Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.38
Liaison Jeremy King
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Denison University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.27 / 10.00 Jeremy King
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Office of the President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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 None
Purchased goods and services Some
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories None

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:
Denison collects data from utility bills and uses conversion factors provided by the US EPA for our region to determine GHG emissions. In addition, Denison utilizes the SIMAP GHG calculator as a comparison. For this report and other official reporting we use SIMAP data. For the purposes of "other" Denison includes Scope 1 and 2 data from property it leases, namely, our Newark Art Space, in downtown Newark, Ohio where we hold events and classes.

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:
The Sustainability Committee operates independently of the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Services. This entity validates and verifies this data which is shared with them by Facilities Services.

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 6,722.67 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11,926.56 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 235.04 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 652.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 9,177.18 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,503.99 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 16,134.89 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 31,083.39 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 July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

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):
The 2005 baseline year is the year we used when signing the Presidents' Climate Commitment and it represents one of the first years where we have complete and accurate GHG data for the college.

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 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
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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Not applicable

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

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:
Not applicable - already part of inventory.

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 16,134.89 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 31,083.39 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,159 2,021
Number of employees resident on-site 10 4
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 5 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,319 2,099
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 680.20 576
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,796.65 2,512.50

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 5.77 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12.37 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
53.37

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,900,250 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 45,788 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 7,500 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,999,326 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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 1,955.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services 284.53 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations 231.37 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Denison invested in a 2.3 MW solar array for campus through a PPA. As part of this project Denison will receive a 2 for 1 REC swap.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Gross floor area is 1,900,250 square feet and includes a parking garage. Conditioned floor area is 1,831,650 square feet. Denison maintains an internal password protected website where most of this information resides. Public access web pages have limited information on this topic.

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.