Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.00
Liaison Ciannat Howett
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Emory University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.46 / 3.00 Kelly Weisinger
Director
Office of Sustainability Initiatives
"---" 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:
All base figures for calculations, graphs, charts, and tables in Emory’s emissions inventory report come from SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform). SIMAP was chosen for the purposes of this report because it is an emissions calculator specifically purposed for higher education, and because it is excellent at producing detailed graphs and tables that show trends in emissions over time. OSI uses SIMAP to benchmark each fiscal year’s CO2 and N2O emissions data and compare its emissions year by year. Again, this report draws on the University’s CO2 data in SIMAP, since N2O (the other emission SIMAP analyzes) represents a much smaller percentage of Emory’s total emissions.

SIMAP estimates the greenhouse gas emissions specified by the Kyoto Protocol, a global compact negotiated by the United Nations in 1997 that was not ratified by the United States. The monitored emissions include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The calculator then converts emitted gases into units (in this case, metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e). This conversion depends on the global warming potential (GWP) of each gas. Emory’s emissions are largely from CO2 because there are no PFC or SF6 gases emitted on Emory’s campus, and emissions of CH4, N2O, and HFCs represent only a very small percentage of Emory’s total emissions.

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:
Emory's GHG emissions data were collected by an external consultant, who calculated each component using SIMAP.
The final greenhouse gas inventory was analyzed by a short-term internal GHG Emissions Inventory Task Force, none of whom were responsible for any component of the inventory as it was calculated. The task force met 4 times over 3 months and reviewed the inventory results, graphs, and executive summary; compared the new data to previous years for consistency; questioned results and rationale that led to some data corrections and graphical improvements; and made recommendations for further emissions reductions.
•Eva Stotz, Staff Sustainability Representative and Academic Degree Coordinator, Anthropology Department, Emory College
•Jack Miklaucic, Student and member of the student group ECAST (Emory Climate Analysis and Solutions Team), Emory College ‘23
•Claire Pomykala, Major in Human Health, Concentration in Business, Minor in Sustainability, Emory College ‘21
•Aaron Klingensmith, OSI student intern, Environmental Science and Economics majors, Emory College ‘22
•Adele Clements, Senior Director, Transportation, Parking, and Fleet Services
•Debjani Sihi, Assistant Professor, Dept of Environmental Sciences

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 50,338.74 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) 4,540.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
54,879.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity 137,124.08 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
137,124.08 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 21,706.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting Yes 23,085.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services No 0 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 7,026.67 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations Yes -39.96 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources No ---

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
51,779.54 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Emory conducts a survey of staff, faculty, and students to understand commuting emissions and compares the survey with parking permits to verify the data.
Emory gathers air travel data from its air travel provider, as all air travel funded by the institutions is required to be booked through this provider.
Waste generated in operations data is collected from landfill disposal data and wastewater.
Fuel and energy for scope 3 are T&D losses calculated using energy data from our utility provider.

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) 30.96 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) ---
Carbon monoxide (CO) ---
Particulate matter (PM) ---
Ozone (O3) ---
Lead (Pb) ---
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) ---
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) ---
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations ---

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

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Emory has a federal Title V air permit (issued by the state of Georgia) that requires Emory to have a complete inventory of and monitor all sources of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), primarily NOx and VOCs. Emory uses primarily natural gas to power its boilers but occasionally must switch over to diesel. Emory uses only the lowest sulfur-containing diesel that is available.

Optional Fields

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
128,806.18 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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:
Data reported for FY2019

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.