Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.28
Liaison Katie Koscielak
Submission Date April 21, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Cal Poly Humboldt
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.66 / 10.00 Morgan King
Sustainability & Waste Coordinator
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
All, Some, or None
Business travel All
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories None

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:
The Sustainability Office utilized emissions reports from the CSU to inventory Scopes 1 and 2 emissions. The CSU emissions reports are based off of monthly energy and utility reports from HSU and are organized in accordance with the Climate Registry General Reporting Protocol. Business Travel - Researchers utilized archived travel expense claim forms, campus population data, mapping software and current and historical fuel economy averages to identify business travel-related emissions for the reporting years. For ground transportation, researchers applied historical and current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. Researchers calculated air travel emissions using Tier 3 inventory methodology from the EMEP/EEA Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook 2013, which utilizes data for each flight containing aircraft type and flight distance, subdivided into domestic and international. Researchers also utilized a flight tracking website (www.flightaware.com) to determine average aircraft flying in and out of the Arcata/Eureka airport as well as other domestic and international flights. Emissions were calculated using Climb/Cruise/Descent (CCD) and Landing and Takeoff Oscillation (LTO) cycle emission projections and interpolated emissions using nautical miles for the specified flight. Commute Travel – Researchers released a campus-wide survey in 2014, which posed a series of questions to assess the commuting and parking practices of students, faculty and staff – namely, modes of travel, distance from points of origin, frequency of commute, and parking preferences. Approximately 20% of the randomly selected students, faculty and staff responded to the survey. Researchers then determined the total number of miles traveled per mode, total number of miles per week per mode, and average miles traveled per person. Total miles traveled in each academic year were multiplied by the percentage of miles traveled by each mode of transportation (dividing the total number of miles traveled using each mode of transportation by total number of miles traveled using all modes of transportation) to determine the total number of miles traveled by the campus population, using each mode of transportation, for the reporting years. Solid Waste - The Sustainability Office tracks the total tons of solid waste collected on campus each year. Researchers utilized Version 13 of the EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to estimate emissions associated with the hauling and landfilling of MSW.

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:
---

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 4,870 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,862 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 2,470 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,140 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 7,340 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,002 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 31, 2015
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2005 Dec. 31, 2005

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
2005 is the baseline year used in the AASHE STARS v1.2 report submitted in 2013. To maintain consistency, 2005 is used as the baseline for this report.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
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
Carbon offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon offsets 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
---

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 7,340 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,002 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,047 1,271
Number of employees resident on-site 6 3
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 8,228 6,850.85
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,284.80 1,231
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 75.20 0
Weighted campus users 7,591.45 6,379.89

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user 0.97 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2.04 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
52.56

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,995,999 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 39,465 Square feet
Healthcare space 10,441 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 29,988 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,125,799 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel ---
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
Greenhouse gas emissions reductions were primarily accomplished via the following strategies: 1. Main energy provider incorporated a larger renewable energy portfolio to campus energy mix 2. Campus implemented small to medium energy efficiency projects via equipment and programmatic updates. (For example: three MBCx projects were achieved in the last three years, in which the implementation of just one of those achieved a overall 40% energy reduction for that building.)

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
For information on the HSU Greenhouse Gas Inventory and climate action planning, go to www2.humboldt.edu/sustainability/node/192

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.