Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.15
Liaison Paul Scanlon
Submission Date Feb. 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Slippery Rock University
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Paul Scanlon
Special Assistant to the President
President's Office/Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and/or guidelines in place to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources?:
Yes

A brief description of the policies and/or guidelines to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources:

As addressed in SRU's Strategic Plan Trend 5, one of Slippery Rock's sustainability goals is to "encourage reduction of fossil fuels used in the motor pool by moving to alternative energy sources as they develop." Positive outcomes from implementing this element of the strategic plan include a demonstration program that creates biodiesel from used cooking oil collected from our dining halls, the implementation of a no-idling policy for all University vehicles that was added to our Energy Conservation Policy in 2013, and the purchase of three electric utility vehicles to replace pickup trucks previously used by our maintenance and grounds crews.


Has the institution completed an inventory of significant air emissions from stationary sources on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:

SRU completes its annual air emissions inventory in compliance with the requirements of the PA Department of Environmental Protection's Title V Operating Permit for our central heating plant and miscellaneous emissions sources, which includes all Federal and State air quality requirements that apply to the University.

Vehicle fuel use is also tracked as part of our greenhouse gas inventory process, and helps measure the success in reducing air emissions from SRU fleet vehicles.


Weight of the following categories of air emissions from stationary sources::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 16.59 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 51.46 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 9.16 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 21.97 Tons
Ozone (O3) ---
Lead (Pb) 0.01 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 0.92 Tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) 0.02 Tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations 11,442 Tons

A brief description of the institution’s initiatives to minimize air pollutant emissions from stationary sources, including efforts made during the previous three years:

The amount of coal burned in the central plant has been consistently reduced each year, from 56% during the baseline year to 32% in FY 2015 (on an mmBtu/year basis) due to the addition of gas co-firing capability and increased use of natural gas fuel in general.


The website URL where information about the institution’s outdoor air quality policies, guidelines or inventory is available:
---

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.