2008 GHG Report for James Madison University
Submitted on September 15, 2009; last updated on September 16, 2009
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) | 67,339 metric tons of CO2e | 3.9 metric tons of CO2e | 13.4 metric tons of CO2e | 0.2% |
| Gross emissions (Scopes 1 + 2 + 3) | 85,971 metric tons of CO2e | 5 metric tons of CO2e | 17.1 metric tons of CO2e | 0.2% |
| Net emissions | 85,835 metric tons of CO2e | 5 metric tons of CO2e | 17 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.
All buildings under the operational control of JMU are included. |
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| Emissions calculation tool used | Clean Air-Cool Planet |
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Please describe why this tool was selected.
The CACP Campus Carbon Calculator is recommended in the ACUPCC Implementation Guide and is consistent with the international consensus greenhouse gas accounting protocols developed by the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD). |
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Please describe the source(s) of the emissions coefficients used.
CACP Campus Carbon Calculator (V. 6.0). |
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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.
The inventory was developed through a series of steps including: a) establishing inventory protocols, boundaries, and definitions b) identifying emissions sources through an activity description questionnaire c) collecting data on emissions sources using a data collection scorecard d) estimating emissions using the CACP Campus Carbon Calculator e) reporting emissions and receiving feedback from steering committee on report. |
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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.
The following emission sources were classified as de minimis: |
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Please describe any data limitations related to this submission and any major assumptions made in response to these limitations.
Estimates of non-bus commuting behaviors were obtained from the working draft (01/16/2008) of the JMU Sustainable Mobility Paper. Air travel mileage was estimated from partial data available for FY2006 and scaled for population. |
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Emissions Data
Emissions from the following sources (in metric tons of CO2e)
| Scope 1 Emissions | |
|---|---|
| Stationary Combustion | 5,420 metric tons of CO2e |
| Mobile Combustion | 1,322 metric tons of CO2e |
| Process Emissions | 1 metric tons of CO2e |
| Fugitive Emissions | 220 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 1 emissions | 6,963 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 2 Emissions | |
| Purchased Electricity | 44,235 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Heating | 0 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Cooling | 3,796 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Steam | 12,345 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 2 emissions | 60,376 metric tons of CO2e |
| Scope 3 Emissions | |
| Commuting | 10,256 metric tons of CO2e |
| Air Travel | 1,797 metric tons of CO2e |
| Solid Waste | 1,355 metric tons of CO2e |
| Purchased Electricity Transmission & Distribution Losses | 5,224 metric tons of CO2e |
| Total Scope 3 emissions | 18,632 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. |
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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 | No information provided. |
| Percent of total electricity consumption mitigated through the purchase of RECs | No information provided. |
| 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 | 136 metric tons of CO2e |
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Description of how sequestration was calculated
JMU has two major forested properties: the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, and the Madison College Farm, with a total forested acreage of approximately 111 acres. For calculation purposes, it was assumed that the percent canopy cover in these two areas was 100%. The sequestration rate (0.335 tons C/acre) is given by Rowntree (Rowntree, 1991) and accounts for tree age (represented by diameter), since the rate that a forest sequesters carbon is dependent on the age of the trees within the forest. It was further assumed that the tree diameter distribution of the forests on these JMU properties could be approximated by the average tree diameter distribution given by Rowntree. Both of these assumptions were considered adequate because of the small scale of the carbon sequestration provided by the forests in relation to JMU’s total GHG emissions. |
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| Carbon storage due to composting | No information provided. |
Normalization and Contextual Data
| Building Space | |
|---|---|
| Gross square feet of building space | 5,034,696 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) | 17,339 |
| 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 | No information provided. |
| Part-time Faculty | No information provided. |
| Full-time Staff | No information provided. |
| Part-time Staff | No information provided. |
| Other Contextual Data | |
| Endowment Size | No information provided. |
| Heating Degree Days | 4,329 |
| Cooling Degree Days | 1,082 |
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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 |
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Program: An Integrated Evaluation of Energy and Resource Usage Download (JMU FY2005-08 GHG Inventory Program.PDF) |
| Completed inventory calculator | Download (JMU FY2005-08 GHG Inventory Calculator.xls) |