| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.69 |
| Liaison | Deborah Steinberg |
| Submission Date | Feb. 7, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Carnegie Mellon University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
7.83 / 10.00 |
Martin
Altschul Director of Strategic Facilities Initiatives of FMCS Facilities Management Services |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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 | None |
| Purchased goods and services | None |
| Capital goods | None |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Some |
| Other categories | Some |
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:
We have consistently used the Clean Air Cool Planet spreadsheet with data going back to 2001. For FY 2017, we switched to SIMAP, CACP's successor, and populated the data going back 5 years.
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 internal and/or external verification process:
Internal data is gathered primarily from Facilities Management Services records which are verified against university financial records. Partial commuter and travel records are gathered from Parking and Transportation Dept and extrapolated based on known ratios from the university's contract travel agent. The GHG inventory data was compiled by the University Engineer and Environmental Coordinator and was reviewed by members of the Green Practices Committee Working Group, 2 Faculty members, and the AVP of Facilities Management and Campus Services and the Director of FMCS Operations. We had a discussion about our data collection methodology, past and present and the committee recommended how to share our GHG inventory data with the public.
Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 31,648.17 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 35,852.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 979.34 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 713 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 58,093.10 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 | 32,627.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 94,658.60 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 | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
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):
Baseline of FY 2005 was adopted after a CACP analysis was done for that year.
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 |
A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
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 | 32,627.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 94,658.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,935 | 3,744 |
| 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 | 11,263.60 | 8,803.40 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 4,816 | 3,978.30 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 132.60 | 106.50 |
| Weighted campus users | 12,944 | 10,442.40 |
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 | 2.52 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9.06 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 | 600,357 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 3,857 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 673,182 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:
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 0 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 | 3,813.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 963.17 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories | 75.18 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Althought tThe most significant Scope 1 reduction occurred in 2009 when the Bellefield Boiler Plant, partially owned by CMU, converted from coal and natural gas operation to 100% natural gas firing, CMU continues to pursue deeper GHG emissions reductions. Starting in 2011, CMU has purchased RECs to offset 100% of our electricity purchases. In both 2017 and 2018, CMU purchased RECs from the Prairie Breeze wind energy farm in Nebraska where renewable electricity generation replaces sources with the highest CO2 emissions in the nation. In addition to the ongoing 100% offset with RECs, beginning in October 2017, we also entered into a unique agreement to purchase 100% of our electricity supply (kWh equivalent) from an Illinois wind farm in our own grid territory (PJM). For this, we have a 2-year agreement with extensions available through 2021.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Carnegie Mellon University's GHG emissions inventory was first initiated by an undergraduate research study in spring of 2007 in cooperation with few graduate students and faculty members using the Clean Air-Cool Planet calculator. The student project was expanded, corrected, and refined by the Green Practices intern Andrew Ko, university engineer, Martin Altschul and the university environmental coordinator, Barbara Kviz. The University's GHG emission inventory was calculated from 1995-present, to also reflect the pre and post 2006 regional EPA emissions factor reclassification. EPA eGrid pre-2006 subregion was corrected from prior submissions. Per EPA documentation Duquesne Light and Pittsburgh were considered to be in ECAR Ohio Valley. For our Scope 3 transportation accounting we have relied on very small sample sizes historically. For this submission we have decided not to include those emissions, because we are uncertain of their accuracy. We continue to study the problem and hope to report on scope 3 emissions on future GHG reports.
It should be noted that the emission numbers reflect the University's growth and rebuilding efforts since year 2005.
Carnegie Mellon University's GHG emissions inventory was first initiated by an undergraduate research study in spring of 2007 in cooperation with few graduate students and faculty members using the Clean Air-Cool Planet calculator. The student project was expanded, corrected, and refined by the Green Practices intern Andrew Ko, university engineer, Martin Altschul and the university environmental coordinator, Barbara Kviz. The University's GHG emission inventory was calculated from 1995-present, to also reflect the pre and post 2006 regional EPA emissions factor reclassification. EPA eGrid pre-2006 subregion was corrected from prior submissions. Per EPA documentation Duquesne Light and Pittsburgh were considered to be in ECAR Ohio Valley. For our Scope 3 transportation accounting we have relied on very small sample sizes historically. For this submission we have decided not to include those emissions, because we are uncertain of their accuracy. We continue to study the problem and hope to report on scope 3 emissions on future GHG reports.
It should be noted that the emission numbers reflect the University's growth and rebuilding efforts since year 2005.
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.