Methodology

This report was compiled by Sage Dewdney a summer 2021 intern with Jenny Cooper, the NWS Director of Environmental Education and Sustainability. The inventory was compiled using the WRI Corporate Reporting Standard for GHG emissions, information about this protocol is available on their website ghgprotocol.org. The emissions calculations were performed using the GHG emissions reporting tool available here. Emissions factors were derived from the EPA, and are included in the reporting tool. The start and end dates for the 2018-2019 inventory, July 1st and June 30th respectively, were chosen to coincide with the fiscal year.

Scope 1

Natural Gas data was collected from Puget Sound Energy and Bus Fleet Mileage and Fueling data was supplied by Tony Kaufmann. Refrigerant data was unavailable. Fuel consumption by leaf-blowers, lawnmowers etc have not been included in this inventory.

Scope 2

Electricity data was supplied by Seattle City Light. Market-based calculations included Seattle City Lights' net-zero electricity claim. The no offset approach assumed 90% of electricity is from renewable sources and used 10% of the US regional grid average multiplied by Northwest's annual electricity consumption to estimate the emissions from electricity procurement which are offset by Seattle City Light. The location-based approach used the NWPP regional grid average emissions factors.

Scope 3

Student/faculty commuting and international travel data was taken from the previous GHG inventory compiled by Jena Utaski. Future inventories should collect this data during the planned year, in this case retroactively applying a transportation survey from 2021 to the 2018/19 makes little sense given behavioral change during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of surveying the community over the summer.

Emissions from food purchasing were not included in the totals found in this inventory. The estimates found on the scope 3 page assume protein portion sizes are consistent with USDA guidelines and that the dining hall prepares 700 portions of each protein per meal served. These assumptions are not consistent with the actual practices of the dining hall which has, ostensibly, made reductions in beef portion sizes and food waste.