| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.65 |
| Liaison | Maddie LoDico |
| Submission Date | Dec. 12, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Colby College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
9.83 / 10.00 |
Kevin
Bright Sustainability Coordinator Office of 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 | No |
| Capital goods | No |
| 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:
To measure greenhouse gas emissions, Colby uses the Cool Air-Clean Planet (CA-CP) Campus Carbon Calculator, which is recommended by the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) because it was designed specifically for college and university campuses.
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:
Colby also engaged a consultant in 2012-13 to conduct an independent analysis of the College’s greenhouse gas emissions. Using its carbon tracker model, Competitive Energy Services of Portland, Maine, performed separate calculations of Colby’s emissions and the results were within one percent of those generated by the CA-CP calculator.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 5,010 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 13,020.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 263.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 274.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 7,897.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7,488.20 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 | 190 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 | 16,415 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
The College composts all dining hall waste at a local composting facility. Using the CA-CP calculator, its greenhouse gas offset generation is included in the performance year above.
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
NA
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
NA
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
Purchasing offsets provides funding that can be used by landfill operators, energy providers, agricultural organizations, and others to invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions. Sales of offsets can provide important financial support to make these projects viable. Colby spends about $30,000 a year on carbon credits. This investment is made possible in part through the savings accrued by the College when it converted from heating oil to biomass as its primary heat source. Carbon credits purchased for the 2012-13 fiscal year were selected on the basis of a competitive marketing survey conducted in March 2013. All the projects selected this year were located in the United States. Three of the four projects are located in New England and one is located in Maine. The selected projects all use methane-recapture and conversion techniques to achieve carbon emissions reductions. These purchases reflect the current dominance of methane recapture projects in the carbon offset market (roughly 90 percent of current sales). It is the continued interest of the College to purchase carbon offsets locally and from third-party certified projects. In 2014, a landfill methane reduction project was used to account for the College's remaining emissions outlined above.
Included in this are also the total MTCDE reduction from REC purchases during FY13-14. These total 7,897 MTCDE reduction, as the College purchases RECs for its electricity supply from 100% wind power.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 1,720 | 1,664 |
| Number of residential employees | 13 | 13 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 1,820 | 1,764 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 721 | 640 |
| 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, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 1999 | June 30, 2000 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
We are using the year 2000 as a common baseline throughout this STARS submission as this was the year the College created its Environmental Advisory Group (EAG) which kickstarted many campus-wide sustainability initatives.
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 35,151 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 2,316.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 1,331.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 0 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 | 520.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 426.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 261.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions includes all of our campus emissions associated with the transport and treatement of our sewer water, transmission and distribution losses from electricity, solid waste, all College-funded travel, and commuter travel as outlined above.
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:
Carbon neutrality has required a multi-pronged approach. The College: Installed a co-generation turbine in 1999, producing about 10 percent of Colby’s electrical consumption as a by-product of generating heat and hot water for the campus; Began purchasing all of its electricity from renewable sources in 2003, replacing roughly one-third of “business as usual” emissions; New construction and major renovation projects for occupied buildings are designed to LEED standards. Colby currently has eleven LEED certified projects with three others registered; Converted central heating plant fuel source from exclusively #6 oil to mostly wood-chip biomass, reducing emissions by roughly another third; Reduced emissions through increasing recycling efforts, contracting with local landfill that uses methane recapture, and completing many energy efficiency projects designed to reduce electricity consumption and improve efficiency of heat and hot water. (These projects include renovations, HVAC upgrades, lighting upgrades, composting, purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles, and incorporating building temperature setbacks); Installed geothermal heating and cooling systems in two major construction projects.
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.