| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.11 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Malcolm |
| Submission Date | Jan. 19, 2023 |
Virginia Wesleyan University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.40 / 3.00 |
Elizabeth
Malcolm Director of Sustainability Earth and Environmental Sciences |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
VWU uses the SIMAP tool from the University of New Hampshire with a market-based methodology for scope 2.
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:
The GHG inventory underwent a data review by SIMAP in 2020. SIMAP marked the review as complete for the inventoried years of 2017 through 2020.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 540.29 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 15.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 3,322.06 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 144.54 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 859.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | No | --- |
| Capital goods | No | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 185.48 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 93.77 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 0 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:
Offices with university vehicles and offices responsible for a large percentage of business travel (ie. Enrollment, Presidents Office, etc) provided mileage estimates. Faculty travel was estimated based on destination of conferences as published in the faculty professional development newsletter and self-reported by a faculty survey. Travel for athletics was determined by accounting for location and means of transport (plane, bus, van) to all away games.
A survey is conducted every few years to determine commuting habits; most recently in 2022. The numbers of staff, faculty and student commuters is provided by the Director of Institutional Research. The average student commuting distance was also estimated based on a zip code calculation by the Director of Institutional Research.
A rough estimate of solid waste sent to landfill based on the Race to Zero Waste data was used as we do not directly measure municipal solid waste.
Transmission and distribution losses are estimated by SIMAP.
Study abroad air travel is the "other" scope 3 emission accounted for. Due to the pandemic, it was 0 in this performance year. Pre-pandemic it ranged from 350 to 560 MTCDEs.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | --- |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | --- |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | --- |
| Particulate matter (PM) | --- |
| Ozone (O3) | --- |
| Lead (Pb) | --- |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | --- |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | --- |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | --- |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | --- |
| Area sources | --- |
| Mobile sources | --- |
| Commuting | --- |
| Off-site electricity production | --- |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
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:
GHG inventory completed by the VWU Directory of Sustainability and made public annually as part of our Climate Commitment with Second Nature.
GHG inventory completed by the VWU Directory of Sustainability and made public annually as part of our Climate Commitment with Second Nature.
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.