2014 nscc ghg report_updated
TRANSCRIPT
NORTH SEATTLE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSION ANALYSIS
Climate Action Strategies
and Recommendations
Prepared by:
Brian Rucci
2014
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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“A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes”
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
This report has intentionally been distributed in electronic form to make distribution
easy and to save the trees for the forest! However, if you do need to print this
document, please use 100% post-consumer recycled paper.1 Did you know one
ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 7000
gallons of water, 4200 kWh (enough to heat a home for half a year), 390 gallons of
oil, and prevents 60 pounds of air pollutants.2
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Acknowledgements and Thanks
This report was made possible thanks to the support and advice of many
individuals:
Christian Rusby, Capstone Site Supervisor, Sustainability Coordinator, North
Seattle Community College
Megan Horst, Capstone Faculty Supervisor, Ph.D. Candidate, Urban Design and
Planning, Instructor, Program on the Environment, University of Washington
Sean McDonald, Capstone Instructor, Research Scientist, School of Aquatic &
Fishery Sciences, University of Washington
Ian Siadak, Sustainability Coordinator, Seattle Community College
John Figge, Instructor, Geology and Environmental Science, North Seattle
Community College
Ben Silver, Sustainability Coordinator, University of Washington Bothell
Facilities Department, North Seattle Community College
Thank you to everyone else who contributed to the creation of this report!
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Table of Contents
Introduction 4
Washington State Mandates 5
GHG Emission Reporting Tools 6
Scope of GHG Emission Inventory 8
Methodology of GHG Emission Analysis 9
Seattle Community College District Sustainability 12
Seattle Community College District GHG Emissions 14
North Seattle Community College Sustainability 16
North Seattle Community College GHG Emissions 17
North Seattle Community College Employee Commuting 19
North Seattle Community College Student Commuting 20
Recommendations 22
References Cited 28
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Document Road Map
Background and Context
•Current State of Sustainability
•GHG Emission Analysis
Seattle Community College District
•Current State of Sustainability
•GHG Emission Analysis
•Employee & Student Commuting
North Seattle Community College
•Actionable GHG Reduction Strategies
Recommendations
Introduction
Universities and colleges around the country are playing a key role in the fight against
climate change and global warming. The material provided in this report outlines what
one college system in Washington State is doing to combat climate change and infuse
sustainability into their campus culture.
The Seattle Community College District (SCCD) consists of three main
campuses, North Seattle Community College (NSCC), South Seattle
Community College (SSCC), and Seattle Central Community College
(SCCC). Together the colleges form the second largest institution of higher
education in the state, behind the University of Washington. Over the last
decade, NSCC has emerged as the leader within the district for sustainability
and environmental stewardship.
The goal of this report is to summarize NSCC’s greenhouse gas
(GHG) emission data, as well as make current and future reduction
strategies more visible to campus and community stakeholders. The
report was compiled over 13 weeks as an internship project through
the University of Washington’s Program on the Environment (POE)
and NSCC’s Sustainability Office.
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Greenhouse gas is any gas in the
atmosphere, which absorbs heat, and thereby keeps the
planet’s atmosphere warmer than it
otherwise would be.
GHG's
Washington State Mandates
In 2009, the Legislature and Governor adopted the State
Agency Climate Leadership Act. The Act committed state
agencies, including universities, colleges, and community
and technical colleges to lead by example in reducing their
GHG emissions to:
The strategy is required by law in RCW 70.235.050 section (3):
By June 30, 2011, each state agency shall submit to the department a strategy to
meet the requirements in subsection (1) of this section [greenhouse gas reduction
targets]. The strategy must address employee travel activities, teleconferencing
alternatives, and include existing and proposed actions, a timeline for reductions,
and recommendations for budgetary and other incentives to reduce emissions,
especially from employee business travel.
