of employees resident on-site 14 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 17 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,525 973
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 360 249
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 414 0
Weighted campus users 1,269.50 1,016.50

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 6.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8.44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
22.91

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,100,000 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 45,300 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 11,000 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,201,600 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 1,160 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 2,187 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 39 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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 0 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:

We are continuing with our LED light changeout, every year we do another building. 2017 saw the retrofit of the Jennie King Mellon Library, a very inefficient building built in the 1970s, and the completion of an HVAC and fume hood project in the Buhl Science building.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The 817 employees of our Eastside tenant are shown in our weighted campus user calculations. They are not a part of Chatham University staff or faculty and therefore do not appear in our IPEDS data, however, they are significant users of our electricity for their data center and computers. The tenant spaces do not have submeters, so all their usage is shown on our meters.


The 817 employees of our Eastside tenant are shown in our weighted campus user calculations. They are not a part of Chatham University staff or faculty and therefore do not appear in our IPEDS data, however, they are significant users of our electricity for their data center and computers. The tenant spaces do not have submeters, so all their usage is shown on our meters.

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.