| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.54 |
| Liaison | C Jane Hagen |
| Submission Date | Sept. 3, 2024 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.04 / 3.00 |
C Jane
Hagen Sustainability Data Analyst Sustainability |
Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory
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:
Between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2023, VCU used the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform (SIMAP). VCU Sustainability coordinates data collection with Facilities Management and various other academic and administrative units to complete an annual GHG inventory. Descriptions of accounting for emission factors reported above are detailed below: Scope 1 Stationary Fuel - Includes Natural Gas used in buildings on campus Transport Fuel - Includes gas and diesel used by university fleet vehicles Fertilizer - Includes pounds of fertilizer applied to campus grounds Refrigerants - Includes the amount of refrigerants released through system leakage and maintenance Scope 2 Utilities - All purchased electricity, steam, and chilled water used in campus buildings Scope 3 Business Travel - Includes directly financed outsourced travel for air, taxi, ferry, and rental car for university faculty and staff, and air travel associated with the study abroad program. Commuting - Includes the number of faculty, staff, and student commuters, trips to campus per week, commuter weeks per year, and an estimated percentage of commuters per transportation mode (bike, walk, carpool, bus, drive alone, etc.) and an estimated average commuting distance for each commuter mode. Percent usage per commuter mode is estimated based on an annual transportation survey collected by the VCU Parking and Transportation Department. Commuting data may be viewed in the green Input_Commuter tab in the attached GHG calculator tool. Purchased Goods and Services - Paper usage is calculated based on purchasing reports provided by our office supply contractor. Waste Generated in Operations - Disposal from solid waste is estimated based on monthly reports provided by our various waste haulers. Wastewater is estimated based on building metering.
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 GHG inventory verification process:
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Scope 1 GHG emissions
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 43,808.62 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 805.42 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Scope 2 GHG emissions
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 46,551.19 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
GHG emissions from biomass combustion
Scope 3 GHG emissions
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 9,383.14 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 19,277 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 66.09 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | No | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 17,736.69 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 842.93 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 2,605.29 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Descriptions of accounting for Scope 3 emission factors reported above are detailed below: Business Travel - Includes directly financed outsourced travel for air, taxi, ferry, and rental car for university faculty and staff, and air travel associated with the study abroad program. Commuting - Includes the number of faculty, staff, and student commuters, trips to campus per week, commuter weeks per year, and an estimated percentage of commuters per transportation mode (bike, walk, carpool, bus, drive alone, etc.) and an estimated average commuting distance for each commuter mode. Percent usage per commuter mode is estimated based on an annual transportation survey collected by the VCU Parking and Transportation Department. Purchased Goods and Services - As of fiscal year 2019, VCU only estimated paper use for GHG reporting. Paper usage is calculated based on purchasing reports provided by our office supply contractor. Waste Generated in Operations - Disposal from solid waste is estimated based on monthly reports provided by our various waste haulers. Wastewater is estimated based on building metering.
Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 21.65 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 0.24 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 35.20 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 5.68 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 0 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 4.96 Tons |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | Yes |
| Area sources | No |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
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
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories 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.