| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.00 |
| Liaison | Lisa Mitten |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
State University of New York at New Paltz
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.10 / 10.00 |
Lisa
Mitten Campus Sustainability Coordinator Office of Campus Sustainability |
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 | No |
| Commuting | No |
| 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 | No |
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:
SUNY New Paltz uses the Clean Air Cool Planet Emissions Calculator v6.9 to complete its greenhouse gas inventory. To calculate the emissions of purchased electricity, the New Paltz used custom fuel mix data for Central Hudson. At the time of submission, Central Hudson custom fuel mix data was available through 2012. To calculate the 2013 emissions, the College used the 2012 fuel mix data for 2013.
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:
After SUNY New Paltz signed on to the ACUPCC in 2008, Facilities Management hired EYP/Energy to perform an independent GHG emissions inventory for 2006 to 2008. The report was submitted to the college in September of 2009. In 2013, Facilities Management hired Danforth Energy Solutions to complete a second independent GHG emissions inventory for 2009 to 2012. The report was submitted to the newly formed Office of Campus Sustainability in 2013. In 2014, the Office of Campus Sustainability built upon the prior independent reports by adding custom fuel mix data, energy use data dating back to 2001, and new Scope 3 reporting data.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 8,492 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 13,239 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 458 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 395 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 11,829 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 12,813 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:
Not applicable.
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
Not applicable.
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
Facilities Management's grounds department composts yard waste on campus.
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
Not applicable.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 2,798 | 2,798 |
| Number of residential employees | 16 | 16 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 6,259.60 | 6,562.10 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,050 | 1,041.33 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 91 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2013 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2003 | Dec. 31, 2003 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
2003 was adopted as the baseline year because it is the earliest year that we have reliable utility data for a calendar year.
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 148,000 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | --- |
| Commuting | --- |
| Purchased goods and services | 20.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | --- |
| Waste generated in operations | --- |
| Other categories (please specify below) | --- |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Not applicable
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:
SUNY New Paltz's reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2003 to 2013 is attributable to the following actions:
- Switching from distillate oil to natural gas at the Central Heating Plan. This change occurred in 2006. Prior to 2003, the primary heating fuel was residual oil (#5-6). We would have used these years as a baseline, however we did not have accurate electricity data for those years, so chose 2013 as a baseline.
- Adding 70 KW of solar photovoltaics (generating 57,906 kwh of electricity in 2013)
- Upgrading from less efficient lighting (ie. incandescent and metal halide) to more efficient lighting (fluorescents and LEDs).
- Recent initiatives include energy monitoring through building submetering, winter session setback, and ongoing conservation through efficient building scheduling. We regularly monitor class schedules and adjust building heating and cooling schedules to unoccupied mode when possible.
- Our GHG emissions have reduced due to how the local electricity generators create electricity. From 2003 to 2012 (the last year we have data for), the percentage of electricity produced from the following sources changed:
* Coal reduced from 32% to 4%
* Natural gas increased from 21% to 50%
* Distillate oil decreased from 17% to 0.5%
* Nuclear increased from 18% to 30%
* Waste-to-energy increased from 0 to 1%
* Renewables increased from 0 to 5%
All of the above changes reduced the campus' greenhouse gas emissions, based on Clean Air Cool Planet formulas.
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Please note that the campus was unable to find residential student counts for 2003, so we used the same numbers as for 2013: 2,798 students. Employee data uses IPEDS definition of 1 FTE for each Full-time faculty / staff, 1/3 of part-time headcount
Please note that the campus was unable to find residential student counts for 2003, so we used the same numbers as for 2013: 2,798 students. Employee data uses IPEDS definition of 1 FTE for each Full-time faculty / staff, 1/3 of part-time headcount
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.