Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.61
Liaison Kristina Bryan
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Saint Louis University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.87 / 10.00 Brandon Verhoff
Director
Sustainability & Benchmarking
"---" 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 No
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?:
Yes

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

This inaugural GHG emissions inventory was completed in-house by Facilities Services' Sustainability & Benchmarking department using CarbonMAP, a web-based college campus carbon calculator was used to complete a greenhouse gas inventory.


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:

We are in the beginning stages of setting up an emissions inventory management process, which will include an internal review and verification by a independent party.


Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 15,953.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 15,953.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 838.38 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 838.38 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 93,834.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 93,834.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 4,724.94 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,724.94 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:

n/a


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

n/a


A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:

SLU composts all yard waste in an open compost pile; it is then spread to various campus garden locations as fertilizer. Some food waste is also composted from one restaurant location on campus. Fresh Gatherings is a restaurant which emphasizes locally-sourced food and composts food scraps which are used as compost fertilizer in a campus food garden.


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

n/a


Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 3,868 3,868
Number of residential employees 20 20
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 11,919 11,919
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,292 5,292
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 1,282 1,282

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

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

The GHG emissions baseline is the same as the performance year. This was chosen to be the same year because we wanted to use most current information for our emissions. The currency of the baseline makes it most relevant to the present and future. We gathered only information on one year because, as this is the first year Saint Louis University has conducted a GHG inventory, this is also acting as the precedent process and we wanted to do a simple first run of the inventory. This trial run not only provides useful information to the University, but also provides a systematic process for future GHG emission inventories at SLU.


Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
7,554,573 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 408,652 Square feet
Healthcare space 65,299 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 125.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 30,746.20 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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 513.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

Office paper


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:

Currently there are no GHG emissions reduction initiatives in place, but the creation of a GHG emissions inventory will kickstart the tracking capabilities of the University, which can support and influence the University in creating reduction goals.


Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The first ever GHG emission inventory was conducted during the Fall 2014 semester. Conducting the inventory using a graduate assistant offered the benefit of utilizing the campus and its operations as a learning laboratory.

For Scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations, we were not able to report the -68.03 metric tons because STARS does not allow entry of a negative number. The -68.03 metric tons is a negative value because of the energy produced at the Waste Management Milam landfill facility from the waste hauled from campus. For more detail on the landfill, read this article:
http://investors.wm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=119743&p=irol-recentnewsArticle&ID=1988960


The first ever GHG emission inventory was conducted during the Fall 2014 semester. Conducting the inventory using a graduate assistant offered the benefit of utilizing the campus and its operations as a learning laboratory.

For Scope 3 GHG emissions from waste generated in operations, we were not able to report the -68.03 metric tons because STARS does not allow entry of a negative number. The -68.03 metric tons is a negative value because of the energy produced at the Waste Management Milam landfill facility from the waste hauled from campus. For more detail on the landfill, read this article:
http://investors.wm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=119743&p=irol-recentnewsArticle&ID=1988960

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.