Conclusions & Next Steps

A greenhouse gas inventory provides insight into some of the environmental impacts of an organization. Greenhouse gas inventories allow an institution to set goals and track progress toward emissions reduction targets. The net-zero by 2030 target proposed by students is easily achievable through emissions offset purchasing, but cost-effective opportunities for direct on-site emissions reductions from sources included in this inventory are limited. The Northwest School could easily become carbon neutral today, but the GHG inventory alone is a poor indicator of sustainability at The Northwest School.

Key Takeaways

• 1,234 metric tons of CO₂e greenhouse gases were emitted during the 2018-19 school year

• The majority ~96% of emissions are from student/faculty travel and commuting.

• On site emissions reduction opportunities include:

  • Installing solar panels

  • Replacing natural gas appliances with electric alternatives

  • Switching to an EV bus fleet

This inventory found emissions during the 2018-19 school year were lower than those found in the last report. The last report titled GHG Inventory Spring 2020 relied on data from multiple years and applied a different accounting methodology to come to the conclusion that The Northwest School produced 1,285 tons CO₂. These findings are not directly comparable, and should not be interpreted as a reduction in annual emissions.