Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.09
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Swarthmore College
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.34 / 8.00 Hannah Ulloa
Climate Action Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 4,530.66 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5,212.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 857.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 305.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6,689.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 5,388.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12,207.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 1,067 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 storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 70.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ---
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 1,067 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 70.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Swarthmore currently purchases offsets through Climate Vault, which helps institutions and individuals to reduce and eliminate their carbon footprint. To do this, Climate Vault uses regulated compliance markets to purchase and “vault” CO2 allowances, thereby preventing major emitters in those markets from utilizing them to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This method provides an immediately measurable impact (1 permit = 1 metric ton of CO2), so individuals and organizations can be certain their contributions are truly reducing carbon emissions now. For Swarthmore, Climate Vault purchases permits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) market, which includes Pennsylvania, ensuring that positive impact is even more local to our institution. Offsets are purchased on an annual basis, based on the GHG inventory from the previous year.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 4,321.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12,137.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date July 1, 2020 Jan. 1, 2010
End date June 30, 2021 Dec. 31, 2010

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The baseline greenhouse gas emissions report was published in March 2012 and was used in the College's last STARS report; for consistency, we have opted to keep 2010 as the baseline year.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 1,548 1,433
Number of employees resident on-site 13 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 9 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,696 1,524
Full-time equivalent of employees 908 708
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted Campus Users 2,352.25 2,032.25

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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 1.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.97 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
69.24

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,827,664 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 92,331 Square feet
Healthcare space 4,291 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 9,159 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,030,067 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

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

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Swarthmore College has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. In pursuit of this goal, the College is in the process of implementing "To Zero by Thirty-Five" (the energy master plan previously known as Roadmap to Zero Carbon) which charts the path for decarbonizing campus energy systems and eliminating nearly all Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The College is also developing strategies to reduce Scope 3 emissions, through initiatives such as the implementing a zero-waste plan, launching the Air Travel Carbon fee program, and expanding sustainable transportation policy.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The data for this credit was assembled by Hannah Ulloa, the Climate Program Manager from the Office of Sustainability.
Email: hulloa1@swarthmore.edu

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.