Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.96
Liaison Briar Schoon
Submission Date June 30, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Portland Community College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.25 / 10.00 Stephania Fregosi
Sustainability Analyst
Academic Affairs
"---" 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 All
Capital goods All
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories All

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:
We track all scope emission sources internally and use Good Company's Carbon Calculator to calculate GHGs. (Note: Cannot attach our complete report because the reporting tool and calculator are proprietary to Good Company.) Scope 3 emissions detail: Business Travel- Payroll provides mileage reimbursement totals and Account Payable provides travel documentation Commute - Annual commute survey completed by Westside Transportation Alliance Purchased Goods and Services - Accounting provides purchasing data and we use EIO LCA to determine emissions Capital Goods - same as above Waste generated- data is received from all haulers

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 2,486 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12,197 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 11,050 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10,761 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 13,536 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,958 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, 2014 June 30, 2015
Baseline Year July 1, 2005 June 30, 2006

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):
2006 is the adopted baseline because that is the year the college adopted it's Sustainability Policy.

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 4 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 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 4 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 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):
Our Rock Creek campus composts over 14,000 pounds of waste every year. Our Sylvania campus composts over 6,000 pounds a year.

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:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 13,532 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,958 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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 and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 28,019 22,808
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 2,381 3,314
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,933 0
Weighted campus users 21,350.25 19,591.50

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 0.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1.17 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
45.91

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
232,552.10 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 0 Square meters
Healthcare space 0 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 0 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
232,552.10 Gross square meters

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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 1,293 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 23,118 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 18,945 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 20,534 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 438 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
These are listed in our Climate Action Plan. Link below.

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:
The college has seen significant savings in scope 1 emissions due to a large decrease in natural gas consumption since 2006. This is attributed to removing old natural gas boilers and replacing these with more efficient boilers (reduced natural gas consumption by more than 40%), utility loop upgrades and building renovations district-wide.

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.