| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.15 |
| Liaison | Sara McIntyre |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Sewanee - The University of the South
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.56 / 10.00 |
Nick
Cookson Sustainability Program Manager Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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 | None |
| Capital goods | None |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Some |
| Other categories | None |
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 utilized SIMAP to complete our GHG inventory.
We accounted for the following Scope 3 emissions:
Waste - via data collected from waste hauler
Business Travel - via an estimation calculated by students
Commuting - via a mix of a survey for Faculty/Staff on mode of transportation and an estimation method that uses zip codes and a program (cdxzipstream) to determine mileage for commuters.
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 internal and/or external verification process:
Sustainability Fellows participate in gathering and recording data, as well as reviewing data for validity.
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):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 2,490 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,013 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 880 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 708 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 5,828 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 11,227 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 | 9,198 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 14,948 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 | Jan. 1, 2008 | Dec. 31, 2008 |
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):
N/A
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 | 0 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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
N/A
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:
We purchase 747,000 kWh of RECs, but this is included in our SIMAP calculations per the statement above
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions | 9,198 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 14,948 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,626 | 1,480 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 15 | 18 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 5 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,725 | 1,538 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 712 | 548 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,243 | 1,939 |
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 | 4.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 28,341 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 51,201 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 385.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 1,687.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | --- |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 332.87 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 2,647.40 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:
The University of the South has a Sustainability Master Plan (SMP) that lays out Institutional Goals and Operational Strategies; of which, emissions reductions is a large portion. http://www.sewanee.edu/provost/2013-sustainability-master-plan/
The University has created a revolving green fund to spur operational efficiencies and continual improvement. Gains from this are reported via The US Department of Energy's Better Building Challenge https://betterbuildingsinitiative.energy.gov/partners/university-south
These include: Lighting upgrades, digital thermostats, a massive water cooler/heater upgrade and other minor upgrades (fixtures).
Additionally, the University has laid out its path to Carbon Neutrality via Second Nature and the Climate Action Plan http://reporting.secondnature.org/dashboard/dashboard/##3715
There is a 3 pronged approach that includes: Building efficiency measures, investing in renewable energy and carbon sequestration via the Domain forest. Per the above info, you can see that the University is working hard at increasing building efficiencies. Additionally, the University has invested in feasibility studies for solar and biomass energy sources and is continuing its search for optimal renewable energy. Finally, the University is continuing to evaluate the use of some, or all, of the Domain forest (>10,000 acres) as sequestration and is committed to evaluating the first two prior to fully supporting this route.
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 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.