Washington State agencies report
GHG emissions in a common metric,
the carbon dioxide equivalent
(CO2e). The unit "CO2e" represents
an amount of a GHG whose
atmospheric impact has been
standardized to that of one unit
mass of carbon dioxide (CO2),
based on the global warming
potential (GWP) of the gas.3
15%
Below 2005 Levels
2020 36%
Below 2005 Levels
2035 57.5%
Below 2005 Levels
2050
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GHG Emission Reporting Tools
Current institutional sustainability strategies consist of – divestment from fossil fuels, waste
diversion, efficiency upgrades, carbon offsets, and LEED building certification. The most
recognized organization for the tracking and reporting of institutional sustainability is the
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Their
Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) has become the benchmark
for institutional reporting.
NSCC was the first college in the district to submit a report to
STARS receiving a Bronze rating in 2011, and a Silver rating in
2013. Both Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) and
South Seattle Community College (SSCC), had their first
submissions to STARS at the beginning of 2014, each
received a Bronze rating. According to a representative
from AASHE, the Seattle Community College District is the
first higher education district in the country to achieve
sustainability rankings at all of its colleges.4
Many colleges and universities have also signed the American College & University
Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The ACUPCC originated from planning
sessions with a group of college and university presidents, Second Nature, ecoAmerica
and AASHE in October 2006.5 NSCC became a signatory of the ACUPCC in 2008.
ACUPCC institutions have agreed to:
For a time-line of implementation see Figure 1.
Complete an emissions inventory.
Within two years, set a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral.
Take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of short-term actions.
Integrate sustainability into the curriculum and make it part of the educational experience.
Make the action plan, inventory and progress reports publicly available.
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Many other organizations rate
institutional sustainability at
colleges and universities. The
Princeton Review produces a
National College Guide, the
Sierra Club creates a list of Cool
Schools for their magazine, and
the Sustainable Endowments
Institute produces a College
Sustainability Report Card.6
Figure 1: Timeline for ACUPCC Implementation
Washington State mandated reporting of GHG emissions are
required at the district level (SCCD)
District Level
Reporting to AASHE STARS and the
ACUPCC is done at the campus level
Campus Level
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•Direct emissions
•e.g. from sources owned or controlled by an institution
Scope 1
•Indirect emissions
•e.g. purchased utilities
Scope 2
•All other indirect emissions
•e.g. commute and business travel
Scope 3
Scope of GHG Emission Inventory
When conducting a GHG emission inventory it is important to understand what
emissions should and should not be included. At the very basic level, GHG emissions are
classified as direct or indirect forms of emission.7 The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG
Protocol) defines this as follows:
These emissions are further categorized into three scopes:
Currently Washington State only requires reporting of scope 1 and 2 emissions. This
report examines GHG emissions from scopes 1, 2, and 3.
GHG emissions from sources that
are owned or controlled by the reporting entity
Direct Emissions GHG emissions that are
a consequence of the activities of the
reporting entity, but occur at sources
owned or controlled by another entity
Indirect Emissions
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Washington State Agency Greenhouse Gas Calculator
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Summary #5
Agency
CY:
Percent of
Total
Emissions
Total
Emissions
MT CO2e
BUILDING ENERGY USE
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
TOTAL BUILDING ENERGY USE GHG EMISSIONS* 0.0% 0.0
FLEET ENERGY USE
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
EMPLOYEE BUSINESS TRAVEL AND COMMUTING
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0.0% 0.0
0% 0.0
* Note this does not include energy use in buildings owned by Dept. of Enterprise Services.
**Biomass CO2 emissions are reported separately and are not included in the total emissions.
***Emissions from commuting are reported in CO2e. Emissions by gas are estimated for CO2, CH4, N2O, and biomass CO2.
Total
(MT CO2e)
%
0.0 0.0%
0.0 0.0%
0.0 0.0%
Table 14: Total Annual Agency GHG Emissions
Table 15: GHG Emissions by Scope
Employee Business Travel
Employee Commuting***
TOTAL FLEET GHG EMISSIONS
Scope 2 (Indirect)
Scope 3 (Other Indirect)
TOTAL BUSINESS TRAVEL AND COMMUTING EMISSIONS
TOTAL EMISSIONS
Scope
Scope 1 (Direct)
Stationary Combustion
On-road light duty
Purchased Electricity
Purchased Steam
On-road heavy duty
Off-road
Ferry
Boat
Air
Methodology of GHG Emission Analysis
The tool that was used for this analysis was the Washington State Agency Greenhouse
Gas Calculator. The Calculator consists of an Excel spreadsheet that converts miles
traveled, electricity (kWh), and natural gas (Therms) to the common metric used in
GHG analysis, MTCO2e (million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent).
