| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.59 |
| Liaison | Delicia Nahman |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2020 |
Lafayette College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.29 / 8.00 |
Scott
Kennedy Director of Facilities Operations Finance & Administrative |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 9,891.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 11,940 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 491.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 351 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 11,964.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 15,130 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 22,346.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 27,421 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 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 storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 22,346.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 27,421 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2018 | July 1, 2007 |
| End date | June 30, 2019 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Lafayette College’s baseline year is 2007, the year prior to the signing of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,409 | 2,139 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 53 | 10 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 4 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,672 | 2,483 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 874 | 750 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 3,279 | 2,962 |
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 | 6.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9.26 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 115,443 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 5,228 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 6,000 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
According to the results, the principle sources of greenhouse gases are the purchased
utilities of electricity, fossil fuels utilized by the central heating plant and transportation.
Lafayette’s carbon footprint can be reduced in three basic ways:
Efficiencies: Increasing the efficiency of equipment for current operations that
produce high greenhouse gases, meaning reducing the current and future
consumption of fossil fuels as a whole.
a. Building and system design (new buildings all reviewed and considered
candidates for LEED design and/or accreditation)
b. Building and system operation (existing buildings will receive consideration
for efficient modernization as budgets allow)
c. Central system operation (chilled water and electricity will receive
consideration for efficient modernization as budgets allow)
d. Equipment purchasing and operation (all upgrades and replacements shall
take full advantage of latest Energy Code recommendations)
By performing energy analyses of current buildings and plant operations,
recommendations can be made to reduce the impact of these contributors.
Renewables: Switching to carbon-free sources of energy or energy sources such
as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass will continue to receive the attention of
the campus planners with the intent to include whenever feasible.
Offsets: Purchasing or producing carbon offsets either through tradable RECs or
through more direct projects will be considered in the future. Offsets like the wind
purchase are an intermediate technique, and should only be employed after
improvements through efficiencies and renewables have been fully exploited. It
would also be helpful to develop real incentives for investments in these strategies.
This will be especially important in both revising the current scheme of utility cost
allocation through individual building metering and in developing new techniques
for funding such projects. To date, the College has a standing policy to make all
possible efficiency improvements to the physical plant, prior to considering
“accounting measures” such as RECs.
Mitigation strategies for Lafayette College should be focused on its major sources of GHG emissions, which are purchased off-site utilities (including T&D losses), on-site steam plant fuel consumption and emissions. These operations offer the largest potential for mitigation efforts.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions 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.