| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.23 |
| Liaison | Michael Chapman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 8, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Nova Scotia Community College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.60 / 10.00 |
Kirk
Herman Environmental Engineer Facilities and Engineering |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | Yes |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | No |
| Capital goods | No |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | No |
| Waste generated in operations | No |
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
No
None
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Greenhouse gas emission for each campus are tracked and reported in NSCC's Annual Sustainability Report. The reported emissions are based on usage of fuel oil, natural gas, propane, and other fuels in stationary sources such as campus boilers and furnaces. The emissions also include carbon dioxide generated by campus fleet vehicles. This report is made public on NSCC's sustainability webpage:
http://www.nscc.ca/explorenscc/sustainability/
Reported emissions were broken down into scope 1 and scope 2 based on available data.
None
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
None
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
NSCC updates the greenhouse gas inventory every year, to report in the Annual Sustainability Report. Information is compiled by NSCC Central Facilities staff in liaison with NSCC campus staff, and is verified by Jim Farrell, Manager of Physical Plant.
None
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 6,030 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8,427 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 14,168 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 21,856 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| 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 | 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 |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
NSCC is committed to the continuous development of the social, economic, cultural and environmental sustainability of the College and our community Partners. Each campus has a different way of offsetting local emissions. Some examples include a green roof at our Waterfront Campus, gardens at various campuses across the province, annual tree planting, handing out saplings on Earth Day for students and staff to plant, purchasing power credits from Bullfrog Power, and the protection of older trees during new construction.
None
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
---
None
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
---
None
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
---
None
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 200 | 180 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 10,420 | 9,976 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,713 | 1,633 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 317 | 63 |
None
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | April 1, 2015 | March 31, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | April 1, 2008 | March 31, 2009 |
None
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The 2008/2009 baseline is used because this was the first year that NSCC began tracking GHG emission data for Scope 1 and 2 emission sources.
None
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
2,768,416
Square feet
None
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 171,933 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 483,421 Square feet |
None
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 268.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 2,365 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 | --- |
| Other categories (please specify below) | --- |
None
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
---
None
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
---
None
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
None
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Cycling
Staff and students are encouraged to use alternative means of transportation, including bicycling to the campus. All NSCC campuses have designated areas for staff and students to lock their bicycles. The metro campuses, as well as many of the rural campuses, provide shower facilities.
Carpooling
Carpooling is offered at various campuses across the province. Carpool passes are available at a discounted rate. Three students/employees are required in order to qualify for a carpool pass.
At every campus, there is a carpool bulletin board outside of the Student Association office. The board has signup sheets where students can match up with people travelling from their area.
All students can also sign up for NSCC social networking. Through this social network site, they can connect with other students looking to carpool. http://www.nsccstudentassociation.ca/.
Idle Free
NSCC has been an active participant in the Idle Free Campaign since 2009. Idle free signage provided by DriveWiser is posted in the Shipping & Receiving areas as well as drop off points on the campus.
U-Pass Student Bus Pass
Universal bus passes (U-Pass) from Halifax Transit are provided to all full-time students at our Akerley, Aviation, IT and Waterfront campuses. This system encourages students to take public transportation.
The U-Pass lets students ride Halifax Transit buses, ferries, and Community Transit buses from September to May. In addition to regular ferry and bus routes, U-Pass holders are also permitted to use Halifax Transit's "Park & Ride" lots (with the exception of the Woodside Ferry lot) to park for free, and catch the bus from there.
Find out more about the U-Pass at NSCC.
Car Share Halifax
Our NSCC IT Campus in Halifax has a CarShareHFX fleet vehicle on campus. It is available for any member of CarShare to use. It can be used by students or staff members of the CarShare program as well as CarShare members in the community.
Visit Carshare Halifax for more information.
Telecommuting
College employees are encouraged to use video conference, conference calling or other communication tools in lieu of travelling when reasonable and feasible to do so.
The following is taken from the NSCC Travel and Reimbursement Policy, August 31, 2011:
“College employees are encouraged to use the most economical form of travel when reasonable and feasible, and when the use of video conference, conference calling or other communication tools is not an option.”
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Commuting value calculated for employees driving alone (no car pooling or public transit) using an average fuel efficiency of 19 MPG (average of company vehicles) for 195 working days. A transportation survey was conducted, wherein employees were asked how long it takes to drive from their homes to their respective campuses each morning, and an average driving speed of 33km/h was assumed, based on empirical driving data for rural areas. These statistics were used to calculate gallons of gasoline used, and CO2 emitted.
Business travel related GHG emissions were collected by requesting rental vehicle data from Enterprise Car Rentals, which is NSCC's primary rental vehicle associate. Enterprise provided a list of total distance driven (km) both for individual campuses as well as NSCC as a whole. Using an average fuel efficiency of 19 MPG (average of company vehicles), the GHG emissions for business travel were calculated.
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.