| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.93 |
| Liaison | Emily Zabanah |
| Submission Date | Feb. 1, 2024 |
Seneca Polytechnic
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.29 / 3.00 |
Courtney
Hayes Sustainability Specialist - Operations Office of Sustainability |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
The energy and emissions audit was completed by an external third-party organization that worked closely with Seneca’s Facility Management, Energy Manager and the Operations Specialist of the Office of Sustainability to ensure a complete and accurate methodology that reflects best practices. The audit will result in data required to effectively report for STARS and annual sustainability reports while providing useful data for the baseline of energy and emissions-related projects.
See detailed methodology in the attached report, beginning at page 16.
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?:
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
The energy and emissions audit was completed by an external third party organization, Footprint, that worked closely with Seneca’s Facility Management, Energy Manager and the Operations Specialist of the Office of Sustainability to ensure a complete and accurate methodology that reflects best practices and will result in data required to effectively report for STARS and annual sustainability reports while providing useful data for the baseline of energy and emissions related projects.
The data quality for each of the emission estimates was qualitatively evaluated based on the criteria outlined on the following page as provided in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard 2
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 6,420.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 1,356.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 873.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | --- | --- |
| Commuting | Yes | 20,617.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 1,700.11 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | No | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | No | --- |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 262.47 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 531.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
See the following comments from the audit:
“For the purposes of this report we will be using the Operational Control boundary approach. As such, emissions from any asset the polytechnic controls are included in its direct emissions (scope 1). This includes buildings, fleet vehicles and aircrafts. In addition, emissions from the generation of purchased electricity that is consumed in its owned and controlled equipment or operations are included as scope 2 emissions. Emissions from assets the polytechnic wholly or partially owns but does not control (e.g., investments, solid waste, commuting, etc.) are included in the scope 3 inventory”
“This study quantified the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from many aspects of the polytechnic operations and it was found that the data quality was lower for the majority of scope 3 emissions where the polytechnic doesn’t have control.”
Minimum Boundaries of Scope 3 Categories
Minimum boundaries have been identified in the GHG Protocol for each scope 3 category. The purpose of the minimum boundaries is to provide standardization of the category boundaries and guidance on the activities to be accounted for. Food services, paper products and electronics items will be included in the scope 3 category of purchased goods and service. For this category the minimum boundary includes all upstream (cradle-to-gate) emissions of the purchased products and services. This boundary is used to capture the GHG emissions of products wherever they occur in the life cycle, from raw material extraction through purchase by the reporting company in the inventory. Waste generation (gate-to-grave) is included in the scope 3 category of waste generated in operations. The minimum boundary in this case includes the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions of waste management companies that occur during disposal or treatment. For these categories, the major emissions related to the scope 3 category result from scope 1 and scope 2 activities of the provider. For student and employee commuting the minimum boundary includes the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions of the student/employee. For this category, the major emissions related to the scope 3 category result from scope 1 and scope 2 activities of the fuel consumed in the vehicle.
Quantification Methods
The two main methods for quantifying emissions are direct measurement and calculation. For this report, the calculation method is used to estimate emissions. The following two types of data are used to calculate emissions: – Activity Data: A quantitative measure of an activity that results in GHG emissions. Examples of activity data include kilowatt-hours of electricity consumed, litres of fuel consumed, kilograms of waste generated, etc. – Emission Factors: An emission factor is a factor that converts activity data into GHG emissions data. Examples of emission factors may include kg-CO2e emitted per liter of fuel consumed, kg-CH4 emitted per tonne of waste generated, etc.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 0 Metric tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 0 Metric tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 0 Metric tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0 Metric tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Metric tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Metric tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 0 Metric tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Metric tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 0 Metric tons |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | No |
| Area sources | No |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
N/A
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.