Figure 2: Washington State Green House Gas Calculator (Emission Summary tab)
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Electricity and natural gas usage can easily be obtained from utility bills. Figures 3 & 4
show energy use for each campus from 2005-2012. The data is normalized to account
for changes in yearly temperature as well as student and staff population. Normalized
data allows for more accurate year-to-year comparisons.
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
CENTRAL NORTH SOUTH
The
rms
Normalized Gas Consumption for
Seattle Community Colleges 2005-2012*
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
14,000,000
16,000,000
CENTRAL NORTH SOUTH
kW
h
Normalized Electricity Consumption for
Seattle Community Colleges 2005-2012*
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Figure 4: Normalized Electricity Consumption for SCCD (2005-2012)
*Normalized data accounts for changes in yearly temperature as well as student and staff population
Figure 3: Normalized Gas Consumption for SCCD (2005-2012)
*Normalized data accounts for changes in yearly temperature as well as student and staff population
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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GHG Emissions
Miles Traveled
Estimated Miles
Traveled (from
table 13 below)
Total Emissions (MT
CO2e)
Employee-Owned Vehicle
Business Travel 0.0
Air Travel:
SHORT FLIGHTS
(0-300 MILES)
0.0
MEDIUM FLIGHTS
(300-700 miles)
0.0
LONG FLIGHTS
(>700 miles)
0.0
Total GHGs: 0.0
EM
PL
OY
EE
B
US
IN
ES
S T
RA
VE
L
Activity DataTable 10: Total Miles Traveled and
GHG Emissions from Employee
Business Travel
The Washington State Agency Greenhouse Gas Calculator also converts miles traveled
to MTCO2e, though emissions from employee business air travel are more difficult to
capture and therefore less reliable. The calculator offers two ways to calculate
employee business air miles, either by the total number of flights, or based on cost. In
order to estimate miles traveled based on number of flights, flights are categorized into
short flights (0-300 miles), medium flights (300-700 miles), and long flights (over 700 miles).
To estimate air miles traveled by cost, divide the total airfare expenditures by $0.156.
Once the miles are calculated, the Washington State Agency Greenhouse Gas
Calculator will convert air miles traveled to MTCO2e.
Figure 5: Washington State Green House Gas Calculator (Travel & CTR tab)
To get total business miles traveled in employee-owned personal vehicles, divide total
employee travel reimbursement in $ by the GSA reimbursement rate (2013 rate
$0.56/mile). The total amount of employee travel reimbursement can be obtained from
your campus Business Office. Once the miles are calculated, enter them into the
Washington State Agency Greenhouse Gas Calculator to convert miles traveled to
MTCO2e.
Employee commuting data is only collected in the Washington State Department of
Transportation (WSDOT) Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Survey. The Washington State
Legislature passed the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law in 1991 to call on employers
to encourage their workers to drive alone less often, reduce carbon emissions, and
keep the busiest commute routes flowing.8 The report is required by each campus every
two-years (NSCC’s most recent CTR report was from 2011-2012).
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Seattle Community College District Sustainability
Each campus in the district is addressing sustainability and
climate change issues in their own way. The NSCC Sustainability
Office helped create an energy-producing bike, which was
recently part of a month-long energy awareness campaign at
Joint Base Lewis McCord.9 Seattle Central Community College
(SCCC) has completed multiple energy audits, which reduced
energy consumption and resulted in significantly lower energy
bills. 10 South Seattle Community College’s (SSCC) Georgetown
campus is working to include sustainability in its apprenticeship
programs of construction trades, electricians, cement masons,
and meat cutters.11
In 2012, SCCD formed the Chancellor’s Sustainability Initiative Leadership Team, with the
purpose of coordinating sustainability activities across the colleges. In October of 2013,
The Leadership Team created a Sustainability Business Plan for SCCD. The plan outlines
strategies and objectives that align with sustainability performance measures in the
Seattle Community College District 2010-15 Strategic Plan. It also identifies critical
success factors that must exist in order to meet the proposed objectives (see Table 1).
