| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.35 |
| Liaison | Lisa Kilgore |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Cornell University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.83 / 3.00 |
Sarah
Carson Director, Campus Sustainability Office FS - Energy & Sustainability |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
Cornell reports via the UNH SIMAP reporting system and Second Nature Carbon Commitment. Cornell publishes a baseline and additional inventory publicly each year to distinguish between baseline GHG emission categories included in the carbon neutrality goal:
Baseline Inventory: Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Air Travel & Commuting
Additional Inventory: New and emerging areas of Scope 3 emissions
Baseline GHG data are gathered, verified, and published annually. Additional inventories are completed by campus community members and updated at their discretion.
Process for completing SIMAP annual inventory:
1) Obtain fuel records
2) Obtain purchased electric records
3) Calculate consumption
4) Determine commuting emissions using 3rd party commuting tool & SIMAP
5) Determine air travel mileage (input to SIMAP)
6) Input consumption and mileage data into SIMAP to determine emissions
7) Determine emissions associated with exported electric following WRI Protocol for Combined Heat & Power
8) Submit other data as required based on annual reporting
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 GHG inventory verification process:
Emissions estimates are part of USEPA Clean Air Act Reporting requirements and are certified by Cornell's authorized regulatory official. Another managerial level staff member has also reviewed and approved. The Title V reporting components are different than STARS and Climate Commitment reporting; however, the Title V data does assist in validating the reasonableness of the majority of STARS / SIMAP data
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 134,731.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 5,486.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 3,177.73 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 878.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 16,064.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 270,261 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | No | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 54,977 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 724.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | -1,000 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Business air travel, commuting, and waste generated in options were calculated using the UNH SiMAP tool. Purchased goods were calculated by analyzing procurement spend data versus cradle to gate and use phase emissions factors created by ASU for mtcde per $ spent using standardized product categories.
Fuel and energy related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 are upstream methane emissions for Cornell's natural gas calculated using a leakage rate from the EDF consensus study and GWP 100 consistent with guidance from IPCC and Second Nature.
Additional Scope 3 areas of waste generations in operations (158.26 mtcde - landfill with gas capture and electric generation) and wastewater (-115.21 mtcde - treatment plant with anaerobic digestion) were measured this year using the UNH SiMAP tool.
Other sources include an on campus compost facility accepting campus dining and agricultural waste calculated using the UNH SiMAP tool.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 28.30 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 7.97 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 14.20 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 6.70 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 2.30 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 1.90 Tons |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | Yes |
| Area sources | No |
| Mobile sources | Yes |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Cornell performed a comprehensive air emission source inventory to prepare the initial Title V air emission permit. Campus partners are queried annually to update that inventory which serves as a baseline for multiple reports. Data is based on CY 2020 Title V submittal. CY 2021 data Not Available till April 2022.
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Scope 1 stationary combustion emissions includes a deduction associated with exported energy. Cornell's Combined Heat & Power facility will sometimes generate electricity that exceeds campus demand. This excess electric is exported to the grid. The deduction represents the emissions associated with this energy not used on campus. This value is approximately 29,524 metric tons. We would prefer reporting this value via Scope 3; however, the AASHE STARS input sheet cannot handle the input of negative values. Our SIMAP GHG reporting includes this adjustment in the "offset" field.
Scope 1 stationary combustion emissions includes a deduction associated with exported energy. Cornell's Combined Heat & Power facility will sometimes generate electricity that exceeds campus demand. This excess electric is exported to the grid. The deduction represents the emissions associated with this energy not used on campus. This value is approximately 29,524 metric tons. We would prefer reporting this value via Scope 3; however, the AASHE STARS input sheet cannot handle the input of negative values. Our SIMAP GHG reporting includes this adjustment in the "offset" field.
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.