Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.74
Liaison Kristyn Achilich
Submission Date May 11, 2021

STARS v2.2

Saint Michael's College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.26 / 8.00 Karen Talentino
Professor of Biology
Biology
"---" 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 1,604 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5,674.85 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 imported electricity 4,427.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,718.70 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 6,031.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 14,393.55 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 8.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10.30 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 8.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10.30 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):
The college has its own composting program on-site; compost is used in campus landscaping.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 6,022.33 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 14,383.25 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, 2015
End date June 30, 2019 June 30, 2016

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Data going back to 2005-2015 have been collected in the same way and are verifiable. We did not calculate GHG emissions from 2016 until our performance year. In the future, we will try to do this on an annual basis.

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 1,613 2,000
Number of employees resident on-site 10 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 10 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,793 2,167
Full-time equivalent of employees 442 452
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted Campus Users 2,092 2,464.25

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 2.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
50.68

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,415,000 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 56,370 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 52,565 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,580,305 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:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
A number of things changed on campus between our baseline and performance years. First and foremost, we stopped using our North Campus residence halls, which were large old military buildings that were extremely costly to heat and used a great deal of electricity. We used oil as heating fuel. With a smaller student body, and the use of more energy efficient heating, cooling and electricity on our main campus, we have clearly had a significant impact on our GHG emissions. We have invested in two solar arrays, one on campus which we use directly, and another community-based solar array in which we invested, and receive some credits from. In addition, we have invested in two geothermal installations that provide heating and hot water for two large residence halls and our new student center. In addition, we have invested in many energy-efficient initiatives on campus, such as LED lights and energy-saving equipment.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The data for electricity and natural gas use was obtained directly from Green Mountain Power and Vermont Natural Gas. The UNH SIMAP system was used for calculation of emissions.

Weighted campus users for this credit are the numbers for our performance year, 2018-19. They are not the same numbers as reported in PRE-5, which reflect "the most recent data available within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission"; we used 2020-21 data for that section.

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.