FY2025 GHG Inventory Update
*抖阴福利导航 (抖阴福利导航) started campus closure in March of 2020. The college was mostly closed for remote operations during the majority of FY 2023. 抖阴福利导航 began a slow reopening in the spring of FY 2023 for courses that required in-person learning (e.g. certain Career Technology Education and laboratory courses). 抖阴福利导航 resumed normal operations in 2023; however, 抖阴福利导航 experienced significant shifts in enrollment and commute patterns during the pandemic.
Since our baseline reporting year ending Fiscal Year June 2006, the college has reduced its annual emissions by 37,625 听metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), or approximately 56%. This is the equivalent of the energy use for 5,050听homes in the United States for one year.
Overview
The 抖阴福利导航 (抖阴福利导航) Sustainability Department completes an provisional annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to monitor our institution鈥檚 progress towards meeting our GHG reduction targets as outlined in . Due to a lag in the release of the latest market based emissions factors for electric utilities, the final updates can not be filed until as much as two-three years following the initial report. This provisional report also reflects much needed updates to other emissions factors, which were vetted through the consulting firm, Parametrix in April of 2024. This report uses market-based utility factors released in November of 2024 by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, which set market-based utility factors for Oregon Utilities through 2023.
抖阴福利导航鈥檚 2021 Climate Action Plan update set a new target date of 2040 for Carbon Neutrality from Scope 1 & 2 emissions. Using science-based targets as the model for reduction, 抖阴福利导航 took the available information on the college鈥檚 emissions and aligned the reduction targets so that 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 contribution to limiting global warming would not exceed 1.5掳C. In support of equitable climate action, 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 Climate Action Plan determined that the college must work to limit climate change contributions in alignment with a global need for GHG emissions not to exceed 1.5掳C, which is the threshold scientists have identified to protect many low-lying and island nations from disastrous sea level rise.
In addition to setting new carbon neutrality targets, the plan outlines five-year goals to be met in the areas of all Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, currently tracked Scope 3 GHG emissions, education and outreach and resiliency. Equity and climate justice are embedded throughout 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 Climate Action Plan.
About 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
At 抖阴福利导航, greenhouse gas emissions are influenced by student and educational needs, building and systems design, fuel choices, operational efficiency, and individual behaviors such as purchasing and commuting choices. We look at our emissions in terms of the amount of direct influence we have and divide them by scope accordingly.听
Scope 1 & 2 emissions chiefly consist of emissions from heating and lighting buildings and running electrical equipment.听 It is also where 抖阴福利导航 has the greatest opportunity to influence change, through green building design and improvements in operations, energy efficiency, and education and outreach.听
Scope 3 emissions are more challenging to both measure and influence. They include emissions from commuting to the college by both staff and employees, college purchases made from the general fund such as goods, services and business travel. Because of their indirect nature, both supply chain emissions and commuting emissions have unique challenges both in terms of measuring change and creating. However, both of these areas are places where 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 mission vision and values are reflected in how 抖阴福利导航 does business. By taking a holistic approach to sustainability, 抖阴福利导航 works to ensure that our community has better opportunities for financial and personal health.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Highlights – Operating Buildings and Grounds (Scope 1 & 2 Emissions)
- Since our baseline year of 2006, we have reduced our greenhouse emissions at 抖阴福利导航 from operating our Buildings and Grounds (Scope 1 & 2 emissions) by about 60% per square foot with a net emissions of 13,254 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, a net improvement of approximately 23% since over the previous reporting year FY 2024.
- In FY 2025, the college purchased and produced a combined total of about 16,026,812 kWh of renewable solar or wind energy, which avoided about 4,905 MTCO2E of greenhouse gas emissions due to subscriptions to Portland General Electric鈥檚 Renewable Energy Credit programs: Green Future Enterprise and Green Future Impact as well as Oregon Shine鈥檚 Community Solar program and 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 own onsite solar arrays.
- The college received about $21,780 in utility bill credits from the Community Solar program in FY 2025.听
- Overall, we鈥檝e become more energy efficient by decreasing our total building energy consumption use per square foot by about 60%. The fine tuning of our energy systems and use of the Strategic Energy Management Program helped the college to realize 14% year over year significant reduction in overall energy consumption, avoiding approximately $1,000,000 in additional utility spending (including water). This energy efficiency took form mostly through changes in the natural gas plant at the Sylvania plant which reduced our consumption by approximately 100,000 therms of natural gas. Further improvements are expected in 2026 and 2027 due to adjustments being made at the CLIMB center.
Highlights – Travel, Commuting, Purchasing, and Solid Waste (Scope 3 Emissions)
In FY 2025, Scope 3 emissions still made up the largest share of 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 emissions at 69%. Scope 3 emissions are tightly tied to commuting and purchasing, both of which historically shift with our student enrollment levels. In addition, as 抖阴福利导航鈥檚 Scope 1 & 2 emissions drop, Scope 3 emissions will start to make up a larger percentage of overall emissions.
The largest contributors to Scope 3 emissions in FY 2025 were college purchases (supply chain emissions) and commuting emissions, which were nearly equal at 33% and 34% each. 听Business travel and solid waste combined made up less than 2% of the remaining Scope 3 emissions. Budget cuts are likely responsible for the reduction in emissions from college purchases, which roughly correspond to spending.
Future Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
Currently, the Sustainability Strategies Office is working to update the Climate Action Plan with the help of the Sustainability Leadership Council. If you would like to learn more or are interested in getting involved, please email us at sustainability@pcc.edu.