Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	60.54
Liaison	Jane Stewart
Submission Date	March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Washington and Lee University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	5.25 / 8.00	Jane Stewart Energy Specialist Treasurer's office

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion	6,229.74 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	8,672 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	294.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	297 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	6,305.99 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	15,592 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	12,830.65 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	24,561 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting	10.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	2 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	---
Carbon sold or transferred	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks	10.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	2 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

W&L runs a expansive on-site composting program, capturing pre and post consumer food waste from all dining venues and catered events as well as as well as all W&L Dining to-go packaging, which is made from 100% compostable materials. Organic waste is processed on site and the resulting compost is used on the campus garden.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	12,820.52 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	24,559 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Performance year	Baseline year
Start date	July 1, 2021	July 1, 2007
End date	June 30, 2022	June 30, 2008

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

W&L signed on to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment in 2007 and engaged an outside firm to conduct and campus GHG audit so that the university would have reliable numbers for benchmarking progress.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site	1,398	1,086
Number of employees resident on-site	43	31
Number of other individuals resident on-site	3	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	2,238	2,172
Full-time equivalent of employees	1,286	761
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted Campus Users	3,006.25	2,479

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user	4.26 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	9.91 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:

56.95

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

2,394,874 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	35,983 Square feet
Healthcare space	8,939 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	0 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

2,484,718 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:

W&L has been intensely focused on campus GHG reductions since joining the President’s Climate Commitment in 2007. Our primary focus over the last decade has been on campus energy consumption, and we reached a major milestone in June, 2023 when an off-site solar project we partnered to develop through a PPA became operational. This array is designed to generate solar electricity that will match 100% of W&L’s on-campus consumption. Leading up to this, efforts have included a comprehensive energy conservation program centered on maximizing operational efficiencies through customized HVAC scheduling, highly calibrated BMS sequencing, thoughtful use of site-specific strategies including VFD drives, OA cooling strategies, rightsizing ventilation rates etc. This program also extends to broader behavior-based initiatives, such as implementing automatic daily shut-offs for public computers campus-wide – and eliminating all “automatic-on” programming - and engaging with students, faculty and staff on ways they can directly reduce our energy impact. Infrastructure based initiatives including insulating steam pipes, replacing stand-alone boilers with high efficiency options etc. have been highly effective. Additionally, we have installed on-site solar PV arrays in three locations and an additional solar thermal array on a fourth. Scope 3 reduction efforts include our waste-reduction initiatives, including recycling, composting, and sustainability-oriented purchasing guidelines, as well as campaigns to reduce water waste.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:

https://www.wlu.edu/the-w-l-story/leadership/office-of-the-president/issues-and-initiatives/citizenship/sustainability-initiatives/climate-action-plan/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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