| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.90 |
| Liaison | Kathleen Crawford |
| Submission Date | July 23, 2020 |
Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.45 / 8.00 |
Kathleen
Crawford Sustainability Coordinator Environmental Health & Safety |
"---"
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 | 124.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 79 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 696.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 226 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 26,570.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 17,918 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 | 27,390.39 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 18,223 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Carbon sinks
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 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 storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | 2,695.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:
Tree Campus USA and i-Tree Canopy Mapping
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 areas.
The tools that the Physical Plant uses are sophisticated enough to differentiate between the amounts of carbon sequestered annually versus the CO2 stored in trees. We entered the amount sequestered during our reporting period in the “Non-Additional Sequestration” data entry link of SIMAP.
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 three new solar fields to FGCU’s campus.
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 areas.
The tools that the Physical Plant uses are sophisticated enough to differentiate between the amounts of carbon sequestered annually versus the CO2 stored in trees. We entered the amount sequestered during our reporting period in the “Non-Additional Sequestration” data entry link of SIMAP.
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 three new solar fields to FGCU’s campus.
Adjusted net GHG emissions
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 27,390.39 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 18,223 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Performance and baseline periods
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2017 | July 1, 2009 |
| End date | June 30, 2018 | June 30, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
It was established when we signed the ACUPCC commitment.
Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person
Weighted campus users
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,708 | 1,945 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 12 | 8 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 3 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 13,504 | 5,754 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,576 | 311 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 520 | 288 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 12,103 | 4,821 |
Metrics used in scoring for Part 1
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user | 2.26 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:
40.13
Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area
Performance year floor area
4,346,598
Gross square feet
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 166,842.78 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 4,866.76 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 40,723.40 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
4,730,740.48
Gross square feet
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
0.01
MtCO2e per square foot
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Due to damage incurred by Hurricane Irma in fall 2017, the Solar Field did not produce as much energy for this fiscal year as in past fiscal years.
Progress toward Carbon Neutrality to Date
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents’ Carbon Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, renamed to the Presidents’ Carbon Commitment in 2017. In doing so, we pledged to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible. Second Nature, the Presidents’ Carbon Commitment’s direct support organization, defines carbon neutrality as, “having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to be achieved by eliminating net GHG emissions, or by minimizing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.”
Upon signing the Commitment, FGCU set a climate neutrality date of 2050 and agreed to immediately take the following tangible actions:
*Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or higher
*Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy
*Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution
The tangible actions established by FGCU upon signing the agreement were our first step to taking more carbon out of the earth’s atmosphere than we put into it on an annual basis.
We established 2010 as our baseline year and set interim goals to decrease our net emissions by 5% by 2015 and 10% by 2020. Since then, our overall net change in emissions has increased by 11%, missing our 2015 interim goal and not making adequate progress toward our 2020 goal. The following graph illustrates net change in net emissions by scope.
Despite not meeting our 2015 target and falling behind on our 2020 goal, FGCU can be proud of how efficiently we have grown. Our net greenhouse gas emissions per 1,000 square feet of building space has decreased 22% since 2010 and our net emissions per full time enrollment (FTE) has decreased by 38%. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate this progress.
FGCU has successfully integrated sustainability into many of our ongoing educational and operational efforts. Since our founding, we have been leaders in energy efficiency and ecosystems enhancement efforts. We are also known for our curricular integration of sustainability through core requirements such as the University Colloquium and Service Learning as well as our transformative relationships with community partners.
We continue to build to LEED silver or higher, and focus on embedded sustainability and energy saving technologies. Additionally, FGCU adopted a liquid ozone cleaning system for all residence halls, which reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals used and increases worker safety. We also continue to reduce the amount of energy and water used per FTE and manage our grounds to enhance native ecosystems. Academically, a significant number of faculty members are engaged in sustainability research, sustainability content has been successfully integrated into a high percentage of courses, and most programs have formally adopted sustainability learning outcomes.
Progress toward Carbon Neutrality to Date
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents’ Carbon Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, renamed to the Presidents’ Carbon Commitment in 2017. In doing so, we pledged to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible. Second Nature, the Presidents’ Carbon Commitment’s direct support organization, defines carbon neutrality as, “having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to be achieved by eliminating net GHG emissions, or by minimizing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.”
Upon signing the Commitment, FGCU set a climate neutrality date of 2050 and agreed to immediately take the following tangible actions:
*Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or higher
*Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy
*Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution
The tangible actions established by FGCU upon signing the agreement were our first step to taking more carbon out of the earth’s atmosphere than we put into it on an annual basis.
We established 2010 as our baseline year and set interim goals to decrease our net emissions by 5% by 2015 and 10% by 2020. Since then, our overall net change in emissions has increased by 11%, missing our 2015 interim goal and not making adequate progress toward our 2020 goal. The following graph illustrates net change in net emissions by scope.
Despite not meeting our 2015 target and falling behind on our 2020 goal, FGCU can be proud of how efficiently we have grown. Our net greenhouse gas emissions per 1,000 square feet of building space has decreased 22% since 2010 and our net emissions per full time enrollment (FTE) has decreased by 38%. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate this progress.
FGCU has successfully integrated sustainability into many of our ongoing educational and operational efforts. Since our founding, we have been leaders in energy efficiency and ecosystems enhancement efforts. We are also known for our curricular integration of sustainability through core requirements such as the University Colloquium and Service Learning as well as our transformative relationships with community partners.
We continue to build to LEED silver or higher, and focus on embedded sustainability and energy saving technologies. Additionally, FGCU adopted a liquid ozone cleaning system for all residence halls, which reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals used and increases worker safety. We also continue to reduce the amount of energy and water used per FTE and manage our grounds to enhance native ecosystems. Academically, a significant number of faculty members are engaged in sustainability research, sustainability content has been successfully integrated into a high percentage of courses, and most programs have formally adopted sustainability learning outcomes.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The Ghg inventory was last performed in 2018 when we had a total of 4,346,598 of built space.
PRE-4 total GSF is 4,739,847.497 which includes 320,723.3sqft not included in GHG inventory or this report, as it falls outside the institutional boundary listed in PRE-3.
The remaining building space came online after 2018
• University Recreation & Wellness Center
o GSF: 50,000
• Student & Community Counseling Center
o GSF: 27,040
(Clerical error fixed in energy efficient space by aligning with Pre-4 data)
PRE-4 total GSF is 4,739,847.497 which includes 320,723.3sqft not included in GHG inventory or this report, as it falls outside the institutional boundary listed in PRE-3.
The remaining building space came online after 2018
• University Recreation & Wellness Center
o GSF: 50,000
• Student & Community Counseling Center
o GSF: 27,040
(Clerical error fixed in energy efficient space by aligning with Pre-4 data)
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.