Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 31.93
Liaison Irena Lambrou
Submission Date Nov. 3, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Whatcom Community College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.06 / 10.00 Kaatje Kraft
Sustainability Coordinator
Geology
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
All, Some, or None
Business travel None
Commuting Some
Purchased goods and services Some
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations None
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories None

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, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:
Whatcom Community College uses the Washington State Agency Greenhouse Gas Calculator in order to complete GHG emissions inventory.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
The Energy Star, Portfolio Manager is used to input data and run reports for compiling the GHG emissions report. In addition, data is collected from the WCC Business Office to identify emissions generated by fleet fuel usage and business travel. The annual GHG emissions report is reviewed and verified by the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 600.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 724.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 1,289.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,492.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 1,890.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,216.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013
Baseline Year July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
The GHG baseline was voted on by the sustainability committee and was officially adopted as a result. This decision was made primarily due to the lack of data available prior to 2008.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 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 sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration 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 offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon offsets 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
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The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 1,890.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,216.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 0 0
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,771 3,806
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 345 261
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 227 0
Weighted campus users 2,916.75 3,050.25

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 0.65 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0.73 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.81

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
348,112 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 0 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 17,589 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
365,701 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 30.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 93.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
$9000 worth of paper towels purchased in 2015. 100% post-consumer recycled paper saved 205,860 lbs. of C02 and 1,120,000 gallons of water. Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 3.2. Solar generation 2015 about 14,588KWH solarweb.com. Sanitary Service Company Recycling $2500/year 2015 diverted 1000 yards of recycling from landfill. Composting $350/year 2015 diverted 70 tons of food waste from landfill. The commuting figure was determined from SMART TRIPS program where faculty self-disclose their offsetting activities of bus riding and bike riding, etc... https://www.whatcomsmarttrips.org/

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.