Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.48
Liaison Dayna Cook
Submission Date Sept. 28, 2020

STARS v2.2

Northern Arizona University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.30 / 8.00 Matthew Muchna
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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 22,199.31 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,466.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,728.16 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,655.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 30,263.53 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 32,822.72 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 54,191 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 52,944.93 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 10,254 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 10,254 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):
REC - Green-e U.S. Wind. Certified under Green-e Energy National Standard v3.3

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 43,937 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 52,944.93 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 July 1, 2018 July 1, 2004
End date June 30, 2019 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
2005 has been the used baseline year in our last three STARS submissions.

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 9,834 6,053
Number of employees resident on-site 18 15
Number of other individuals resident on-site 1 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 30,512 12,523
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,455.67 2,202
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 9,345.67 4,104
Weighted Campus Users 20,930.50 9,482.75

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 2.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
62.40

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
6,884,770 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 112,948 Square feet
Healthcare space 19,799 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 180,380 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
7,330,644 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:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
The campus has an overall reduction of campus electricity consumption per square foot by 20% and its natural gas use per square foot by 31% since 2002. During this time there was an overall increase in the student population of 6,750 and an increase in campus square footage of 50%. (Last updated 2015)
In 2014, NAU made a 18 million dollar investment in a campus wide energy efficiency retrofit and conservation program
NAU purchases 15% of our electricity from renewable energy sources. Renewable Energy Certificates
We've completed a $68,883 investment in a biomass feasibility study to determine the potential for bringing a biomass plant to campus and are currently assessing next steps
Faculty and staff can become Energy Mentors and help NAU use resources more efficiently
Faculty, staff, and students can join the Energy Action Team which mission is to help NAU reach climate neutrality
We've recently installed an EnergyCap program that will monitor the energy and water use of campus buildings to help in detecting problem buildings and to help educate building occupants
NAU has installed 21 electric vehicle charging stations across campus
We have multiple sources of renewable energy on campus: four wind turbines (at the ARD building, outside the HRM, and two turbines at the Solar Shack). We also have a 163 kWh solar field on south campus, multiple installations of solar hot water heaters, and an innovative installation of solar hot air heaters.

In 2019, we renovated the Science Annex instead of a demolition and reconstruction project.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
http://nau.edu/Green-NAU/SAP-Energy---Climate/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information in this submission is from the fiscal year 2019 and most scope 3 emissions are from fiscal year 2019. These have been updated in the Second Nature Carbon Commitment emissions inventory.
Information provided by: Jonathan.Heitzinger@nau.edu
Jim.Biddle@nau.edu

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.