| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.22 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Walker |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Oregon University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.37 / 10.00 |
Roxane
Beigel-Coryell Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator Facilities Management & Planning |
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 | Some |
| 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:
For the FY2016 GHG Inventory, SOU worked internally to collect, analyze, and report GHG emissions. The campus used the Clean Air Cool Planet excel calculator v9.
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:
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 | 3,171.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,264 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 91.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 207 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 6,942.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,865 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 | 10,205.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8,336 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, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 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):
The GHG emissions baseline of Fiscal Year 2008 was adopted in 2010 as a baseline to measure our interim targets against. FY08 is the first year the university has a fairly dependable GHG inventory for. The prior inventory for FY1990 was based off of many assumptions and estimates since data was not available for many of the emissions sources.
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 | 3,904.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 779.50 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 | 224 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon offsets | 555.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,904.90 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):
The institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated were generated from energy efficiency achieved through exemplary building practices and operations of two residence halls on campus. Each residence hall is LEED Gold Certified. The university works with residents to provide behavioral education to encourage sustainable living behaviors and employs energy efficiency measures in addition to renewable energy generation and green building features to reduce the buildings' energy use. The project generates carbon offsets based on the buildings' energy efficiencies that exceed specified performance standards, conforming to the Approved VCS Methodology: VM0025 Version 1.0, February 2014; and Module VMD0039, Version 1.0, February 2014.
A portion of the carbon offsets generated for 2016 (224 MTCO2e) have been transferred to BP Target Neutral. This sale is part of Second Nature’s Carbon Credit & Purchasing Program - C2P2 (http://secondnature.org/carbon-credit-purchasing-program/). Proceeds from the sale will be invested in additional carbon mitigation projects on campus to accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality.
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 | 9,649.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,431.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,068 | 1,008 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 2 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 4,200 | 3,764.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 684 | 596.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 191 | 203 |
| Weighted campus users | 3,787.25 | 3,370.50 |
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 | 2.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 1.31 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 | 27,717 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 11,016 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 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 | 2,741.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 4,028.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | --- |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | --- |
| Waste generated in operations | 10 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:
Southern Oregon University is working diligently to reduce GHG emissions in each scope. The university recently entered a partnership with the local transit district to greatly improve outreach to students about their transportation options. The university also expanded the campus bike rental fleet from five bikes to more than thirty. The Facilities Department works throughout the year to reduce energy use on campus through conservation and efficiency, with everything from lighting retrofits to equipment upgrades and building envelope improvements. Finally, the university is steadily renovating older campus buildings to improve energy efficiency. In the last three years the campus has completed major renovations of three campus buildings and is currently working on two more.
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.