Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Mark Bremer
Submission Date April 6, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Mark Bremer
Lecturer & Green Team Chair
Arts & Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
Yes or No
Business travel Yes
Commuting Yes
Purchased goods and services No
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No
Waste generated in operations Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
No

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
The Clear Air-Cool Planet Carbon Calculator was used based on recommendations by AASHE and ACUPCC.

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?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 1,963.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,716.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,126.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 4,325 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,560 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
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 88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
---

A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
Google Earth, and AutoCAD were used to determine the area of the amount of preserved forest on the SUNY Poly Utica campus. Out of the 850 acres within the campus boundaries, there are approximately 440 acres that will not experience construction or changes within the next ten years. From this preserved acreage, the value was multiplied by 0.2, the value representing the amount of metric tons of CO2 per acre that can be “extracted” from the atmosphere per year from the average forest density.

A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
---

A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
---

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 512 443
Number of residential employees 3 3
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 1,703 1,476
Full-time equivalent of employees 254 262
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 234 201

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010
Baseline Year July 1, 2002 June 30, 2003

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
In Fall 2011, a class project for an undergraduate Environmental Sustainability course yielded SUNY Poly's first-ever comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The Clear Air-Cool Planet carbon calculator was used in the inventory to quantify emissions from all areas of SUNY Poly’s operations. The report covered most emissions from 2001 - 2010 and made projections to 2020. Emissions data for refrigerants and chemicals was not available for years prior to 2010. Emissions data from faculty commuting and directly financed travel was not available prior to 2003.

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
677,953 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 0 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 58.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 4,432.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 173.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 427.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Estimated Scope 2 Transmission and Distribution Losses.

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
---

The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Installed two electric vehicle charging stations at Student Center in November, 2013. Charging is free and open to the public. Major energy efficiency improvements to the campus facilities include improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning; lighting and lighting controls; and energy efficient building shells.

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.