Within the business plan, there is also an annual “sustainability work plan template”,
which can be used as a framework for organizing and implementing sustainability
strategies (Figure 6).
Figure 6: 2013 NSCC Sustainability Work Plan template12
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Table 1: SCCD Critical Success Factors to meet sustainability objectives and implementation strategies13
Critical Success Factors Status What’s Needed to fill the Gaps
1. Student demand for
sustainability
education
Present and growing.
College recognition of student
demand, definition of
instructional strategy, and
increase in capability to deliver.
2. Executive sponsorship
(college Presidents
and Vice-Presidents)
Present and growing.
Support of the Chancellor’s
Sustainability Initiative Leadership
Team as various needs arise
throughout the year.
3. Adequate funding for
2013
Currently $10,000
identified. Not
sufficient for team to
work across all
colleges, but enough
to make impact.
Funding contributions by colleges
and students, to supplement the
current budget and college
activities.
4. Colleges agree to
collaborate on
planned initiatives
Some initiatives are
already underway.
Mechanism for sharing expertise
needs to be created. Presidents
need to make this work a priority.
5. Clarity of business
case for sustainability
vision and objectives
Clear for some
colleges and
activities, unclear in
others.
“How to” presentations need to
be made across colleges.
6. Student engagement
in sustainability
Has happened at
North, no direct effort
to foster it has taken
place at other
colleges.
Develop strategies, share
expertise across colleges for
engaging students. Develop
consistent approach.
To find out more about Seattle Community College sustainability initiatives check out:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/home/
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Figure 7: Washington State mandated GHG emission reduction targets
*Emissions totals and target does not include emissions from employee business travel and commuting.
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
MTC
O2e
Year
Seattle Community College District GHG Emissions*
2020 Target: 12,753 MTCO2e
2035 Target: 9,602 MTCO2e
Seattle Community College District GHG Emissions
SCCD has set the bar high for the other 1,200 community and technical colleges
throughout the country. Since 2008, SCCD has reduced their total GHG emissions
(scope 1 & 2) by 2,462 MTCO2e. This reduction is equivalent to the annual GHG
emissions of 518 passenger vehicles.14
Table 2: Total SCCD GHG Emissions (2005, 2008-2012)
*SCCD emissions required for Washington State reporting (scope 1 & 2)
Year 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
SCCD’s Total GHG Emissions*
(MTCO2e) 15,003 14,511 13,667 12,263 12,393 12,049
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Scope 1: SCCD’s scope 1 emissions almost entirely come from the stationary
combustion of natural gas. A fraction of a percentage also comes from SCCD owned
cars and trucks. Over all, scope 1 emissions account for a small percentage of SCCD’s
total GHG emissions.
Table 3: SCCD Scope 1 GHG Emissions 2008-2012
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Scope 1 Emissions (MTCO2e) 2,453 2,386 2,092 2,451 2,390
Percent of Overall Emissions 11.9% 12.2% 11.6% 13.7% 13.6%
Scope 2: Since 2008, purchased utilities have accounted for almost 70% of SCCD’s
GHG emissions. All three campuses use electricity and natural gas, SCCC also
purchases steam for heating.
Table 4: SCCD Scope 2 GHG Emissions 2008-2012
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Scope 2 Emissions (MTCO2e) 14,511 13,667 12,263 12,393 12,049
Percent of Overall Emissions 70.5% 69.7% 68.3% 69.5% 68.6%
Scope 3: Emissions in scope 3 include employee business travel and employee
commuting. Employee business travel takes into account air travel and employee-
owned vehicle business travel.
