GHG Report for Mills College
Submitted on January 15, 2009; last updated on January 8, 2013
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) | 4,805 metric tons of CO2e | 3.4 metric tons of CO2e | 5.1 metric tons of CO2e | 0% |
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) | 6,368 metric tons of CO2e | 4.5 metric tons of CO2e | 6.8 metric tons of CO2e | 0% |
| Net emissions | 6,368 metric tons of CO2e | 4.5 metric tons of CO2e | 6.8 metric tons of CO2e | N/A |
Emissions Inventory Methodology and Boundaries
| Start date of the 12-month period covered in this report | July 1, 2007 |
| 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.
No buildings are omitted. |
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| Emissions calculation tool used | Custom tool |
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Please describe why this tool was selected.
Mills is using guidelines from the World Resources Institute GHG Protocol. (www.ghgprotocol.org)adjusted for the campus. |
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Please describe the source(s) of the emissions coefficients used.
Conversion factors were taken from the World Resources Institute (WRI) calculation tool. Conversion factors not from the World Resources Institute are from government agencies such as the California Public Utilities Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency. CO2 equivalents were calculated using Global Warming Potential figures specified by the WRI. |
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| Which version of IPCC's list of global warming potentials did you use? | Second Assessment Report |
| Who primarily conducted this emissions inventory? | Student researcher(s) |
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Please describe the process of conducting the inventory.
The ACUPCC directive fell under the auspices of the Mills College Sustainability Committee, made up of students, faculty and administration. One of the students on the committee took on the GHG inventory as her senior thesis. Two staff members, the recycling manager and architectural assistant, assisted in data collection and advised on the process. Data presented in the initial report was divided into direct and indirect sources. Direct includes campus vehicle and equipment fuel usage. Indirect includes purchased electricity and natural gas, commutes to and from campus, College-funded travel, and waste generation and disposal data were used. |
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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.
1. Commuting data was calculated by compiling surveys from groups: residential and commuter students, faculty, and staff. Average commute distance, passengers per car, and days commuted per week were determined from survey responses. Population size and average number of commute days per year was extrapolated for each population to determine the total commute distance for each population. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average fuel efficiency of American cars in 2008 was used to set the fuel efficiency rate of 22.4 miles per gallon and this was used to calculate the amount of fuel used. Carpools are assumed to be two commuters per car. Roundtrip travel distances were used and the emissions factor of kg CO2 per gallon of gasoline was provided by the World Resources Institute. A more accurate data collection method linked to parking passes is under consideration to obtain more accurate information on commute distance and individual vehicle fuel efficiencies for future efforts. At this time only one survey was administered, and although there were many responses, larger continued samples are necessary.
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Emissions Data
Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)
| Scope 1 Emissions | |
|---|---|
| Stationary Combustion | 3,196.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Mobile Combustion | 88.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Process Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Fugitive Emissions | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 1 emissions | 3,284.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 Emissions | |
| Purchased Electricity | 1,521.0 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 | 1,521.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 3 Emissions | |
| Commuting | 1,191.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Air Travel | 372.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Solid Waste | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 3 emissions | 1,563.0 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 | 0 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 | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
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Description of how sequestration was calculated
No information provided |
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| Carbon storage due to composting | 0.0 metric tons of CO2e |
Normalization and Contextual Data
| Building Space | |
|---|---|
| Gross square feet of building space | 936,031.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of laboratory space | 8,000.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of health care space | 0.0 sq ft |
| Net assignable square feet of residential space | 292,765.0 sq ft |
| Population | |
| Total Student Enrollment (FTE) | 1406.42 |
| Residential Students | 582 |
| Full-time Commuter Students | No information provided |
| Part-time Commuter Students | No information provided |
| Non-Credit Students | No information provided |
| Full-time Faculty | 96 |
| Part-time Faculty | 103 |
| Full-time Staff | 307 |
| Part-time Staff | No information provided |
| 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 |
Mills College GHG Inventory 2008 Download |
| Completed inventory calculator | No information provided |