Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.76
Liaison Mark Youndt
Submission Date March 10, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Skidmore College
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 7.49 / 10.00 Levi Rogers
Director of Sustainability Programs and Assessment
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

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 All
Commuting All
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:

Skidmore used Clean Air-Cool Planet as the methodology to account for college-related emissions.


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:

A team of Skidmore faculty, students, and staff complete Skidmore's greenhouse gas inventory. Staff in our Facilities Services department review and validate the results of each GHG report.


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):
Yes

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 6,014 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,218 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 152 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,652 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 5,719 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6,976 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 11,885 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,846 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 June 1, 2012 May 31, 2013
Baseline Year June 1, 1999 May 31, 2000

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):

Skidmore's 2015-2025 Campus Sustainability Plan uses the year 2000 as its baseline for tracking progress toward our institutional sustainability goals. Many of the College's early sustainability efforts, particularly large-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, began in the early 2000's. Our 2000 baseline year ensures the College captures our earliest efforts to reduce GHG emissions.


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):

Not 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 2,475 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:

Skidmore's carbon offset came in the form of wind RECs from Direct Energy under the Make Me Green Voluntary RECs. The RECs are third-party certified through Green-e.


Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 9,410 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,846 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,037 1,782
Number of employees resident on-site 6 4
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,582 2,221
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 881 732
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 3,108 2,661.25

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 3.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
64.73

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,761,167 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 41,567 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 9,870 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,854,171 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel ---
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:

The College has pursued several major renewable energy projects in the last three years, including the construction of a 2-megawatt solar array, a small-hydro power purchase agreement, two district geothermal projects, and six rooftop solar thermal arrays. Additionally, the College has implemented several energy-efficiency initiatives, including lighting retrofits, energy monitoring programs, and building renovations.

http://www.skidmore.edu/sustainability/initiatives/energy.php


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:

We acknowledge the inconsistency in weighted campus users and gross floor area of building space reported between this section and IC-3. As already noted, every other section in this assessment references institutional characteristics and data from our 2015 fiscal year because it was the most recent and complete dataset available when we started completing the STARS report. Our most recent GHG inventory was published in January 2015 and is based on data from our 2013 fiscal year, hence the inconsistency in data between OP-1 and IC-3. We expect to publish our next GHG inventory, based on fiscal year 2016, within the next couple of years. Given the recent progress we’ve made on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, we are confident that our next GHG inventory will show a decline in emissions.


We acknowledge the inconsistency in weighted campus users and gross floor area of building space reported between this section and IC-3. As already noted, every other section in this assessment references institutional characteristics and data from our 2015 fiscal year because it was the most recent and complete dataset available when we started completing the STARS report. Our most recent GHG inventory was published in January 2015 and is based on data from our 2013 fiscal year, hence the inconsistency in data between OP-1 and IC-3. We expect to publish our next GHG inventory, based on fiscal year 2016, within the next couple of years. Given the recent progress we’ve made on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, we are confident that our next GHG inventory will show a decline in emissions.

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.