Overall Rating Reporter
Overall Score
Liaison Meghan Johnson-Bey
Submission Date March 6, 2025

STARS v3.0

Towson University
OP-6: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

6.1 Greenhouse gas emissions inventory and disclosure

Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions inventory
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Copy of the institution’s GHG emissions inventory:
---

Online location of the institution’s GHG emissions inventory:
https://unhsimap.org/public/institution/22

Performance year for scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
2024

Description of the methodology or calculator used to conduct the scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions inventory:

Towson University conducts a greenhouse gas inventory annually. Data requests are sent to colleagues across campus. Collected data is then input into the University of New Hampshire’s SIMAP calculator. Gordian also provides a third-party review and analysis of all greenhouse gas data.

SIMAP® (Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform) is a carbon and nitrogen-accounting platform that offers campuses a simple, comprehensive, and affordable online tool to track, analyze, and improve campus-wide sustainability. The mission of SIMAP®  is to help institutions, colleges and universities track their footprints so they can meet their sustainability goals as effectively and efficiently as possible. 

SIMAP’s algorithms are based on the standards in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and nearly two decades of work supporting campus inventories with the Campus Carbon Calculator, CarbonMAP, and Nitrogen Footprint Tool.


Scope 1 GHG emissions

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required:

Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion:
12,722.08 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG emissions from mobile combustion:
556.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG process emissions:
0.59 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 1 GHG fugitive emissions:
1,632.09 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required:

Which of the following methods were used to quantify the institution’s scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Market-based

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of electricity (market-based):
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If using a location-based or dual reporting method, the following field is also required:

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of electricity (location-based):
---

Scope 2 GHG emissions from off-site sources of heating and cooling:
124.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
15,035.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Biogenic emissions 

If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required: 

Does the institution’s GHG emissions accounting method separate out biogenic emissions for disclosure purposes?:
Yes

GHG emissions from biogenic sources:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel:
2,139.18 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from commuting?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from commuting:
16,394.31 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services:
59.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from capital goods?:
Not at all

Scope 3 GHG emissions from capital goods:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from fuel- and energy-related activities not included in scope 1 or scope 2?:
Full accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from fuel- and energy-related activities not included in scope 1 or scope 2:
6,260.89 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from upstream transportation and distribution?:
Not at all

Scope 3 GHG emissions from upstream transportation and distribution:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations?:
Full accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations:
1,633.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Within the previous three years, to what extent has the institution quantified its scope 3 GHG emissions in all other applicable categories identified in the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard?:
Partial accounting

Scope 3 GHG emissions from other applicable categories identified in the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard:
180.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If any scope 3 activities have been quantified, the following field is also required:

Description of the methodologies used to identify and account for the institution’s relevant scope 3 activities:

Towson University conducts a greenhouse gas inventory annually. Data requests are sent to colleagues across campus. Collected data is then input into the University of New Hampshire’s SIMAP calculator. Gordian also provides a third-party review and analysis of all greenhouse gas data.

Towson University currently reports the following Scope 3 categories: Faculty commuting (estimate), Staff commuting (estimate), directly financed air travel (estimate), other directly financed travel (estimate), study abroad air travel, solid waste, waste water, paper purchasing, T&D losses, and FERA. Due to a change in financial platform in 2023, TU no longer has a system for tracking business travel. We are working to find a solution and currently are estimating business travel based on previous years. 

 


The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:

Points earned for indicator OP 6.1:
2.63

6.2 Greenhouse gas emissions per square meter

Peer group:
Master’s colleges and universities

Gross floor area of building space:
487,836 Square meters

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of floor area:
30.82 Kilograms per square meter

Points earned for indicator OP 6.2:
3.13

6.3 Greenhouse gas emissions per person

Full-time equivalent student enrollment:
16,661

Full-time equivalent of employees:
2,710

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following three figures:

Full-time equivalent students and employees:
19,371

Annual scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per person:
776.19 Kilograms of CO2 equivalent

Points earned for indicator OP 6.3:
3.34

6.4 Adjusted net greenhouse gas emissions

Carbon sinks

Report figures for the performance year. If claiming points for a scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory, the following information is required. Non-additional sequestration does not qualify as a carbon sink for scoring purposes, but may be reported in the optional field provided. 

Third party certified carbon offsets:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Description of the institution’s third party certified carbon offsets:
---

Carbon storage from on-site composting:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Description of the institution’s carbon storage from on-site composting:
---

Carbon sold or transferred:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration on institution-owned land:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Baseline emissions
Does the institution have baseline scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions data?:
Yes

Copy of the institution’s baseline GHG emissions inventory:
---

Online location of the institution’s baseline GHG emissions inventory:
https://unhsimap.org/public/institution/22

Baseline year for scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
2008

Narrative outlining when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

2008 was chosen because it was the first full fiscal year following TU's signing of the ACUPCC in 2007. 


Baseline scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
50,911 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following four figures:

Net carbon sinks:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Adjusted net scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
15,035.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from baseline:
70.47

Points earned for indicator OP 6.4:
2.82

Optional documentation

Notes about the information provided for this credit:
---

Additional documentation for this credit:
---

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.