| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 47.62 |
| Liaison | Delicia Nahman |
| Submission Date | March 10, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Lafayette College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.02 / 10.00 |
George
Xiques Assistant Director Plant Operations/Campus Sustainability Manager Plant Operations |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
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 | Yes |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
A GHG Inventory was performed by Entech Engineering as a requirement for the Climate Commitment signed in 2008. The Clean Air - Cool Planet Calculator was used to track the GHG Inventory. This information was used to develop the Climate Action Plan.
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:
George Xiques, Assistant Director of Facilities and Campus Sustainability Manager, reviewed and verified the information submitted.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 7,852.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 11,599.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 399.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 355.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 12,948.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 14,008.80 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 | 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 |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 2,259 | 2,139 |
| Number of residential employees | 8 | 10 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 2,403 | 2,478 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 733.70 | 679 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
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 | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Lafayette College’s baseline year is 2007, the year prior to the signing of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 115,443 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 5,228 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 207,256 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 2,696 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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 2,250.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 1,017.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Study Aboard Air Travel
Paper
Transmission and Delivery Losses
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
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:
According to the results, the principle sources of greenhouse gases are the purchased
utilities of electricity, fossil fuels utilized by the central heating plant and transportation.
Lafayette’s carbon footprint can be reduced in three basic ways:
Efficiencies: Increasing the efficiency of equipment for current operations that
produce high greenhouse gases, meaning reducing the current and future
consumption of fossil fuels as a whole.
a. Building and system design (new buildings all reviewed and considered
candidates for LEED design and/or accreditation)
b. Building and system operation (existing buildings will receive consideration
for efficient modernization as budgets allow)
c. Central system operation (chilled water and electricity will receive
consideration for efficient modernization as budgets allow)
d. Equipment purchasing and operation (all upgrades and replacements shall
take full advantage of latest Energy Code recommendations)
By performing energy analyses of current buildings and plant operations,
recommendations can be made to reduce the impact of these contributors.
Renewables: Switching to carbon-free sources of energy or energy sources such
as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass will continue to receive the attention of
the campus planners with the intent to include whenever feasible.
Offsets: Purchasing or producing carbon offsets either through tradable RECs or
through more direct projects will be considered in the future. Offsets like the wind
purchase are an intermediate technique, and should only be employed after
improvements through efficiencies and renewables have been fully exploited. It
would also be helpful to develop real incentives for investments in these strategies.
This will be especially important in both revising the current scheme of utility cost
allocation through individual building metering and in developing new techniques
for funding such projects. To date, the College has a standing policy to make all
possible efficiency improvements to the physical plant, prior to considering
“accounting measures” such as RECs.
Mitigation strategies for Lafayette College should be focused on its major sources of GHG emissions, which are purchased off-site utilities (including T&D losses), on-site steam plant fuel consumption and emissions. These operations offer the largest potential for mitigation efforts.
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.