Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.81
Liaison Kathleen Crawford
Submission Date July 28, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 7.26 / 10.00 Katie Leone
Sustainability Coordinator
Environmental Health & Safety
"---" 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 All
Purchased goods and services Some
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations None
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories None

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
calculator_v9_0-FINAL.xlsm

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:
FGCU's greenhouse gas report is prepared by Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)’s Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Department. It covers Fiscal Year 2015-2016 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016) or Academic Year 2015-16 (Summer A, B, & C 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016). EH&S cooperated with numerous departments and vendors to gather the needed information. We involved students throughout the process by offering service-learning hours and working with faculty members to integrate aspects of the reporting process into class projects. We used the University of New Hampshire (UNH)’s 9.0 Campus Carbon Calculator. Please see the additional documentation submitted with this credit narrating how we accounted for each category of Scope 3 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?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---

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 176 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 79 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,506 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
+ Date Revised: Sept. 10, 2018
226 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 13,862 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 17,918 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 16,544 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,223 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, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010

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):
It was established when we signed the ACUPCC commitment.

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 1,696 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 1,696 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):
Over half of FGCU’s 800 acres are undeveloped. As the development of this part of Lee County accelerates, preserving and enhancing our campus’ tree canopy becomes increasingly important. Equally important, is the task of understanding the natural capital and economic value of our campus trees. FGCU’s Physical Plant has been working with faculty and students to gather the data needed to understand the inherent value of our campus vegetation. The Physical Plant collaborates with faculty members who integrate service-learning components into their courses as well as individual student leaders and paid interns to map our campus canopy. Tools such as Project BudBurst and i-Tree Canopy enable us to quantify the annual carbon sequestration and other valuable attributes of our preserved and replanted area. Areas mapped are reflective of those undeveloped per policies in FGCU Campus Master Plan. The tree canopy analysis differentiates between the amount of carbon sequestered annually versus the C02 stored in trees. We entered the amount sequestered during our reporting period in the Forest Preservation column of the UNH Campus Carbon Calculator. Newly planted areas are made possible thanks to our Tree Campus USA efforts. Each year, the Tree Campus USA Committee hosts three large-scale planting events that engage over 100 service-learning students. These events include Make A Difference Day in the Fall, Campus Beautification Day/Florida Arbor Day Celebration early in the Spring, and Eagles’ Earth Day of Action at the end of the Spring semester. These service-learning and research initiatives have proven successful; the carbon sequestered by our forest preservation efforts is equivalent to adding two new solar fields to FGCU’s campus.

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:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 14,848 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,223 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,406 1,945
Number of employees resident on-site 9 8
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 24.33 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 12,551 5,754
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,415 311
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 432 288
Weighted campus users 11,028.58 4,821

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 1.35 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3.78 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
64.38

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
4,338,010 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 25,878 Square feet
Healthcare space 3,988 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 171,748 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
4,569,490 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 3,901 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 7,928 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
+ Date Revised: Sept. 10, 2018
Purchased goods and services 68 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 932 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
---

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

Additional documentation to support the submission:
15-16 Methods-Narrative.docx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.