Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.69
Liaison John Pumilio
Submission Date July 23, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Colgate University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 9.29 / 10.00 John Pumilio
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
Yes or No
Business travel Yes
Commuting Yes
Purchased goods and services Yes
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No
Waste generated in operations Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:

Colgate's Office of Sustainability created a spreadsheet specific to our data collection process for the purposes of simplifying the reporting process. We modeled it off of Clean Air-Cool Planet's Campus Carbon Calculator and use their imbedded emission factors.


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?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
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Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 4,861 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7,479 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 593 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 439 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 1,814 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,885 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
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 1,535 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
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 5,114 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:

Colgate University does not currently invest in local offsets. This is a priority for our next Sustainability and Climate Action Plan update.


A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:

At Colgate University, we recognize that carbon storage and annual sequestration is among the many assets provided by Colgate's forested lands. In 2013, we determined that our 1,059 acres of forests contain 165,491 tons of stored carbon while sequestering an additional 1,578 tons of carbon annually.

During the fall and winter of 2013 we surveyed 9 different units of Colgate's 1,058.7 acres
of land. This resulted in 174 sample points each measuring 1/10 acre in size. We measured every tree with a 3.0 inch dbh or greater. We then used U.S. Forest Service protocols to estimate carbon storage and annual sequestration rates. Our full report can be viewed at http://webedit.colgate.edu/distinctly-colgate/sustainability/climate-action-planning/forest-management-land-use/Action/Preview.


A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:

We compost over 3,000 lbs of food scraps every week, but we do not count the carbon sequestered.


A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:

In FY 2012, Colgate entered into an agreement with Patagonia Sur for the purchase of 5,000 tons of offsets per year for 15 years. The project is a reforestation project in The Patagonia Sur Nature Reserve in the Palena province of southern Chile. Over the course of 15 years, approximately 225,000 native trees will be planted on roughly 428 acres of land which will become the Colgate University Forest. The Patagonia Sur reforestation project is acquiring Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certification. Importantly, the agreement creates academic opportunities for students and faculty to conduct research within the Colgate Forest and The Patagonia Sur Nature Reserve in general.


Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 2,334 2,184
Number of residential employees 6 6
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 2,934 2,784
Full-time equivalent of employees 956 968
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 350 350

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013
Baseline Year June 1, 2009 May 30, 2010

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

Our baseline was established with the hiring of our Director of Sustainability and with our first greenhouse gas inventory after signing the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment in 2009. Before this, Colgate did not measure our greenhouse gas footprint (comprehensively).


Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
2,203,403 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 121,012 Square feet
Healthcare space 2,202 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 58,742 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 1,727 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 1,409 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 145 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 23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 3,826 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":

Airline travel paid by or through the university.


A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
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The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
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.