| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.19 |
| Liaison | Margaret Bounds |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Connecticut College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.98 / 8.00 |
Margaret
Bounds Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 8,837.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 5,692.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 174.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 211.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 1,559.34 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 6,759.03 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 | 10,571.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 12,662.86 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 307 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 307 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 | 307 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 307 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 307 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Connecticut College has a 25-year contract with Reforest the Tropics (RTT) for a 40-acre carbon offset forest in Costa Rica. The most recent report from RTT found an average of 307 MTCO2 per year was sequestered in our forest since the planting, for a total of 7,058.24 MTCO2 since 2000. The contract was signed in 1999.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 10,264.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 12,355.86 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2022 | July 1, 2016 |
| End date | June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2017 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
We adopted 2017 as our baseline year for reporting to align with the adoption of our Campus Sustainability Plan. It is also the first year for which we have more comprehensive Scope 3 reporting, so that helps maintain consistency when reporting changes in different types of emissions.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,806 | 1,928 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 27 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 7 | 34 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,926 | 1,995 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 633.70 | 776 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 2,381.78 | 2,601 |
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 | 4.31 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 30,148 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 4,252 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
In 2022-2023 we completed a series of energy efficiency projects that included steam radiator repairs, LED lighting upgrades to 25% of our floor area, and retrofitting 4 buildings heating with air-source heat pumps (3 had operated on oil furnaces and 1 utilized inefficient electric baseboard heating). We have also begun to shrink our vehicle fleet and have begun converting the remaining vehicles to small EVs.
In Fall 2019 the College installed a natural gas fuel cell to provide approximately 80% of the main campus meter electricity use. This accounts for the large shift away from Scope 2 emissions.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data on electricity and fuel use was collected from Facilities Operations and put into SIMAP to calculate the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Data on electricity and fuel use was collected from Facilities Operations and put into SIMAP to calculate the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
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.