Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.40
Liaison Dayna Cook
Submission Date Nov. 6, 2023

STARS v2.2

Northern Arizona University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.32 / 8.00 Dayna McKay
Data Analyst
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 20,626.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,466.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,675.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,655.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 23,751.86 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 46,053.58 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 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 14.18 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 14.18 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):
Compost: NAU tracks the weight of compost generated each year. This weight is entered into SIMAP, and the report generates MTCDE. FY 2023, we composted 96,476.00 pounds of organic waste from waste to soil, which is then sold to community members or used around campus.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 46,039.40 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, 2022 July 1, 2004
End date June 30, 2023 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 four 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 9,685 6,053
Number of employees resident on-site 36 15
Number of other individuals resident on-site 16 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 28,093 12,523
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,247 2,202
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 4,081 4,104
Weighted Campus Users 22,890.50 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 2.01 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:
63.98

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
7,051,851 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 110,269 Square feet
Healthcare space 23,803 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 118,033 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
7,438,028 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 achieved a 13.04% reduction in overall emissions, with a significant 27.63% decrease in emissions from imported electricity. Despite a rise in student population by 3,632 and campus size, emissions per person and per square footage decreased. In 2023, NAU made investments in energy reduction, appointing key roles like Chief Sustainability Officer, Sustainability Data Analyst, Energy/Water Manager, and Conservation Program Coordinator. These roles will focus on cutting carbon footprint through behavior change and data-backed improvements. A Green Seed Investment Fund of $500,000 was initiated for greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. Upgrading campus meters in FY 2024 is planned to enhance consumption tracking for effective reduction efforts.

Note: AZNM's emissions factor has dropped due to the closure of coal plants in the past 15 years.

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:
Information in this submission is from the fiscal year 2023. These have been updated in the Second Nature Carbon Commitment emissions inventory.
Information provided by: Dayna.Cook@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.