Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.83
Liaison C Jane Hagen
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Joseph Costa
Sustainability Projects and Program Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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

None
A brief description of the policies and/or guidelines to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources:
VCU hired our 1st Full-Time Fleet Manager in August, 2013 to focus on minimizing air pollutant emissions from our equipment and vehicles that are utilized for maintenance and transportation. Our Fleet Manager has been working with the Virginia Clean Cities Commission to reduce air pollutant emissions. We have 86 vehicles that are E85 Flex Fuel vehicles, making up 31% of our fleet. We also power (4) of our self-propelled zero turn lawnmowers with propane. www.vacleancities.org.

Part 2 

Has the institution completed an inventory of significant air emissions from stationary campus sources or else verified that no such emissions are produced?:
Yes

Weight of the following categories of air emissions from stationary sources::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 21.15 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 1.69 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 35.04 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 3.16 Tons
Ozone (O3) 0 Tons
Lead (Pb) 0 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 0 Tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) 4.93 Tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations 0.99 Tons

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
The VCU Energy Manager provided the DEQ Emission report for the steam plant operations at VCU. VCU conducts continuous emissions monitoring at our main MCV Steam Plant. We complete energy audits to verify steam production is at the optimum level to meet demand. New boilers were installed on the Monroe Park Campus that utilize computer controlled burners that continuously adjust fuel and air mixtures to maintain optimum efficiency and reduce fuel usage.

Optional Fields

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.