Table 5: SCCD Scope 3 GHG Emissions 2008-2012
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Scope 3 Emissions (MTCO2e) 3,631 3,544 3,605 2,984 3,119
Percent of Overall Emissions 17.6% 18.1% 20.1% 16.7% 17.8%
To find out more about SCCD’s current reduction strategies, checkout:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/documents/SCCD%20GHG%20Strategy%202013
%20Revision.pdf
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North Seattle Community College Sustainability
NSCC has emerged as the model within the district for campus
sustainability. They have a sustainability committee with broad
campus representation from student, staff, faculty and
administrators. They are also the only college in the district with a
Sustainability Coordinator, Christian Rusby, on staff. 15 His position is
partially funded by student fees, which illustrates the importance of
sustainability to students and the campus community as a whole.
Another example of how NSCC is advancing sustainability throughout campus is the
fact that they were able to raise their ASHEE STARS rating from a Bronze in 2011, to Silver
in 2013. This was achieved through many small initiatives (at least small in terms of
points allotted) including a community P-Patch, storm water analysis and tax-credit,
and an electricity generating stationary bike (EcoBike). NSCC is also the only college in
the district to be signatories of the ACUPCC.
In May of 2011, NSCC completed construction on the Opportunity
Center for Employment and Education (OCE&E), which received
LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building
Council (USGBC). Construction is almost complete on their second
new building, the Health Sciences & Student Resources (HSSR)
building, which is also seeking LEED Gold Certification. Both
buildings are equipped with advanced energy distribution systems,
and the potential for housing an energy-monitoring kiosk, in which users may look at
real-time metrics and visualizations of energy and resource use on campus at a given
time.16
Another way NSCC is trying to mitigate their carbon-footprint is
through the purchase of carbon offsets. In 2012, NSCC purchased
3,828 MTCO2e of carbon offsets, which offset the annual GHG
emissions produced from 1,372 tons of waste being sent to the
landfill.17
To learn more about NSCC sustainability or to get involved, checkout:
https://northseattle.edu/sustainability
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
MTC
O2e
Year
North Seattle Community College GHG Emissions*
North Seattle Community College GHG Emissions
NSCC does not have the same state mandates as SCCD does to lower GHG emissions,
but they are committed to doing so. Since 2008, NSCC has reduced their total GHG
emissions (scope 1 & 2) by 512 MTCO2e. This reduction is equivalent to the annual
energy use of 47 homes.18
Figure 8: NSCC emission reduction targets
*Emissions totals and target does not include emissions from employee business travel and commuting.
Washington State Reduction Targets (MTCO2e)*
3,709 15% Below 2005 Levels
2020 2,792
36% Below 2005 Levels
2035 1,854
57.5% Below 2005 Levels
2050
*NSCC is considered part of SCCD and is not required to meet WA State mandates.
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Table 6 and Figure 9 give a breakdown of NSCC’s GHG emissions by scope from 2005-
2012. There is no data for scope 3 emissions because NSCC is not currently collecting
this data.
Table 6: NSCC GHG Emissions by Scope 2005-2012
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Scope 1 Emissions
(MTCO2e) 306 218 315 326 338 303 366 358
Scope 2 Emissions
(MTCO2e) 4,057 3,939 4,238 4,374 4106 3,880 4,073 3,828
Scope 3 Emissions
(MTCO2e) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Total GHG Emissions
(MTCO2e) 4,363 4,157 4,553 4,700 4,444 4,183 4,439 4,186
Figure 9: *NSCC GHG emission distribution by scope (2005-2012)
*No data available for scope 3 emissions
The following sections examine employee and student commuting habits. With SCCD
having close to 2,400 employees and more than 50,000 students annually,19 it is
important that each college in the district begin collecting and analyzing this data
closely because it accounts for the majority of scope 3 emissions.
7%
93%
NSCC GHG Emission Distribution by Scope*
Scope 1 Emissions (MTCO2e)
Scope 2 Emissions (MTCO2e)
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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North Seattle Community College Employee Commuting
The next step for NSCC to achieve a more robust GHG inventory and to
paint a more complete picture of GHG emissions is to begin collecting
and analyzing scope 3 emission data from employee-business travel
and employee commuting. Currently, the only NSCC data available for
employee commuting is from the WSDOT CTR Report.
