Earlham College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Inventory
February, 2013
Spring 2010 Version by Sarah Waddle and Katie-Rose Taulbee
Updated for Spring 2013 by Yoni Glogower
Project History
Greenhouse gas emissions reporting is a quickly growing tool in today’s campus
sustainability efforts. Colleges and universities across the nation are using greenhouse
gas inventory data to create goals for reducing emissions and are making a real impact
with climate change solutions.
This report is an updated version of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
completed by former students Sarah Waddle (’12) and Katie-Rose Taulbee (’12) in the
spring semester of 2010. The data used was collected using the Clean Air-Cool Planet
Campus Carbon Calculator, a program used on campuses across the country for the
purpose of quantifying carbon emissions. The calculator was created by Clean Air-Cool
Planet, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to
global warming. We gathered emissions data for the college by communicating with
various members of the faculty, staff, and administration with access to the
information we needed. As Earlham’s emissions are linked to many different aspects of
campus, it was necessary to collect data from a variety of sources, including facilities,
finances, institutional research, security, maintenance, environmental studies, and
mathematics. We also researched sustainability efforts at other colleges across the
nation to get a better sense of how to organize and present the collected information.
In presenting this baseline of greenhouse gas emissions at Earlham, we hope to
engage the community in dialogue about how we can do our part to respond to climate
change at Earlham.
Why Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting?
There is strong consensus among the international scientific community that
human-caused climate change is a real and pressing crisis facing the planet1. Since the
industrial revolution, emissions of greenhouse gases from industrialized nations have
been increasing dramatically. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and
methane (CH4) contribute to the greenhouse effect, a global climate phenomenon
wherein certain gases trap infrared radiation from the sun within the earth’s
atmosphere. This causes widespread changes in global climate, including an increase
in average global temperature, as well as increased numbers and intensity of severe
storms.
In order to reduce the effects of global climate change, it is necessary to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions on a worldwide scale. In order for this to take place,
individuals and communities must take initiative and responsibility for reduction of
greenhouse emissions on a local level. By being vocal and proactive about these
initiatives, communities around the world can send a clear message to governments
and corporations that climate change mitigation is a high priority.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, see the IPCC website
for more information: http://www.ipcc.ch
1
Greenhouse gas emissions reporting can be a tool for community
empowerment towards reducing the impacts of climate change. The data collected
provides a baseline of information that can be a starting point towards taking
measures to reduce emissions.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories for other colleges and universities can be found
at:
Why Report Emissions at Earlham?
As an institution of higher education in the United States, Earlham has a unique
role to play in climate change education. Located in a country that has only 5% of the
world’s population but uses 21% of the world’s energy, we are the biggest offenders
when it comes to climate change2. There are currently no federal laws in the U.S.
limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The responsibility to respond to climate change in a
positive and adequate way is falling on communities lie colleges and universities.
Institutions of education are interwoven with our society such that what is taught
through our education system is both product and creator of our cultural mindset.
When colleges and universities make commitments to sustainability, so do their
students, and when those students graduate that culture of sustainability is carried
with them wherever they go in the world.
Climate change is the defining environmental crisis of our time. As a Quaker
institution that values social justice and respect for all persons, it is incumbent upon us
to take an active role in engaging with climate change solutions for the good of our
world. Reporting greenhouse gas emissions at Earlham enables the college community
to analyze quantitatively our collective impact on climate change. Through this
analysis, the community can envision and carry out a positive response to climate
change. The inventory provides a way to shape that response, as well as quantify the
results over time.
Data Explanations
Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator
This is the emissions calculation tool used to record and interpret Earlham’s
emissions. It is made up of a series of connected Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that use
energy data from various sources to calculate emissions and project future emissions
based on historical trends. The calculator also has the capability to project changes in
emissions based on future reduction projects.
2
http://www.tonto.eia.doe.gov/eneryexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_home#tab3
Time Frame
The first purpose of the greenhouse gas emission inventory is to show a clear
picture of our current emissions and their respective sources. The second is to provide
a sense of the trend Earlham’s emissions have been following in recent years. This
second goal has been a challenge because greenhouse gas emissions reporting is a
relatively new field, and thus many historical records needed to calculate emissions
have not been kept at Earlham. The lack of data in certain areas means that we can
only reliably project emissions going back to 2007.
The projection of future emissions (figure 4) was created using the Clean AirCool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator’s projections module. It estimates adjusted
emissions rates assuming the upcoming increase in student population and the
construction of additional buildings over the coming years. Though incomplete in
terms of all the factors that may contribute to fluctuations in emissions, it is
nonetheless a faithful representation of the increase in emissions that is sure to result
from these institutional alterations.
