| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 80.07 |
| Liaison | Lindsey Lyons |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
Dickinson College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
8.00 / 8.00 |
Neil
Leary Director Center for Sustainability Education |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross GHG emissions
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 3,770.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,601.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 304.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 379.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,538.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 4,075 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9,518.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Carbon sinks
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 7,450 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 storage from on-site composting | 30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 89.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 7,480 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 89.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:
Dickinson utilizes three offset sources: offsets purchased by the college that prevent emissions from nitrogen fertilizer production, offsets purchased on behalf of the college to support a local forestry project, and food waste composted by the college.
Our largest source of offsets comes from the Terra Verdigris fertilizer plant in Oklahoma, which is altering its production process to destroy up to 99 percent of the N2O that was previously released. The offsets are verified by NSF International using the Climate Action Reserve Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol. 7069 MTCO2e of offsets were purchased by Dickinson from this source in FY 2020.
Dickinson alumni, employees and students were invited to purchase carbon offsets on behalf of the college to support a project of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Nature Conservancy that sequesters 47,000 MTCO2e annually, as verified by SCS Global Services using the American Carbon Registry Standard. The project has special meaning for Dickinson because the Sanctuary, located just 80 miles from campus, provides vital habitat for raptors along a globally important flyway and is a site for birding, hiking and research. 381 MTCO2e of local offsets were purchased from this project for Dickinson in FY 2020.
All food waste from our dining hall is collected, composted at our organic farm, and used by our student farmers to grow food for the campus and Carlisle community. The estimated offsets are relatively small, 30 MTCO2e in FY 2020, and are not third party verified. But the educational value is great, demonstrating to our community the feasibility of a circular food system that returns waste to the land to grow more food.
Our largest source of offsets comes from the Terra Verdigris fertilizer plant in Oklahoma, which is altering its production process to destroy up to 99 percent of the N2O that was previously released. The offsets are verified by NSF International using the Climate Action Reserve Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol. 7069 MTCO2e of offsets were purchased by Dickinson from this source in FY 2020.
Dickinson alumni, employees and students were invited to purchase carbon offsets on behalf of the college to support a project of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Nature Conservancy that sequesters 47,000 MTCO2e annually, as verified by SCS Global Services using the American Carbon Registry Standard. The project has special meaning for Dickinson because the Sanctuary, located just 80 miles from campus, provides vital habitat for raptors along a globally important flyway and is a site for birding, hiking and research. 381 MTCO2e of local offsets were purchased from this project for Dickinson in FY 2020.
All food waste from our dining hall is collected, composted at our organic farm, and used by our student farmers to grow food for the campus and Carlisle community. The estimated offsets are relatively small, 30 MTCO2e in FY 2020, and are not third party verified. But the educational value is great, demonstrating to our community the feasibility of a circular food system that returns waste to the land to grow more food.
Adjusted net GHG emissions
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9,428.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Performance and baseline periods
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2019 | July 1, 2007 |
| End date | June 30, 2020 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
FY 2008 was adopted as our GHG emissions baseline when Dickinson adopted its Climate Action Plan in 2009. Targets for emission reductions in the Climate Action Plan use 2008 as our base year .
Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person
Weighted campus users
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,873 | 1,912.50 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 19 | 26 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,071 | 2,345 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 899 | 780 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 2,700.50 | 2,828.38 |
Metrics used in scoring for Part 1
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3.33 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
100
Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area
Performance year floor area
1,931,506
Gross square feet
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 218,339 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 1,663 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 21,738 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,393,248
Gross square feet
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
0
MtCO2e per square foot
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Dickinson has reduced its carbon footprint through four main strategies: 1. increasing energy efficiency of our campus infrastructure and equipment, 2. switching from high-carbon energy sources to low- and zero-carbon energy sources, 3. promoting behavior changes and 4. purchasing renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets.
A recent energy efficiency project that had a large impact is the LED Lighting Blitz. Dickinson replaced nearly all of the light fixtures on campus with LED bulbs, thereby reducing associated energy consumption for lighting by approximately 40%. Other energy efficiency projects include improved computer controls to optimize performance of the central energy plant and the Rector Science Complex, building retrofits to improve energy performance, upgrades to more efficient windows in many of our buildings, purchases of high efficiency equipment when replacing old equipment. All new buildings constructed since 2007 have all incorporated energy efficient design and have been certified LEED Gold or LEED Platinum.
Our largest renewable energy project is a 3-megawatt solar field that supplies over one-quarter of Dickinson’s electricity using zero-carbon energy. Solar panels and biogas production at the Dickinson farm also provide the college with renewable energy while giving our students opportunities for hands-on research.
Conservation behaviors are promoted through an annual Energy Challenge and other campaigns.
Dickinson began purchasing Renewable Energy Credits in 2007 equal to 50% of our annual electricity use and increased REC purchases to 100% in 2010. In 2020 we purchased 7450 metric tons of carbon offsets.
A recent energy efficiency project that had a large impact is the LED Lighting Blitz. Dickinson replaced nearly all of the light fixtures on campus with LED bulbs, thereby reducing associated energy consumption for lighting by approximately 40%. Other energy efficiency projects include improved computer controls to optimize performance of the central energy plant and the Rector Science Complex, building retrofits to improve energy performance, upgrades to more efficient windows in many of our buildings, purchases of high efficiency equipment when replacing old equipment. All new buildings constructed since 2007 have all incorporated energy efficient design and have been certified LEED Gold or LEED Platinum.
Our largest renewable energy project is a 3-megawatt solar field that supplies over one-quarter of Dickinson’s electricity using zero-carbon energy. Solar panels and biogas production at the Dickinson farm also provide the college with renewable energy while giving our students opportunities for hands-on research.
Conservation behaviors are promoted through an annual Energy Challenge and other campaigns.
Dickinson began purchasing Renewable Energy Credits in 2007 equal to 50% of our annual electricity use and increased REC purchases to 100% in 2010. In 2020 we purchased 7450 metric tons of carbon offsets.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Climate Action landing page: http://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/599/climate_action
GHG Inventory: https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2469/greenhouse_gas_inventory
Carbon neutrality FAQs: https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/1340/carbon_neutrality_faq
Feature story about http://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/3036/?utm_source=dickinsontoday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dickinsontoday.
Climate Action Plan: https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2566/climate_action_plan
GHG Inventory: https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2469/greenhouse_gas_inventory
Carbon neutrality FAQs: https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/1340/carbon_neutrality_faq
Feature story about http://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/3036/?utm_source=dickinsontoday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dickinsontoday.
Climate Action Plan: https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2566/climate_action_plan
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.