Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 60.56
Liaison Mari Acob-Nash
Submission Date Oct. 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

North Seattle College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.85 / 8.00 Adam Maurer
District Sustainability Coordinator
Finance and Ops
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 442.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 312 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 12.56 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 145.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 149 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 600.37 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 476 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

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 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

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

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
n/a

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 600.37 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 476 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2019 Jan. 1, 2008
End date Dec. 31, 2019 Dec. 31, 2008

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
As a state agency, the Seattle Colleges (including North Seattle College) are required to report annual greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the State Agency Climate Leadership Act. This act, passed in 2008, established greenhouse gas baseline dates and greenhouse gas reduction targets for all state agencies (2005 baseline for Seattle Colleges). However, we have set our GHG and energy baseline as 2008 for STARS considering the following; 1) this act was not passed until 2008, 2) we did not actively track or take any significant actions to mitigate our GHG emissions or utility usage until 2008, and 3) data reporting and tracking was not systematized until 2008. This will result in a more accurate and appropriate 2008 baseline.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 0 0
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,485 3,912.20
Full-time equivalent of employees 483 491.30
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 106.60 55.10
Weighted Campus Users 2,896.05 3,261.30

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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 0.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
653,167 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 78,578 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 3,709 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
814,032 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Seattle Colleges has set GHG emission reduction targets for 2020 (15% reduction), 2030 (45% reduction), 2040 (70% reduction), and 2050 (95% reduction), with a baseline of 2005 (3,995 MTCO2e) as mandated for WA State agencies.

Changed OCE&E boiler from gas to high efficient electric boiler.

Several North Seattle buildings participated and completed City of Seattle Building Tune Ups in 2019 (College Center, Instructional Building, Arts & Sciences, Library Building, Health Sciences and Student Resources (HSSR), and Opportunity Center for Employment & Education). These Tune Ups require buildings more than 50,000 square feet of non-residential space to identify and implement zero to low-investment energy-saving actions related to building operations and maintenance.

College Center- adjust building AHU-8 to run based on building usage. Replace faulty sensors.

Library- adjust morning start times on equipment to save energy. Fix or replace outside air dampers that do not fully close when commanded.

OCE&E- adjust morning start times on equipment to save energy. Fix or replace vestibule that is overheating.

Installed 4 new EV charger stations in early 2018.

Additionally, in early 2021, North underwent an Investment Grade Audit with an WA State approved Energy Service Company (ESCO) to identify more greenhouse gas emissions reductions opportunities. That assessment is being finalized in fall 2021 and we expect to start several energy and water efficiency projects as a result.

Lastly, North is applying for several grants to help fund a 96 kW solar PV system on campus.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
http://sustainability.seattlecolleges.edu/reporting-2/greenhouse-gas/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
NorthHistoricalEmissions.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
URL is for Seattle Colleges greenhouse gas summaries. NSC does not currently provide GHG summaries online, but they exist annually for 2005-2020.

CO2 numbers were derived using the Washington State Department of Ecology Greenhouse Gas Calculator and these numbers only include direct energy use emissions.

https://ecology.wa.gov/Air-Climate/Climate-change/Greenhouse-gases

In 2005, Seattle City Light (SCL) became the first electric utility in the country to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions. SCL has maintained that carbon neutral status every year since. The portion of NSC CO2e emissions from electricity has verified offsets built in, but we use a custom electricity emission factor, which represents actual electric grid emissions before offsets. http://www.seattle.gov/city-light/energy-and-environment/environment/climate-change-and-energy

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.