Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 71.65
Liaison Laura Bain
Submission Date Jan. 19, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Furman University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.88 / 10.00 Laura Bain
Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment
David E. Shi Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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 Some
Commuting Some
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 Some
Other categories Some

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:

Student assessment fellows collected data and input the data into the University of New Hampshire Campus Carbon Calculator.


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:
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Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 3,993 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,104 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 649 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 389 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 13,055 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 14,900 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 17,697 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 19,393 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, 2006 June 30, 2007

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):

Our data collected for GHG dates back to 2007 rather than 2005 like other baselines. We previously used a regression line to figure out 2005 data, but to be more accurate we are reporting the 2007 GHG baseline for this report.


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 75 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 10 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 85 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated: The Community Conservation Corps is a university-run program that performs energy efficiency weatherizations free of charge to qualifying underserved local residents. Pre- and post-improvement audits, combined with homeowner utility data pre- and post-weatherization, are compiled to determine average energy savings per home (both natural gas and electricity). This average is then converted to mTCO2e using EPA-recommended coefficients, and the average offset per home is multiplied by the number of homes served in the past five years to arrive at total carbon offset.

Carbon storage from on-site composting- The Furman Farm composts all post- and pre-consumer waste from the Dining Hall.


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 17,612 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 19,393 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,451 2,361
Number of employees resident on-site 3 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 2 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,981 2,971
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 864 841
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 3,499.25 3,449.25

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 5.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.62 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.48

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
2,441,935 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 239,671 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 463,413 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
3,384,690 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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel ---
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
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:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.