| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.05 |
| Liaison | Lisa Kilgore |
| Submission Date | March 22, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Cornell University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.84 / 10.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | Yes |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | No |
| Capital goods | No |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes |
| Waste generated in operations | No |
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
No
None
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
1) Obtain fuel records
2) Obtain purchased electric records
3) Calculate consumption
4) Determine commuting mileage
5) Determine air travel mileage
6) Input consumption and mileage data into CACP v7 calculator to determine emissions
None
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
None
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Emissions estimates are part of USEPA Clean Air Act Reporting requirements and are certified by Cornell's authorized regulatory official. Another managerial level staff member has also review and approved.
None
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 161,806 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 160,014 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 3,360 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,349 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 17,497 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 87,339 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
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 |
None
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
The Cornell Campus Sustainability Office provided advisory support in the development and piloting of an independent local carbon offset fund, the Finger Lakes Climate Fund. Several Cornell offices have voluntarily used the Finger Lakes Climate Fund to offset conferences and travel. Plans to expand the use of the program are under development.
None
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
---
None
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
---
None
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
---
None
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 7,344 | 6,662 |
| Number of residential employees | 505 | 35 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 469 | 459 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 20,951 | 19,053 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 10,769 | 12,113 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 47 | 0 |
None
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, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
None
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
CU is a reporting (and founding) member of the ACUPCC and reports according to the protocols adopted for that system.
None
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
15,745,567
Square feet
None
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,789,047 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 152,089 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 420,506 Square feet |
None
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 29,841 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 28,941 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | --- |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | --- |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
---
None
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
---
None
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
http://rs.acupcc.org/search/?institution_name=CORNELL&carnegie_class=%3F%3F&state_or_province=%3F%3F
None
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Campus-wide central plant, building energy conservation, and new buildng construction programs. CU has an entire profession staff devoted to maintaining campus utility requirements while maintaining or reducing emissions.
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The reduction in Scope 2 (purchased electricity emissions) is the result of
the CCHPP (Cornell Combined Heat & Power project). Most of the campus’s
electric usage is generated on site via combustion turbines and the waste
heat is used to generate steam for campus heating. The CCHPP went online
in December 2009 and that allowed us to go coal-free in March 2011.
Links for more information:
https://energyandsustainability.fs.cornell.edu/util/heating/default.cfm
https://energyandsustainability.fs.cornell.edu/util/heating/production/cep.cfm
For instances where FY 2005 usage is unavailable, we assumed usage is comparable to FY14 values.
Cornell PCC FY14 GHG inventory includes a Scope 3 deduction in fuel/energy related activities represents the GHG emissions associated with exported electric. Cornell's Combined Heat & Power facility will sometimes generate electricity that exceeds campus demand. This excess electric is exported to the grid. The Scope 3 deduction represents the emissions associated with this energy not used on campus. This value is -16,795 metric tons. The AASHE STARS input sheet cannot handle the input of negative values.
In regards to the weighted campus user data: the number of partners/family members of staff and professional students that also live on campus and consume resources were placed in the "in-patient hospital beds" category because there is no place in STARS 2.0 to document campus residents that are not students, employees, or in-patient hospital beds. This allows for the most honest representation of Cornell's weighted campus users.
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.