The WSDOT CTR Report calculates annual GHG emissions from commuters driving
alone, carpooling, vanpooling, and motorcycling (estimates are based on vehicle miles
traveled [VMT]). The report also estimates bus transit passenger miles and rail transit
passenger miles, which can then be converted to MTCO2e.
Figure 10: Annual NSCC GHG emissions from employee commuting
* Emissions attributable to transit vary widely, depending on the efficiency/energy source of
transit vehicles and transit vehicle passenger load (typically ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 pounds
CO2e emissions/passenger mile). Employers are strongly encouraged to contact their local
transit agencies for more precise information on GHG emissions for their transit trips. If nothing
else is available, the value of 0.47 pounds (0.00021 metric tons) per passenger mile can be
used to estimate CO2e emissions for bus transit, and 0.39 pounds (0.00018 metric tons) CO2e
emissions per passenger mile for train/light rail/streetcar.20
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2007-2008 2009-2010 2011-2012
MT
CO
2e
CTR Survey Years
NSCC Annual GHG Emissions from Roundtrip Employee Commute
Estimated GHG from Bus
Travel*
Estimated GHG from Drive
Alone, Carpools, Vanpools
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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13%
5%
0%
28% 4%
50%
2010 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
Walk
Bike
Non-Motorized
Bus
Car Pool
Drive Alone
Figure 11: Percentage of commute mode by NSCC students from 2010 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
North Seattle Community College Student Commuting
NSCC is not currently collecting student commute data. However, the best baseline
data available is from a student transportation survey that was conducted in
December of 2010 by the NSCC Sustainability Office. There were 111 respondents to the
survey, of which 91 were full-time students, 16 were part-time students, and 4 identified
as attending for personal enrichment.
In 2013, the NSCC Sustainability Office conducted another student transportation survey
as part of the ASHEE STARS assessment, the goal of the survey was to better understand
Commute Method Totals Drive Alone 55
Bus 31
Walk 15
Bike 6
Carpool 4
Non-Motorized 0
Total 111
Table 7: 2010 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
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51%
30%
15%
3%
1%
2013 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
Drive Alone
Bus
Bicycled or Walked
Carpooled
Scooter, Moped, or
Motorcycle
student commuting habits, as well as what sorts of community service activities students
engage in throughout the year.
Table 8: 2013 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
Figure 12: Percentage of commute mode by NSCC students from 2013 NSCC Student Transportation Survey
NSCC students said they would ride the bus if it were cheaper and more convenient.
Cheaper Bus Pass
More Bus
Routs
Less Cars on the Road
Commute Mode Totals Drive Alone 108
Bus 62
Bicycle or Walk 32
Carpool 7
Scooter, Moped, or Motorcycle 2
Other 14
Total 225
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Students
Administration
Staff Faculty
Community Members
Recommendations
NSCC has done a tremendous amount of work creating a culture of sustainability and
addressing climate change issues head on. The goal of this section is to have an open
and honest conversation about areas NSCC can further improve processes and
procedures to make them more sustainable. It also looks at specific actionable
strategies that NSCC can make, at little or no cost, to further mitigate GHG emissions
and ultimately reduce their carbon footprint.
“Sustainability must be integrated with the core values
of the institution. This will make it part of the university's
DNA, not just another unfunded mandate.
And, once sustainability is part of the DNA, it
becomes a matter of 'how,' and not 'why'."21
– V'Ella Warren, Senior Vice President of
Facilities and Finance at the University of
Washington
The three main themes of this section are as follows:
•Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC)
•Sub-metering (Building Level)
Facilities
•Parking
•Commuting
Transporation
•Sustainability Awareness
•Student Engagement
Awareness & Engagement
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Facilities
Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC)
The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) designed the ESPC program specifically for
state agencies, colleges and universities to provide a means to install energy
conservation measures in state facilities without affecting the state’s capital budget.22
Hire an energy service company (ESCO) to perform a comprehensive
preliminary energy audit and begin benchmarking building energy use.
