In the Fall Quarter of 2010 the Bellevue College Sustainability team updated the audit on Bellevue College’s carbon footprint. Bellevue College (BC) is a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality. The Carbon Audit Report is an internal audit and inventory of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to Bellevue College campuses.
There has been a steady rise in the total emissions (MT eCO2) from FY05/06 -FY09/10. The major contributor to this rise in emissions, Scope 3: Student/Faculty/Staff Commuting, can be directly attributed to a yearly increase in the student population and miles traveled to campus and associated commuting emissions. Although we do have carbon offsets via the campus forest, it is not enough to neutralize the carbon output currently being generated, and must find ways together to help reduce our carbon emissions on campus.
For FY09/10 Student Commuting carbon emissions was at 66% and Faculty/Staff Commuting 10%, totaling 76% of the emission sources on campus. In FY07/08, Student Commuting totaled 60% of the carbon emissions, and Faculty/Staff Commuting was 10%, 70% of the total emissions on campus. This increase from 70% to 76% was mostly due to the influx of students over the FY08/09 and FY09/10 academic years. Meanwhile emissions from natural gas and purchased electricity crept up only slightly, while air travel decreased.
| Campus Source | Scope | Emissions (MT eCO2) FY09/10 | Percent Total FY09/10 | Emissions (MT eCO2) FY07/08 | Percent TotalFY07/08 |
| Student Commuting | 3 | 21,759 | 66% | 15,811 | 60% |
| Electricity Generation | 2 | 5,522 | 17% | 5,446 | 21% |
| Faculty/Staff Commuting | 3 | 3,454 | 10% | 2,618 | 10% |
| Natural Gas | 1 | 1,520 | 5% | 1,281 | 5% |
| Air Travel | 3 | 664 | 2% | 948 | 4% |
| Solid Waste | 3 | 74* | 0% | 77* | 0% |
| Refrigerants | 1 | 46* | 0% | 93* | 0% |
| Campus Fleet | 1 | 35* | 0% | 65* | 0% |
| Agriculture | 1 | 2* | 0% | 1.5* | 0% |
| Wastewater | 3 | 0.6 | 0% | 0.6 | 0% |
Never fear! BC does have a small forest to help kick a little of that greenhouse gas in the butt. Offsets include the carbon sequestered by forest preservation, carbon “recycled” using compost generated on campus, and purchased energy credits. At this point, BC’s offsets are minor.
This is a summary of the results of the carbon audit for fiscal years (FY) 08/09 and FY09/10 and comparison to the data collected for first BC carbon audit for FY05/06-FY07/08. An updated calculator was used in this audit which tabulates lower total campus emissions compared to the previous calculator using the same data. Because of the numerous factors involved, campus carbon audits are useful primarily to show trends over time.
Stay tuned to the BC Sustainability group for the next steps and how you can help the campus get closer towards carbon neutrality!
Last Updated November 19, 2013