Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	55.44
Liaison	Bradley Flamm
Submission Date	March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

West Chester University of Pennsylvania
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	3.23 / 8.00	Bradley Flamm Director of Sustainability Office of the President

"---" 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	4,745.61 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	13,391.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	442.01 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	390.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	10,877.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	17,018.02 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	16,065.57 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	30,799.72 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	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 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	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 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):

None of these categories of offsets were purchased or implemented by WCU in FY 2021.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	16,065.57 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	30,799.72 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, 2020	July 1, 2009
End date	June 30, 2021	June 30, 2010

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

West Chester University's GHG emissions baseline represents the first year for which the university calculated carbon emissions. That year -- Fiscal Year 2010 -- was included in WCU's first Climate Action Plan, published in 2013.

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	581	4,397
Number of employees resident on-site	10	10
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	16,750.90	11,561
Full-time equivalent of employees	1,646	1,621
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	13,743	0
Weighted Campus Users	3,638.18	10,988.25

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	4.42 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	2.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

3,984,618 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	79,201 Square feet
Healthcare space	13,193 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	21,667 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

4,191,073 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:

0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

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

WCU continues to make significant investments in its district geothermal heating and cooling system. Since FY 2014, the system has expanded by almost 400 wells, has been connected to seven additional buildings representing almost 650,000 square feet of space. We retired a Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement to replace inefficient lighting fixtures with LED technology (and other energy savings investments) in FY 2019, but have continued to implement energy efficiency and conservation strategies in the university's buildings. Newly constructed and renovated buildings (including the new Sciences and Engineering Center/The Commons, the Business and Public Management Center, Mitchell Hall, and Wayne Hall) have been designed and constructed to LEED standards.

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

https://www.wcupa.edu/_information/AFA/Facilities/energy.aspx

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Energy use on campus for building operations and university vehicle fleet were significantly different during FY 2021, a full year of COVID-19 pandemic campus closure. A small number of students continued to live on campus and a small number of employees continued to work and teach in person (less than 10% in both cases); the rest of the campus community studied, did research, and worked remotely. While the data portray large decreases in energy use and carbon emissions, we recognize the extraordinary circumstances portray greater progress towards our carbon neutrality commitment than will be evident in subsequent years with our university community back on campus. Nevertheless, we believe it helpful to document FY 2021 energy consumption and GHG emissions in this way, knowing that FY 2022 and (hopefully) subsequent years will see returns to near-previous levels of energy use while we continue to pursue strategies to achieve carbon neutrality in the future.

Data compiled by Bradley Flamm, Director, Office of Sustainability (bflamm@wcupa.edu, x2053) from sources in Facilities, Public Safety, and other offices.

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.