GHG Report for American University
Submitted on April 22, 2011; last updated on July 1, 2011
Summary Statistics
Making fair comparisons between higher education institutions is always challenging due to the rich diversity of higher education. The unverified nature of the information in this database and unavailability of unbiased normalization metrics means such comparisons are even more difficult. Users should therefore approach direct institution to institution comparisons with caution and recognize that all comparisons between institutions are inherently biased.| Total | Per Full-Time Enrollment | Per 1000 Square Feet | % Offset | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2) | 36,468 metric tons of CO2e | 3.5 metric tons of CO2e | 10.9 metric tons of CO2e | 40% |
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) | 57,405 metric tons of CO2e | 5.4 metric tons of CO2e | 17.2 metric tons of CO2e | 26% |
| Net emissions | 42,662 metric tons of CO2e | 4.0 metric tons of CO2e | 12.8 metric tons of CO2e | N/A |
Emissions Inventory Methodology and Boundaries
| Start date of the 12-month period covered in this report | May 1, 2009 |
| Consolidation methodology used to determine organizational boundaries | Operational control approach |
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If any institution-owned, leased, or operated buildings or other holdings that should fall within the organizational boundaries are omitted, briefly explain why.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory was calculated based on available data for University managed buildings, including the main University Campus and surrounding campus affiliated buildings. |
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| Emissions calculation tool used | Clean Air-Cool Planet |
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Please describe why this tool was selected.
1. Clean Air-Cool Planet's (CACP) Campus Carbon Calculator is consistent with GHG Protocol standards.
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Please describe the source(s) of the emissions coefficients used.
CA-CP Campus Carbon Calculator's default emissions coefficients
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| Which version of IPCC's list of global warming potentials did you use? | Third Assessment Report |
| Who primarily conducted this emissions inventory? | External consultant |
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Please describe the process of conducting the inventory.
An external consultant was retained to conduct the inventory. They were provided with contact information to work with relevant campus staff across the different data collection areas. |
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Please describe any emissions sources that were classified as de minimis and explain how a determination of the significance of these emissions was made.
No information provided |
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Please describe any data limitations related to this submission and any major assumptions made in response to these limitations.
No information provided |
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Emissions Data
Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)
| Scope 1 Emissions | |
|---|---|
| Stationary Combustion | 7,679.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Mobile Combustion | 663.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Process Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Fugitive Emissions | 190.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 1 emissions | 8,532.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 Emissions | |
| Purchased Electricity | 27,936.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Heating | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Cooling | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Steam | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 2 emissions | 27,936.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 3 Emissions | |
| Commuting | 8,012.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Air Travel | 12,637.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Solid Waste | 288.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 3 emissions | 20,937.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Biogenic Emissions | |
| Biogenic Emissions from Stationary Combustion | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Biogenic Emissions from Mobile Combustion | 3.0 metric tons of CO2e |
Mitigation Data
| Carbon Offsets | |
|---|---|
| Carbon offsets purchased | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Offset verification program(s) | No information provided |
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Description of offsets purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
No information provided |
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| Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) | |
| Total RECs purchased | 27890496 kWh |
| Percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through the purchase of RECs | 52.0 % |
| Emissions reductions due to the purchase of RECs | 14,486.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| REC verification program(s) | Green-e |
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Description of RECs purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
Green power certificates, purchased from Constellation New Energy |
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| Sequestration and Carbon Storage | |
| Sequestration due to land owned by the institution | 257.0 metric tons of CO2e |
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Description of how sequestration was calculated
The Carbon Sequestration of our campus arboretum was calculated using the National Tree Benefits Calculator (CO2 reduction analysis), available at: www.davey.com/treecalculator |
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| Carbon storage due to composting | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
Normalization and Contextual Data
| Building Space | |
|---|---|
| Gross square feet of building space | 3,331,157.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of laboratory space | 106,641.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of health care space | 2,100.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of residential space | 392,378.0 sq ft |
| Population | |
| Total Student Enrollment (FTE) | 10570.0 |
| Residential Students | 3663 |
| Full-time Commuter Students | 5991 |
| Part-time Commuter Students | 3051 |
| Non-Credit Students | 259 |
| Full-time Faculty | 707 |
| Part-time Faculty | 549 |
| Full-time Staff | 1432 |
| Part-time Staff | 791 |
| Other Contextual Data | |
| Endowment Size | 338000000 |
| Heating Degree Days | 1890 |
| Cooling Degree Days | 2779 |
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Please describe any circumstances specific to your institution that provide context for understanding your greenhouse gas emissions this year.
No information provided |
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Supporting Documentation
| Completed inventory narrative | No information provided |
| Completed inventory calculator | Download |
Auditing and Verification
These emissions data have been audited, verified, or peer-reviewed.|
Please briefly describe this verification, if any.
External consultant was retained to audit and verify all data included in this inventory. |