ACUPCC Reporting System

GHG Report for Coastal Carolina University

Submitted on December 21, 2011; last updated on January 19, 2012

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) 16,303 metric tons of CO2e 1.9 metric tons of CO2e 12.1 metric tons of CO2e 5%
Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) 25,453 metric tons of CO2e 2.9 metric tons of CO2e 18.9 metric tons of CO2e 3%
Net emissions 24,580 metric tons of CO2e 2.8 metric tons of CO2e 18.3 metric tons of CO2e N/A

Emissions Inventory Methodology and Boundaries

Start date of the 12-month period covered in this report July 1, 2010
Consolidation methodology used to determine organizational boundaries Operational control approach
If any institution-owned, leased, or operated buildings or other holdings that should fall within the organizational boundaries are omitted, briefly explain why.

Coastal Carolina University included all university-owned, leased or operated buildings in this report.

Emissions calculation tool used Clean Air-Cool Planet
Please describe why this tool was selected.

Coastal Carolina University followed the recommendation of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

Please describe the source(s) of the emissions coefficients used.

Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP) Campus Carbon Calculator's default emissions coefficients.
Which version of IPCC's list of global warming potentials did you use? No information provided
Who primarily conducted this emissions inventory? Sustainability office staff
Please describe the process of conducting the inventory.

The data collection consisted primarly of individually contacting various departments within the university to obtain data. The departments include: Transportation Services, Accounts Payable, Facilities - Grounds, Facilities - Planning and Management and International Studies. A transportation survey was conducted to provide an estimated mileage for the students, staff and faculty commuting.

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
Please describe any data limitations related to this submission and any major assumptions made in response to these limitations.

Every effort was made to ensure that Coastal Carolina University's Greenhouse Gas Inventory provided the most accurate and up-to-date data with the available resources.

Some of the estimates were calculated based on the following:

-Commuting was only based on a CCU transportation survey administered by the Sustainability Initiative office. 898 participated in the survey, which is 10 percent of the total campus population.

-Solid Waste was not able to be calculated due to a contract with multiple collection vendors that do not provide a weight for the waste or recycling amounts as a whole. Most of the collected loads are combined with stops outside the university.

Emissions Data

Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)

Scope 1 Emissions
Stationary Combustion 0.0 metric tons of CO2e
Mobile Combustion 581.0 metric tons of CO2e
Process Emissions 0.0 metric tons of CO2e
Fugitive Emissions 20.0 metric tons of CO2e
Total Scope 1 emissions 601.0 metric tons of CO2e
Scope 2 Emissions
Purchased Electricity 15,702.0 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 15,702.0 metric tons of CO2e
Scope 3 Emissions
Commuting 6,411.0 metric tons of CO2e
Air Travel 2,739.0 metric tons of CO2e
Solid Waste No information provided
Total Scope 3 emissions 9,150.0 metric tons of CO2e
Biogenic Emissions
Biogenic Emissions from Stationary Combustion No information provided
Biogenic Emissions from Mobile Combustion No information provided

Mitigation Data

Carbon Offsets
Carbon offsets purchased No information provided
Offset verification program(s) No information provided
Description of offsets purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)

No information provided
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
Total RECs purchased 1442400 kWh
Percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through the purchase of RECs 100.0 %
Emissions reductions due to the purchase of RECs 850.0 metric tons of CO2e
REC verification program(s) Other
Description of RECs purchased (including vendor, project source, etc.)

Coastal Carolina University purchases 601 200kWh blocks per month from the Santee Cooper Green Power program. The Green Power generating portfolio includes six landfill generating stations, four solar arrays and one wind turbine.


Weblink: https://www.santeecooper.com/portal/page/portal/santeecooper/environment/renewables/green_power_generation/green_power_sales?cmpID=greenpower

Sequestration and Carbon Storage
Sequestration due to land owned by the institution No information provided
Description of how sequestration was calculated

No information provided

Carbon storage due to composting 23.0 metric tons of CO2e

Normalization and Contextual Data

Building Space
Gross square feet of building space 1,344,638.0 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) 8706.0
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 353
Part-time Faculty No information provided
Full-time Staff 550
Part-time Staff No information provided
Other Contextual Data
Endowment Size No information provided
Heating Degree Days 1890
Cooling Degree Days 2779
Please describe any circumstances specific to your institution that provide context for understanding your greenhouse gas emissions this year.

Coastal Carolina University is a public comprehensive liberal arts institution located in Conway, just minutes from Myrtle Beach, S.C. The University offers 55 areas of study toward the baccalaureate degree and seven master's degree programs in education, writing, coastal marine and wetland studies, and the MBA. Ten new undergraduate degree programs were recently added, including biochemistry, economics, graphic design, information systems, musical theatre, theatre arts, as well as criminology, health and aging, and social justice tracks in sociology.

The University comprises 72 main buildings on 630 acres including the Coastal Science Center and the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, located on the East Campus in the Atlantic Center on U.S. 501, and The General James Hackler Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University, a public 18-hole golf facility located adjacent to the campus. The University also offers courses at the Waccamaw Center for Higher Education in Litchfield and the Myrtle Beach Education Center. Waties Island, 1,105 acres of pristine barrier island on the Atlantic coast, provides a natural laboratory for extensive study in marine science and wetlands biology.

Coastal Carolina University was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College and became an independent university in 1993.

Supporting Documentation

Completed inventory narrative No information provided
Completed inventory calculator Download

Auditing and Verification

These emissions data have not been audited, verified, or peer-reviewed.