Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Chelsea Hamilton
Submission Date March 5, 2020

STARS v2.2

Vanderbilt University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Chelsea Hamilton
Sustainability Outreach Program Manager
Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory

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

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
Annual_Sustainability_Report_FY_2018-2019.pdf

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
In order to create a single, consistent methodology for calculating and reporting GHG emissions for the University, emissions for Vanderbilt, including those years prior to 2009, were calculated utilizing the EPA’s scope and emissions factors for relevant stationary sources. Transportation emissions were calculated using the EPA MOVES model.

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

A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
Validated internally by faculty, staff, and students independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process. Report is reviewed and verified by Director of Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office, Chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee, Vice Chancellor for Administration, Chief of Staff for Vice Chancellor for Administration, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Chief Facilities Officer, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Plant Operations, Environmental Management Systems Coordinator, and Sustainability Outreach Coordinator.

Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
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Scope 1 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Weight in MTCO2e
Stationary combustion 76,259 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) 1,209 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
77,468 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity 42,263 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
42,263 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

GHG emissions from biomass combustion
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
Yes or No Weight in MTCO2e
Business travel Yes 15,193 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting Yes 42,263 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations Yes 2,420 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
59,876 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Air travel emissions are calculated using recorded passenger air miles from the University booking system multiplied by the WRI Greenhouse Gas Protocol Emission Factor. Waste disposal emissions are calculated using weights of waste streams, multiplied by emissions factors from the EPA, ICLEI Recycling/Composting Protocol, and Turner, Williams, and Kemp (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344915301245).

Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory

Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Yes

Annual weight of emissions for::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 100.30 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 2.50 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 103.80 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 16.50 Tons
Ozone (O3) 0 Tons
Lead (Pb) 0 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 0 Tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) 0 Tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations 14.59 Tons

Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
Yes or No
Major stationary sources Yes
Area sources Yes
Mobile sources Yes
Commuting No
Off-site electricity production No

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Vanderbilt keeps a daily log of its fuel use and energy production and utilizes EPA’s AP-42 emission factors to determine the institution’s annual air emissions. Vanderbilt’s power plant is regulated by a Title V Air Permit managed by Metro Nashville Public Health Department.
Mobile source emissions are calculated using the FLEET tool from Argonne National Lab using fuel data.

Optional Fields

Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
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Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations:
VOCs: 14.59

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.