Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.17
Liaison Ian Johnson
Submission Date March 4, 2020

STARS v2.2

Colorado College
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Michael Brubaker
Campus Operations & Plant Manger
Facilities Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory

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

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:
To complete the GHG emissions inventory and track progress toward our 2020 carbon neutrality goal, Colorado College uses the University of New Hampshire’s SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform) carbon and nitrogen accounting platform. Based in partnerships with the University of Virginia and the EPA, this tool provides a comprehensive and accessible platform to maintain the GHG inventory. It is targeted specifically at colleges and universities, allowing for easy comparison with other institutions.
Each year, a paid student intern and a team of student volunteers at the Colorado College Office of Sustainability collect campus greenhouse gas emissions data from the previous fiscal year. Data collected include all direct and indirect campus emissions, or Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon and nitrogen emissions. Students compile these data into the GHG emissions inventory which is submitted to SIMAP, analyzed using its algorithms, and returned in a report that includes year-to-year comparisons.

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 GHG inventory verification process:
The GHG inventory is conducted by a lead GHG Inventory intern and volunteer team members (students) who work for the Office of Sustainability. The Sustainability Director maintains a Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quantifier certification through CSA Group (CSA Groups is the third-party oversight to ISO Standard 14064/5 that deals with quantification of greenhouse gases). The Sustainability Director reviews and validates the information collected and submitted by the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Team.

Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
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Scope 1 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Weight in MTCO2e
Stationary combustion 7,538.54 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) 942.33 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
8,480.87 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity 9,150.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
9,150.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

GHG emissions from biomass combustion
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
Yes or No Weight in MTCO2e
Business travel Yes 10,671.49 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting Yes 894.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services Yes 59.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods --- ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 Yes 269.96 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations Yes 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources Yes 4,112.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
16,008.61 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
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Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory

Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Yes

Annual weight of emissions for::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 0.08 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 0 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 0 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 0.02 Tons
Ozone (O3) 0 Tons
Lead (Pb) 0 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 0 Tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) 0 Tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations 0 Tons

Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
Yes or No
Major stationary sources Yes
Area sources Yes
Mobile sources Yes
Commuting Yes
Off-site electricity production Yes

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Calculations used to determine the heating plant’s air emissions are based upon State of Colorado adopted emission factors noted in the permit to operate conditions required by the State.

The other standard categories of air emissions that we used were VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)

Optional Fields

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
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Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
These numbers represent emissions from the central heating plant and do not include emissions from managed properties. The managed properties are largely heated through natural gas and electricity. These emissions are not significant nor feasible to measure at this time.

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.