Climate

Keeping track of our impacts

Measuring and reducing activities that emit greenhouse gases is the foremost action in limiting the devastating effects of climate change. The accurate measurement of greenhouse gases, called a greenhouse gas inventory, is monitored by several national and international bodies. Emissions are measured across three “scopes”.

Scope 1: onsite emissions from onsite combustion or release
Scope 2: offsite combustion, including electricity distributed via grid
Scope 3: upstream and downstream emissions from purchasing, waste, commuting, sponsored travel, etc.

7GHG inventories completed in 2020 for all IU campuses

38%decrease in GHG emissions on Bloomington campus since 2011

Standardprotocol for completing GHG inventories implemented in 2020

GHG Basics

A greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory catalogues and calculates the greenhouse gases that are emitted as a result of instituitonal activities.

GHG emissions are divided into 3 scopes:

Scope 1 emissions, or direct emissions, include those from stationary and mobile combustion sources owned by IU. In addition, emissions from other sources such as fertilizer, animals, refrigerants, and chemicals are included in this category.
Scope 2 emissions, or indirect emissions, include those from purchased electricity.
Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions (not included in Scope 2) that are indirectly impacted by IU, though they are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by IU. Examples include commuting, business travel, food purchased by the university, etc.

Each fuel / activity has an emissions factor associated with it. An emissions factor is a unique value for scaling emissions to activity data in terms of a standard rate of emissions per unit of activity (e.g., grams of carbon dioxide emitted per barrel of fossil fuel consumed).

A standardized protocol was developed in 2020* by Sustain IU to ensure that the methods for calculating GHG emissions are defined and consistent across IU campuses.

*Emissions from years prior to FY19 were calculated a using a slightly different method, but the effect on results is marginal.

A metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential (GWP). Carbon dioxide equivalents are commonly expressed as "metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCDE)." The carbon dioxide equivalent for a gas is derived by multiplying the tons of the gas by the associated GWP. (MTCDE = (million metric tons of a gas) * (GWP of the gas)).

Source: SIMAP Glossary

Scopes of greenhouse gas emissions

This graphic will be recreated and modified to remove the elements that are irrelevant to higher ed and to be of higher resolution.

Primary sources of GHG emissions

Electricity

Purchased electricity is used to chill water for air conditioning and well as to power lights, technology services, lab equipment, mechanical systems. The fuel sources used to generate electricity are determined and operated by Duke Energy.

Heating

Natural gas & coal are utilized to heat buildings and water.

Transportation

Transportation, including feet vehicle, the campus bus, commuting, and university-sponsored air travel contribute greenhouse gas emissions.

Scope 3 Sources

There are many more indirect sources of GHG emissions like energy and fuel consumption during product manufacture and transport, as well as landfill emissions, agriculture emissions from food purchases, etc. See below for an expanded discussion.

What are we doing to reduce GHG emissions?

Climate Action Planning Committee

At the direction of President Pamela Whitten, Indiana University has established a Climate Action Planning Committee to develop comprehensive recommendations to identify short- and long-term opportunities to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from its various campuses and units.

LEED Building and Renovation Standards

Indiana University incorporates green principles in all phases of a building's life cycle and is dedicated to building and renovating buildings that use resources efficiently and create healthy environments. The LEED building process produces a building that conserves resources, reduces operating costs and pollution.

Retrofits and Energy Efficiency Measures

Building facilities are regularly assessed to identify opportunities for infrastructure retrofits and rehabilitations. Notable efforts include Central Heating Plant and steam tunnel repairs. Other energy efficiency measures include updates to building insulation, light fixutre updates, and occupancy sensors.

Transportation Improvements

IU has been replacing old fleet vehicles with electric and hybrid vehicles, reducing Scope 1 emissions. Alternative mode of travel to single-occupant commutes are incentivized with free access to Campus Bus, ample bike parking, and the Hoosier Commuter Club.

Sustainable Materials Management

IU's Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) strategy considers the full lifecycle of products from procurement of items (e.g. Energy Star, EPA Safer Choice, paper with recycled content, local food) to reuse (e.g. IU Surplus store) to reclamation (e.g. leaf litter composting and use in flower beds, recycling, dining compost). The SMM strategy aims to reduce the amount of material sent to the landfill.

Local & Sustainable Food Procurement

IU commits to purchasing local and sustainable food to feed students, with over 25% of IU's food being produced in Indiana. Local produce sources include the IU Campus Farm.

A discussion of Scope 3 emissions

Sources of Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions are difficult to calculate and even more difficult to reduce due to the vastly distributed nature of these emissions. Sources of Scope 3 emissions include but are not limited to:

Student and employee commuting
Energy due to resource extraction, manufacturing and transport of material goods
Emissions due to the cultivation, processing, and transport of food
Landifll emissions

In the world of GHG inventories, reliable measurement of Scope 3 emissions is still in its early stages, but several studies have been completed for higher education and an example of a possible breakdown for higher education is represented on the right.

What can I do?

Take Action

Consider alternative modes of transportation; join the Hoosier Commuter Club.
Before purchasing new furniture, office supplies, computers, and more, visit the IU Surplus store.
Conserve electricity by unplugging chargers and devices when not in use.

IU Bloomington Sustainability

Climate

Keeping track of our impacts

GHG Basics

Scopes of greenhouse gas emissions