To find out more about ESPC, checkout:
Energy Savings Performance Contracting Program Process Description (DES)
http://des.wa.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Facilities/EPC/ESPCProgramProcessDes
cription.pdf
Step-by-Step Instructions for State Agencies, Colleges and Universities Benchmarking
Buildings (DES)
http://des.wa.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Facilities/Energy/Portfolio_Website/Ste
p_by_Step_Instructions_Energy_Star_Portfolio_Manager.pdf
Best Practices Toolkit: Energy Performance Contracting for Higher Education
(ACUPCC) http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/node/3103
Sub-metering (Building Level)
SCCD’s Strategy for Reducing GHG Emissions estimated the upfront cost of adding sub-
metering to existing buildings would be $2,000/building.
One of the most commonly used and easiest ways to figure out how long it will take to
payback such a project is using the Simple Payback Period (SPP) formula. The SPP
Proposed Action
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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determines the number of years required to recover an initial investment through
project returns. The formula is:
SPP = (Initial Cost)/ (Annual Savings)
For example, assume an electrical metering system has an initial (installed) cost of
$6,000, an estimated energy savings of $1,250 per year, and a maintenance cost of
$250 per year. The system’s net annual savings is $1,000 (= $1,250 – 250). Therefore, its
SPP would be 6 years (= $6,000/ $1,000 per year).23
Identify what buildings need to be sub-metered, and then perform a
cost-benefit analysis on the installation and upkeep of the additional
meters.
NSCC’s new OCE&E building, which received LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building
Council (USGBC)
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North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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NSCC Bike
Repair Station
Transportation
Parking
NSCC has 1551 parking spaces, which include 88 carpool spaces, 40 disabled spaces,
and 65 reserved spaces. On Thursday March 13, 2014 at 11:25am in NSCC’s west
(carpool) parking lot, cars were counted to see how many people paid for a parking
pass. Of the 113 cars that were in the parking lot that day, only 53 had parking passes.
This is a clear indication that students are aware that parking is not enforced.
From student transportation surveys, we know about half of
NSCC students drive alone, and from the sampling done in
March we can estimate that about half of those students do no
pay for a quarterly parking pass. Ultimately, this is not only a
substantial loss in revenue, but it can also lead to additional
GHG emissions that would potentially not otherwise be emitted.
Dedicate one day every two weeks to parking enforcement. This is a
high return on investment action item. It will not only generate
immediate revenue from parking tickets and eventually parking passes,
but it also has the potential to mitigate GHG emissions attributed to
student commuting.
Commuting
On the most recent CTR Employer Survey, NSCC employees were asked,
what would most encourage them to try using an alternative mode of
transportation? An overwhelming number of respondents said financial
incentives and/or having the option for a compressed workweek (CWW).
NSCC can also signup for the Home Free Guarantee (HFG), which
provides emergency taxi service to commuters arriving at work by an
alternative mode of transportation (bus, carpool, bicycle or walking).
NSCC Car Charging Stations
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North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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$59
•Amount CTR helped save each central Puget Sound rush-hour commuter
69,000
•Metric tons of GHG CTR prevented from being released annually
$30 million
•Cumulative monthly amount CTR participants save on transportation
Create a reward-based system for employees and students that offer
cash incentives for choosing alternative forms of transportation.
Implement one-year Home Free Guarantee (HFG) pilot program. Initial
cost = $2.16/employee for the first six months or enrollment. If the
employee usage of the program does not exceed the original
investment during the first six months, then there is no additional cost for
the rest of the contract year.24
To find out more about HFG enrollment and benefits, check out:
Home Free Guarantee (King County)
http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/CommuteSolutions/products/HFG.aspx
Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) by the Numbers
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North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Awareness & Engagement
Sustainability Awareness
There are many layers to a large institution like NSCC, which is why communication
between campuses, departments, and the community is vital for sustainability initiatives
to be successful.
For example, NSCC offers two free days of parking per week if you take an alternate
form of transportation the other three days a week. They only problem is only a few
people on campus know this program exists.
Hold campus-wide sustainability meeting once a quarter to update
students, staff, and faculty on new and existing sustainability initiatives.
