Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.71
Liaison Matthew Harmin
Submission Date May 14, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Goucher College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.82 / 10.00 William Lederer
Special Assistant to the President; Chair of Goucher Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council
President's Office
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Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

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Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
Yes or No
Business travel Yes
Commuting Yes
Purchased goods and services No
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No
Waste generated in operations No

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Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
No

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A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Two years after signing the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment in 2007, the Goucher Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee began work on the college's greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory. In May 2011, GESAC worked to complete the college's first Climate Action Plan (CAP), which set a goal to reduce Goucher's GHG emissions 20 percent by 2020. An external firm was hired to aid this process.

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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

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A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
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Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 2,766.08 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3,331 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 127.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 131 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 5,483 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5,410 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
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 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
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
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A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
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A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
At Goucher, an external company called Waste Neutral picks up our food waste, takes it off campus, processes it at their site, and gives the college credit for how much compost we are due back.

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A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
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Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 1,208 1,208
Number of residential employees 10 10
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 1,821.40 1,821.40
Full-time equivalent of employees 555 555
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 236 236

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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Oct. 26, 2009 April 14, 2013
Baseline Year Oct. 26, 2009 April 14, 2013

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A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
This was the year Goucher formed a committee to conduct the GHG inventory.

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Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,062,216 Square feet

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Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 32,984 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

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Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 934 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 507 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
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 (please specify below) ---

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A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
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A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
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The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
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A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Goucher has committed to a 20/20 plan, meaning the college will reduce its GHG emissions 20% by 2020. The effort toward this goal has been a global one, with new buildings being LEED certified, hiring of a food service company that focuses on sustainability, implementation of initiatives to promote sustainable commuting, and many other such efforts.

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.