Scopes3
The Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator was developed using the GHG
(greenhouse gas) Protocol standards which outline three basic scopes for emissions
reporting:
Scope One is made up of emissions from sources that are owned or operated by the
college directly. These emissions frequently come from cogeneration plants,
transportation, refrigeration, and agriculture. For this inventory we collected energy
use data for campus transportation in scope one.
Scope Two is made up of emissions from sources not owned or operated directly by
the college, but that can be directly linked its energy consumption, such as purchased
electricity, steam, or chilled water. In this inventory we collected data on purchased
steam and electricity.
Scope Three is made up of emissions that exist as a result of the college, but are not
directly “owned” by the college. Examples of scope three sources include emissions
associated with commuting, college associated travel, solid waste disposal,
wastewater, and paper usage. This inventory collected data energy data on study
abroad travel and waste water. The Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator
also automatically calculates estimated emissions associated with the transmission
and distribution of purchased energy (T & D losses) which fall under the category of
scope three emissions.
3
Clean Air-Cool Planet v6 User’s Guide
Unfortunately, we do not currently have reliable historical data for either solid waste
disposal or paper usage, but based on a previous version of this inventory, we estimate
that they together do not make up more than 1% of total emissions.
Emissions offsets are also recorded in scope three. Earlham’s only current offsets are
composting and the newly planted (2012) tree plantation behind the football field.
Data collection on college composting is still in progress at the time of this report, and
it is too soon to be recording data on carbon sequestration for the tree plantation.
Categories
All the following data was collected for the fiscal years 2007-2008 through 2011-2012.
For clarification purposes, the Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator
classifies each fiscal year by the end date year, so when it displays data from 2012, for
example, it is referring to the 2011-2012 fiscal year (July 1st, 2011-June 30th, 2012).
Transportation: The directly recorded gas usage for all college owned vehicles.
Purchased Steam: Data for this section came from records of steam purchased for the
campus from natural gas sources for all campus buildings and college owned houses.
Purchased Electricity: College purchased electricity comes mainly from coal
combustion, and was recorded for all campus buildings and houses.
Study Abroad Air Miles: This travel was calculated using records for the number f
students on each study abroad semester, year, or May Term, and extrapolated using an
online air mileage calculator to find the distance between the Indianapolis airport and
the main destination of each program. Not all May Term data was included in this
report.
Waste Water: After water is used at Earlham, it travels to a central treatment plant
where it is treated using aerobic digestion.
Results
Current Emissions
Emissions Breakdown by Category 20112012
0%
6%
6%
Natural Gas
30%
Purchased Electrcity
Study Abroad Travel
Scope 2 T & D Losses
Other Sources
58%
Figure 1. Emissions breakdown by category, 2011-2012
Historical Data
Table 1. Emissions in Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalents Broken Down by Source
and Scope for Earlham College 2008-2012
Scope 1
Scope 2
Scope 3
Year
Campus
Transportation
Natural
Gas
Purchased
Electricity
Study
Abroad
Travel
Wastewater
Scope 2
T&D
Losses
Total
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
90.5
87.9
76.2
76.9
73.6
4,245.1
4,530.0
4,611.9
4,541.6
3,898.5
7,244.7
6,811.1
7,593.1
6,987.4
7,549.0
1,505.1
1,099.0
1,052.0
1,161.3
763.8
14.3
14.6
11.9
12.8
12.8
716.5
673.6
751.0
691.1
746.6
13,816.2
13,216.2
14,096.1
13,471.0
13,044.4
16,000
Total Emissions (Metric Tonnes eCO2)
Scope 2 T&D Losses
14,000
12,000
Study Abroad Air Travel
10,000
Purchased Electricity
8,000
6,000
Direct Transportation
4,000
2,000
0
2008
On-Campus Stationary
2009
2010
2011
2012
Year
Figure 2. Total emissions in metric tons of CO2 equivalents by source, 2008-2012
Projected Future Emissions
18,000
Scope 2 T&D Losses
Total Emissions (Metric Tonnes eCO2)
16,000
14,000
Study Abroad Air Travel
12,000
10,000
Purchased Electricity
8,000
6,000
Direct Transportation
4,000
On-Campus Stationary
2,000
0
2008
2011
2014
2017
2020
2023
Year
Figure 3. Projected future emissions in metric tons of CO2 equivalents by source, 2008-2025
Conclusion
Creating this inventory allows us to see the impact we as a college community
are making in the climate crisis. We believe it is crucial for Earlham’s environmental
impact to be a positive one, and completing this assessment on a regular basis will help
us to gauge our progress in this regard. When we respond to this data as a community
of students, faculty, and staff, it will lead to real changes in our stewardship of the
environment, and have a lasting positive effect on the wellbeing of the world we live in.
Earlham is already taking important steps in this direction with all the initiatives
currently being undertaken by the CEA and the ERC, and approval of the new
Sustainability Plan that is being put forward would help take these efforts to the next
level in terms of real commitment to a sustainable future.