Student Engagement
Students are a great resource for getting work done because they have the time,
interest, and motivation, if given the opportunity to learn about sustainability. It is
important for NSCC to continue to develop strategies and systems that engage
students and award college credit for their time, effort and demonstrated learning.25
Create sustainability class whose primary focus is creating NSCC’s own
climate action plan (CAP). Once the CAP is created, subsequent
classes can update and add to existing work.
For a more complete and comprehensive list of college and university
GHG mitigation strategies, checkout AAHE’s “Cool Campus! A How-To
Guide for College and University Climate Action Planning”
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References
1 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). (2009).
Cool Campus! A How-To Guide for College and University Climate Action Planning.
Available at: http://www.aashe.org/files/resources/cool-campus-climate-planning-
guide.pdf
2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Recycling Facts. Available at:
http://web.mit.edu/facilities/environmental/recyc-facts.html
3 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2012). Pollution Prevention Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Calculator - Frequently Asked Questions. Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/resources/GHGFAQ.pdf
4 Seattle Community Colleges. (2014). Inside Edition Seattle Community College News.
5 The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
Mission and History. Available at:
http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/about/mission-history
6 University of Washington Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability. (2013).
Sustainability Metric: Sustainability Grade. Available at:
https://f2.washington.edu/ess/dashboard/sustainability-grade
7 CoolClimate Network Research Consortium. Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions types.
Available at: https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/node/405
8 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Commute Trip Reduction
(CTR). Available at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/transit/CTR
9 North Seattle Community College. Sustainability Projects (EcoBike). Available at:
https://northseattle.edu/sustainability-projects/ecobike
10 Seattle Community Colleges. Sustainability Practices & Initiatives. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/practices/initiatives.aspx
11 South Seattle Community College. Clean / Green Technology Home. Available at:
http://www.southseattle.edu/green/Default.aspx
12 Seattle Community Colleges. (2013). Sustainability Business Plan for the Seattle
Community Colleges. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/documents/Sustainability%20Business%20Pla
n%20for%20the%20Seattle%20Community%20Colleges.pdf
13 Seattle Community Colleges. (2013). Sustainability Business Plan for the Seattle
Community Colleges. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/documents/Sustainability%20Business%20Pla
n%20for%20the%20Seattle%20Community%20Colleges.pdf
North Seattle Community College Greenhouse Gas Emissions
29
14 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
Calculator. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-
resources/calculator.html#results
15 Seattle Community Colleges. (2013). Sustainability Business Plan for the Seattle
Community Colleges. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/documents/Sustainability%20Business%20Pla
n%20for%20the%20Seattle%20Community%20Colleges.pdf
16 North Seattle Community College. Green Construction. Available at:
https://northseattle.edu/sustainability-projects/green-construction
17 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
Calculator. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-
resources/calculator.html#results
18 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
Calculator. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-
resources/calculator.html#results
19 Seattle Community Colleges. Sustainability Practices & Initiatives. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/practices/initiatives.aspx
20 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). (2011). North Seattle
Community College CTR Employer Survey Report.
21 The Huffington Post. (2013). What It Takes -- How to Green the Ivory Towers of Higher
Education. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-a-johnston/what-it-
takes-how-to-gree_b_3921183.html.
22 Washington State Department of Enterprise Affairs (DES). Energy Savings Performance
Contracting Program Process Description. Available at:
http://des.wa.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Facilities/EPC/ESPCProgramProcessDes
cription.pdf
23 General Services Administration (GSA). Submetering Business Case: How to calculate
cost-effective solutions in the building context. Available at:
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/156791/fileName/Energy_Submetering_Financ
e_Paper_Knetwork_2012_11_269(508).action
24 King County. Home Free Guarantee. Available at:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/CommuteSolutions/products/HFG.aspx
25 Seattle Community Colleges. (2013). Sustainability Business Plan for the Seattle
Community Colleges. Available at:
http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/green/documents/Sustainability%20Business%20Pla
n%20for%20the%20Seattle%20Community%20Colleges.pdf