GHG Report for American Public University System
Submitted on January 14, 2011; last updated on January 14, 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) | 1,776 metric tons of CO2e | 0.1 metric tons of CO2e | 13.2 metric tons of CO2e | 0% |
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) | 4,226 metric tons of CO2e | 0.2 metric tons of CO2e | 31.3 metric tons of CO2e | 0% |
| Net emissions | 4,226 metric tons of CO2e | 0.2 metric tons of CO2e | 31.3 metric tons of CO2e | N/A |
Emissions Inventory Methodology and Boundaries
| Start date of the 12-month period covered in this report | January 1, 2010 |
| Consolidation methodology used to determine organizational boundaries | Operational control 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.
All APUS owned and operated buildings are included as well as leased office and administrative spaces. Leased IT spaces are not included in this report. |
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| Emissions calculation tool used | Clean Air-Cool Planet |
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Please describe why this tool was selected.
APUS contracted with Sightlines to complete the GHG inventory. Sightlines utilizes the Clean Air - Cool Plant Campus Carbon Calculator as a framework for its analysis. |
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Please describe the source(s) of the emissions coefficients used.
Emissions coefficients used are from the Campus Carbon Calculator v6 |
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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? | External consultant |
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Please describe the process of conducting the inventory.
Sightlines staff collected the updated information remotely and worked with APUS to verify the data. |
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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.
No information provided |
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Emissions Data
Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)
| Scope 1 Emissions | |
|---|---|
| Stationary Combustion | 49.3 metric tons of CO2e |
| Mobile Combustion | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Process Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Fugitive Emissions | 97.7 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 1 emissions | 147.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 Emissions | |
| Purchased Electricity | 1,628.9 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 | 1,628.9 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 3 Emissions | |
| Commuting | 1,665.485 metric tons of CO2e |
| Air Travel | 483.875 metric tons of CO2e |
| Solid Waste | 132.471 metric tons of CO2e |
| Wastewater | 6.613 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Paper | 12.887 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 T&D Losses | 148.798 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 3 emissions | 2,450.129 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) | No information provided |
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Description of offsets purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
No information provided |
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| Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) | |
| Total RECs purchased | None kWh |
| Percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through the purchase of RECs | None % |
| Emissions reductions due to the purchase of RECs | No information provided |
| REC verification program(s) | No information provided |
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Description of RECs purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)
No information provided |
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| Sequestration and Carbon Storage | |
| Sequestration due to land owned by the institution | No information provided |
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Description of how sequestration was calculated
No information provided |
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| Carbon storage due to composting | No information provided |
Normalization and Contextual Data
| Building Space | |
|---|---|
| Gross square feet of building space | 135,038.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of laboratory space | No information provided |
| Net assignable square feet of health care space | No information provided |
| Net assignable square feet of residential space | No information provided |
| Population | |
| Total Student Enrollment (FTE) | 23520.0 |
| Residential Students | No information provided |
| Full-time Commuter Students | No information provided |
| Part-time Commuter Students | No information provided |
| Non-Credit Students | No information provided |
| Full-time Faculty | 255 |
| Part-time Faculty | 1189 |
| Full-time Staff | 599 |
| Part-time Staff | 5 |
| Other Contextual Data | |
| Endowment Size | No information provided |
| 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.
No information provided |
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Supporting Documentation
| Completed inventory narrative | No information provided |
| Completed inventory calculator | Download |
Auditing and Verification
These emissions data have been audited, verified, or peer-reviewed.|
Please briefly describe this verification, if any.
Sightlines collected and verified this emissions report. |