Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.74
Liaison Laura Bain
Submission Date Oct. 9, 2024

STARS v3.0

Furman University
OP-6: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 8.85 / 16.00 Laura Bain
Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment
David E. Shi Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

6.1 Greenhouse gas emissions inventory and disclosure

Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions inventory
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Copy of the institution’s GHG emissions inventory:
Annual_Report_2023.csv

Online location of the institution’s GHG emissions inventory:
https://unhsimap.org/public/institution/195

Performance year for scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
2023

Description of the methodology or calculator used to conduct the scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions inventory:

Sustainability staff and students collected, analyzed, and input data into the SIMAP tool and generated reports. 


Scope 1 GHG emissions

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required:

Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion:
4,151.89 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG emissions from mobile combustion:
236.53 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG process emissions:
19.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG fugitive emissions:
587.78 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required:

Which of the following methods were used to quantify the institution’s scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Market-based

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of electricity (market-based):
7,139.49 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If using a location-based or dual reporting method, the following field is also required:

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of electricity (location-based):
---

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of heating and cooling:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
12,135.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Biogenic emissions 

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required: 

Does the institution’s GHG emissions accounting method separate out biogenic emissions for disclosure purposes?:
No

GHG emissions from biogenic sources:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel?:
Full accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel:
1,574.38 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from commuting?:
Full accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from commuting:
1,487.54 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services:
3,677.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from capital goods?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from capital goods:
4,632.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from fuel- and energy-related activities not included in scope 1 or scope 2?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from fuel- and energy-related activities not included in scope 1 or scope 2:
2,075.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from upstream transportation and distribution?:
Not at all

Scope 3 GHG emissions from upstream transportation and distribution:
---

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations?:
Full accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations:
459.02 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions in all other applicable categories identified in the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from other applicable categories identified in the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard:
---

If any scope 3 activities have been quantified, the following field is also required:

Description of the methodologies used to identify and account for the institution’s relevant scope 3 activities:

Business Travel is compiled using travel purchasing data from athletics, study abroad, and our general purchasing system for other business travel. 

Commuting is calculated by extrapolating survey data that asks for miles traveled and number of trips. 

Purchased goods and services is compiled from our general purchasing system, office supply contract, and dining service purchasing.

Capital goods is compiled from our general purchasing system, focusing on furniture, real estate, and construction materials. 


The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:

Points earned for indicator OP 6.1:
3

6.2 Greenhouse gas emissions per square meter

Peer group:
Baccalaureate colleges and boarding schools

Gross floor area of building space:
203,750 Square meters

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of floor area:
59.56 Kilograms per square meter

Points earned for indicator OP 6.2:
2.18

6.3 Greenhouse gas emissions per person

Full-time equivalent student enrollment:
2,514

Full-time equivalent of employees:
938

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following three figures:

Full-time equivalent students and employees:
3,452

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per person:
3,515.47 Kilograms of CO2 equivalent

Points earned for indicator OP 6.3:
2.07

6.4 Adjusted net greenhouse gas emissions

Carbon sinks

Report figures for the performance year. If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required. Non-additional sequestration does not qualify as a carbon sink for scoring purposes, but may be reported in the optional field provided. 

Third party certified carbon offsets:
224 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Description of the institution’s third party certified carbon offsets:

Offsets from UCapture.  July 1 2022-June 30 2023, UCapture officially retired 224 Carbon Offsets on behalf of Furman University from the following projects: 

Offset Project: Khonburi Wastewater Treatment

Project Type: Biogas from Wastewater

Project Location: Kornburi District, Thailand

Project Verifier: Verified Carbon Standard

Offset Vintage: 2011

Total Carbon Offsets: 224 MTCO2e

VCU Serial Numbers: 5566-246070001-246070224-VCU-018-APX-TH-13-82-01012011-31122011-0

Retirement Date: August 7, 2020

 

 

 


Carbon storage from on-site composting:
80.79 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Description of the institution’s carbon storage from on-site composting:

Furman maintains a robust compost system, composting all pre and post consumer food waste from the dining hall (275 tons in FY2023) collecting student compost from an opt-in residential composting program, and collecting grounds materials as well.  

 

 


Carbon sold or transferred:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration on institution-owned land:
---

Baseline emissions
Does the institution have baseline scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions data?:
Yes

Copy of the institution’s baseline GHG emissions inventory:
---

Online location of the institution’s baseline GHG emissions inventory:
https://unhsimap.org/public/institution/195

Baseline year for scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
2007

Narrative outlining when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

We began collecting data for GHG emissions in 2007. 


Baseline scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
19,767.59 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following four figures:

Net carbon sinks:
245.23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Adjusted net scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
11,830.61 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from baseline:
40.15

Points earned for indicator OP 6.4:
1.61

Optional documentation

Notes about the information provided for this credit:
---

Additional documentation for this credit:
---

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.