| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.66 |
| Liaison | Amber Saxton |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2024 |
George Mason University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 3.00 |
Amber
Saxton Sustainability Program Manager Office of Sustainability |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
George Mason's University Sustainability staff collected the necessary data and then used UNH's SIMAP platform to both calculate Mason's greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on the Scope, there were actual miles, pound, etc. used or at times dollar amounts were used in data.
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?:
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
SIMAP affiliates at the University of New Hampshire met with Mason sustainability staff to review and verify the greenhouse gas inventory; additionally, Mason is working with an outside contractor, Glumac/Bluestrike to analyze some of and verify all of Mason's greenhouse gas inventory as well as energy planning deliverables.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 24,573.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 1,768.18 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 33,305.25 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 5,243.78 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 12,988.43 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 699.45 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 | 9,853.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 23.77 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 2,832.47 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Similar to Scope 1 and 2, Mason used SIMAP to calculate its Scope 3 emissions. The inventory includes Faculty Commuting, Staff Commuting, Student Commuting, Directly Financed Air Travel, Other Directly Financed Travel, Study Abroad Air Travel, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Paper Purchasing, FERA, and T&D Losses. It is preliminary data as we need to rerun the Commuting Survey to check accuracy; and does not include Dining purchasing in Scope 3 which we hope to account for in future years with better data supplied. Travel data also needs improvement, as a preliminary per dollar placeholder was used, where miles traveled for air miles would be more accurate.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | --- |
| 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 | No |
| Area sources | No |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | Yes |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
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:
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.