Another Drop in GHG Emissions

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Each year, Bellevue College reports on its carbon footprint as part of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), ensuring that current and future efforts conserve resources and reduce consumption. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting programs help us better understand where campus greenhouse gas emissions are coming from in order to make more informed policy decisions.
The Office of Sustainability at Bellevue College uses the Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator to conduct an internal Carbon Emissions Audit, an inventory of both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the College’s educational programs and campus operations, including energy use, business travel, student, faculty, and staff commuting, refrigerant use, and waste.

For the fiscal year (FY) 13/14, Bellevue College’s net carbon emissions were 26,087.3 MT eCO2, including 254.3 MT eCO2 of offsets for campus food and yard waste composting and preservation of 7.64 acres of forest land. There had been a steady rise in total emissions from FY 05/06 through FY 10/11, but emissions began to drop in FY 11/12, and they have continued dropping every year since. In FY 13/14, the College’s emissions declined by 1,318.4 MT eCO2 or 4.8% from the previous fiscal year, a modest, but significant step towards achieving climate neutrality.

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Bellevue College tracks three categories of emissions:

Scope 1: Direct emissions from the Bellevue College campus, including consumption of natural gas, refrigerants and chemicals, and fuel for campus vehicles. Scope 1 emissions fell by 145.6 MT eCO2 or 7.6% since the previous year. The use of natural gas on campus decreased by 174.5 MT eCO2, thanks to energy conservation retrofits that had been made to building HVAC systems.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions that result from consuming electricity. In FY 13/14, Bellevue College consumed 965,344 fewer kilowatt hours than the previous year, which is reflected in a decrease of 1,046.1 MT eCO2 or 20%. Building and lighting energy conservation retrofits helped to reduce electricity consumption on campus, while solar panels located on the C Building roof produced 8,295 kilowatt hours of electricity during the year.

Scope 3: Emissions from indirect and outsourced activities, including commuting and air travel. Scope 3 accounts for the largest component of Bellevue College’s greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 3 increased slightly in FY 13/14 by 79.4 MT eCO2 or 0.4% from the previous year. Student commuting (the biggest contributor to Scope 3 emissions) was essentially unchanged, while faculty and staff commuting, air travel, and business auto travel all increased. However, T & D (electric transmission and delivery) losses decreased, reflecting a significant drop in campus electricity use.

See GHG emission by category: Bellevue College Greenhouse Gas Emissions for FY 13/14

Given the above data, efforts must continue to be focused on transportation and energy conservation in order to reduce campus GHG emissions.In addition, Bellevue College currently has few carbon offsets, providing another opportunity for gains in reducing its net emissions. Although there are many challenges associated with these reductions, as well as short-term costs, long-term cost savings should be significant (reduced energy bills, less parking and road maintenance, avoidance of a new parking structure, etc.). New buildings, such as the ground-source heated T Building (which broke ground in July 2014) provide excellent opportunities to phase-in changes that will reduce our emissions. As Bellevue College grows (in both enrollment and campus buildings), informed decision making will help offset costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Bellevue College has the honor of being a role model for our community as a successful institution of higher learning, and is helping to set the standard for a sustainable future. This GHG audit provides a baseline to start creating a campus that is a model of sustainability.

Last Updated October 28, 2021