| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.57 |
| Liaison | Katie Koscielak |
| Submission Date | April 11, 2023 |
Cal Poly Humboldt
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.05 / 8.00 |
Morgan
King Sustainability & Waste Coordinator Facilities Management |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 4,540.12 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8,862 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 215.61 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 2,775.23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,140 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 | 7,530.96 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 13,002 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
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 | 0.24 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 | 0.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
The Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) manages the student-run, on-campus composting program. WRRAP collects organics from departmental breakrooms, campus residents, and events. The organics go into the Earth Tub, a 3 cubic yard in-vessel aerobic composter. Harvested compost is then distributed to students and campus programs for use in campus and off-campus gardens. WRRAP is an Associated Students funded program. The Earth Tub is located at Facilities Management. The carbon storage from on-site composting was calculated by inputting total pounds of composted organic waste into the SIMAP calculator. For information on the composting program, go to https://wrrap.humboldt.edu/compost
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 7,530.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 13,002 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, 2021 | Jan. 1, 2005 |
| End date | June 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
2005 is the baseline year used in the AASHE STARS v1.2 report submitted in 2013. To maintain consistency, 2005 is used as the baseline for this report.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,701 | 1,271 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 4 | 3 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 5,334 | 6,850.85 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,156.60 | 1,231 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,005 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 4,540.45 | 6,379.89 |
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 | 1.66 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 2.04 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 | 42,130 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 10,402 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 41,453 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:
A shift in operations and building occupancy resulting from the pandemic has likely favored reductions, and over the years, Cal Poly Humboldt has benefitted from the State of California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which has escalated renewable energy procurement requirements for the state’s load-serving entities and has thus reduced the carbon intensity of our purchased electricity. Additionally, the university has been actively engaging in decarbonization efforts, and in the spring of 2022 the university adopted an update to its Climate Action Plan (aka CAP 2.0), which sets a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. See the attached Climate Action Plan 2.0 for a description of the institution's GHG emissions reduction initiatives.
Prior to the plan update, the campus had embarked on a number of initiatives to curb emissions associated with electricity, natural gas consumption, and fleet fuel use, many of which are in implementation or have been completed. These include but are not limited to: fuel switching (boiler replacement with heat pumps); electric pump, lighting and controls upgrades; server virtualization, building HVAC upgrades and controls; exterior and interior lighting system upgrades to LED; installation of rooftop solar; and expansion of energy conservation outreach and behavior change initiatives such as the Green Workplace Assessment.
At this time, emissions from Cal Poly Humboldt's consumption of natural gas exceed emissions from electricity. Moving forward, the campus sees electrification (i.e., replacing gas-fired boilers with heat pumps, all-electric new construction) as critical for moving towards carbon neutrality.
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:
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.