| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.44 |
| Liaison | Bradley Flamm |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2022 |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.67 / 3.00 |
Bradley
Flamm Director of Sustainability Office of the President |
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:
University of New Hampshire's Sustainability Indicator & Management Analysis Platform (SIMAP) used to enter GHG emissions sources, then uploaded to Second Nature Reporting website. Data for FY 2021 reflect the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic campus closure. All Scopes of emissions are significantly lower than in FY 2019, the last full year of pre-pandemic operations. Data collection occurred over the course of the Fall 2021 semester and first half of the Spring 2022 semester and was based upon communications with dozens of WCU staff members, faculty, and students. Scope 3 emissions for business travel were obtained from Purchasing Department records of reimbursed air and ground travel for FY 2019, then adjusted for FY 2021 full-year campus closure due to COVID-19. Commuting data obtained from survey conducted in May and June of 2019 on campus of faculty, staff, and students, complemented with parking permit data from WCU's Public Safety Department, again, adjusted for campus closure during FY 2021.
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:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 4,745.61 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 442.01 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 | 10,877.95 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 | 82.31 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 1,365.77 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 | 1,075.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 139.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | No | 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:
Business travel data estimated at 10% of FY 2019 (last full pre-COVID fiscal year) from info provided by Finances and Purchasing Department. Commuting data from a May and June 2019 survey of faculty, staff, and students, adjusted for campus closure with small %s of students, faculty and staff on campus. Study abroad air travel was 0 miles in FY 2021. Emissions from solid waste, wastewater treatment, T&D losses calculated in SIMAP.
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:
While the university does not have formal policies to improve outdoor air quality, nor has it completed an official air emissions inventory, WCU has installed a large system of geothermal wells, allowing it to decommission in October 2014 a coal-fired boiler plant which had been a significant county source of air pollutant emissions: https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/2014/10.8BoilerPlant.aspx.
While the university does not have formal policies to improve outdoor air quality, nor has it completed an official air emissions inventory, WCU has installed a large system of geothermal wells, allowing it to decommission in October 2014 a coal-fired boiler plant which had been a significant county source of air pollutant emissions: https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/2014/10.8BoilerPlant.aspx.
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.