GHG Report for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Submitted on September 15, 2008; last updated on December 26, 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) | 6,618 metric tons of CO2e | 3.6 metric tons of CO2e | 9.9 metric tons of CO2e | 10% |
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) | 8,015 metric tons of CO2e | 4.4 metric tons of CO2e | 12.0 metric tons of CO2e | 9% |
| Net emissions | 7,325 metric tons of CO2e | 4.0 metric tons of CO2e | 10.9 metric tons of CO2e | N/A |
Emissions Inventory Methodology and Boundaries
| Start date of the 12-month period covered in this report | January 1, 2007 |
| Consolidation methodology used to determine organizational boundaries | Equity share 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.
None were omitted. |
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| Emissions calculation tool used | Clean Air-Cool Planet |
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Please describe why this tool was selected.
The tool was appropriate for our campus. In addition, a neighboring institution had found the CA-CP tool valuable and recommended its use. For this updated 2007 GHG report, we used the 6.4 version of the Clean Air-Cool Planet calculator. |
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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? | Initially an external consultant and for this update, the sustainability coordinator. |
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Please describe the process of conducting the inventory.
An external consultant, the Center for Ecological Technology (CET), conducted an inventory of waste and recycling. A student supervised by a faculty member collected the initial energy data. Energy data was transferred to CET staff members who worked with college staff including facilities managers, the VP of Administration and Finance and the institutional research offices to collect additional data to complete the original 2007 report. This updated 2007 Greenhouse Gas Report includes data from more recent Clean Air Cool Planet carbon calculator, version 6.4. |
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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.
A significant limitation of the CA-CP tool relates to emissions associated with waste. Waste from MCLA goes to a waste-to-energy facility. We found that the tool calculates a decrease in GHG emissions as waste increases. This is counter to the recommendation that it is most beneficial to reduce and recycle waste at the college. |
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Emissions Data
Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)
| Scope 1 Emissions | |
|---|---|
| Stationary Combustion | 3,537.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Mobile Combustion | 97.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Process Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Fugitive Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 1 emissions | 3,634.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 Emissions | |
| Purchased Electricity | 2,984.0 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 | 2,984.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 3 Emissions | |
| Commuting | 1,273.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Air Travel | 151.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Solid Waste | -27.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| 0 | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| 0 | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| 0 | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 3 emissions | 1,397.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Biogenic Emissions | |
| Biogenic Emissions from Stationary Combustion | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Biogenic Emissions from Mobile Combustion | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
Mitigation Data
| Carbon Offsets | |
|---|---|
| Carbon offsets purchased | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Offset verification program(s) | Other |
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Description of offsets purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
MCLA does not purchase carbon offsets. |
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| Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) | |
| Total RECs purchased | 0 kWh |
| Percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through the purchase of RECs | 0.0 % |
| Emissions reductions due to the purchase of RECs | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| REC verification program(s) | No information provided |
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Description of RECs purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
MCLA does not purchase REC's. |
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| Sequestration and Carbon Storage | |
| Sequestration due to land owned by the institution | 690.0 metric tons of CO2e |
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Description of how sequestration was calculated
The college owns 58 acres of forested land and the value was calculated using default values from CA-CP. |
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| Carbon storage due to composting | No information provided |
Normalization and Contextual Data
| Building Space | |
|---|---|
| Gross square feet of building space | 669,593.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of laboratory space | 0.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of health care space | 0.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of residential space | 252,413.0 sq ft |
| Population | |
| Total Student Enrollment (FTE) | 1831.0 |
| Residential Students | 882 |
| Full-time Commuter Students | 949 |
| Part-time Commuter Students | 250 |
| Non-Credit Students | 400 |
| Full-time Faculty | 90 |
| Part-time Faculty | 35 |
| Full-time Staff | 223 |
| Part-time Staff | No information provided |
| Other Contextual Data | |
| Endowment Size | 7500000 |
| Heating Degree Days | No information provided |
| Cooling Degree Days | No information provided |
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Please describe any circumstances specific to your institution that provide context for understanding your greenhouse gas emissions this year.
For 2007 we have separated full and part-time staff and faculty for the purposes of calculating emissions. |
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Supporting Documentation
| Completed inventory narrative | No information provided |
| Completed inventory calculator | No information provided |
Auditing and Verification
These emissions data have been audited, verified, or peer-reviewed.|
Please briefly describe this verification, if any.
The data for the calculations for the MCLA carbon footprint were verified by the MCLA staff. *Note: Since the completion of the initial 2007 GHG report, MCLA has began to use the 6.4 CA-CP software, and has conducted the emissions inventory internally starting in 2008. This change in software and identification of new sources of data on campus, results in the discrepancies between the figures in this updated 2007 GHG report, and the data presented in the 2009 Climate Action Plan.* |