Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.79
Liaison Yumiko Jakobcic
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Grand Valley State University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.07 / 10.00 Yumiko Jakobcic
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability Practices
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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 None
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations None
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories None

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:
GVSU has utilized the Clean Air Cool Planet excel spreadsheet and is transitioning to the WRI's Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
As part of our internal verification process, the data is provided by various departments and then analyzed by the Office of Sustainability Practices. We also had our Scope 1 and Scope 2 data audited by an external third party as part of our partnership with Chevrolet's Campus Clean Energy Efficiency Campaign.

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 14,438 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 14,369 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 376 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 546 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 40,400 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 41,579 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 880 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 768 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 56,094 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 57,262 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, 2005 June 30, 2006

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):
GVSU's President signed the ACUPCC agreement in 2007 because sustainability is one of the university's seven formal values.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 1,127 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 sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration 181 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 181 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting 0 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 1,308 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 181 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

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

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

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 54,786 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 57,081 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 6,223 5,662
Number of employees resident on-site 26 25
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 24,415 23,674
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 2,416 1,879
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 836 371.50
Weighted campus users 21,058.50 20,307.88

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 2.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2.81 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
7.44

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
5,665,417 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 100,067 Square feet
Healthcare space 1,739 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 191,283 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
6,060,312 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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 2,707 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 26,636 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 8.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
GVSU has committed to limiting GHG emissions across all major fronts. This includes construction and maintenance of buildings according to LEED standards and the promotion of sustainable transportation options.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.