Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.29
Liaison Samuel Crowl
Submission Date Feb. 20, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Ohio University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.16 / 10.00 Vince Weatherstein
Director of Energy Management
Facilities Management & Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
All, Some, or None
Business travel All
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services Some
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories Some

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:
SIMAP was used for the first time for this submission. Emails were sent to departments around campus to request information. Gathered information was checked and entered into SIMAP. Public notes are included in SIMAP that explain how each category of Scope 3 emissions was accounted for. The "Annual Report 2017" file downloaded from SIMAP is attached.

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?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 40,284.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 62,160.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,640.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,186.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 27,683.26 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 77,756.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 69,608.43 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 142,103.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2016 June 30, 2017
Baseline Year July 1, 2011 June 30, 2012

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Facilities Management, after reviewing older data, decided that only data from FY12 to the present was verifiable and accurate. They have therefore asked us to use FY12 as our baseline in greenhouse gas emissions calculations. This baseline will be recommended as the official baseline for our Sustainability and Climate Action Plan updates in 2018.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 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 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 192.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 195.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon offsets 192.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 195.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Ohio University owns and operates an in-vessel composting system from Wright Environmental. All pre-consumer food waste and much of the post-consumer food waste generated at Ohio University is composted in our composting system.

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
Ohio University purchases 50% of our Athens campus electricity through RECs. AEP Energy supplies the Green-e certified RECs. In FY17 the RECs were from wind projects outside of PJM.

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 69,415.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 141,908.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,606 7,296
Number of employees resident on-site 29 22
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 5 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 24,654 19,834
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,823 3,302
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 3,573 0
Weighted campus users 20,591.75 19,181.50

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 3.37 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
54.43

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
8,348,057 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 241,795 Square feet
Healthcare space 28,764 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 290,932.80 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
9,180,107.80 Gross square feet

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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 6,271.43 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 17,307.83 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 99.74 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 2,895.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 6,604.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Ohio University has drastically reduced emissions in the past three years by switching heating fuel from coal to natural gas in November 2015, by conducting steam tunnel repairs in summer 2015 and 2016, and by purchasing RECs for 50% of our electricity usage beginning in 2016. Efforts have also been made to decrease commuting emissions by creating a free bus pass for Ohio University students, staff and faculty on our local transit system as of fall 2016, and to decrease fleet vehicle emissions by purchasing electric vehicles in 2015 and 2016. Our Zero Waste team continues its good work in recycling and decreasing landfill waste by promoting Zero Waste events on campus.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data is from FY17 (baseline FY12). Emissions data was calculated by the SIMAP database from the University of New Hampshire. Because this is the first year that SIMAP is available for use, we are not yet able to enter our paper and food data in the format desired. Therefore we are not reporting Scope 3 emissions for paper and food in this submission. SIMAP's downloaded "Annual Report 2017" file is attached. Population and space data copied from other credits on 2/3/18

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.