Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.58
Liaison Mary Ellen Mallia
Submission Date Jan. 15, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University at Albany
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.33 / 10.00 Mary Ellen Mallia
Director of Environmental Sustainability
Finance and Business
"---" 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 No
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?:
Yes

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

The university uses the most current version of the Clean Air Cool Planet calculator. We determine GHG via operational control, that is those buildings that are under direct ownership and maintenance of the university.


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:
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Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 28,416 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 27,218 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,118 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 973 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 17,311 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 31,824 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 734 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. The food waste in the dining halls is brought to a regional windrow composting facility


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

The University purchased Green-e Energy certified clean source and American wind RECS for University Hall, Business Building, Service Building A and Liberty Terrace from Renewable Choice. In FY 14-15, we purchased 2-years’ worth of RECS for the Business Building, SBA, Mohawk Tower and Liberty Terrace. In FY 13-14, we purchased 3-years worth of REC's for University Hall.


Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 7,671 7,056
Number of residential employees 43 43
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 15,868 15,040
Full-time equivalent of employees 4,764 3,649
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 1,081 0

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, 2005 June 30, 2006

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

The baseline is representative of the year prior to any sustainability/energy efficiency/carbon reduction activities on campus. It also aligns with the baseline year set in the Copenhagen Accord.


Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
5,806,849 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 561,325 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 10,799 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 146 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 1,712 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 6,417 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 106 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

Other represents the carbon emissions associated with water use on campus


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:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.