North Carolina State Releases First Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Campus Technology, August 4, 2009
Dian Schaffhauser

North Carolina State University has released its first greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory -- about 14 months after initially signing onto the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Compiling the GHG inventory is the first step in developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP), as laid out by the Climate Commitment. Signatories are given about nine months after their start date to submit their first greenhouse gas report, a deadline missed by the university, which committed on May 15, 2008.
The inventory, which measures emissions for 2008 on multiple campuses and satellite offices, serves as a benchmark against which future emission reduction efforts will be measured. The major sources of emissions include electricity (53 percent), natural gas (22.5 percent), community (12 percent), and refrigerants (6 percent).
Among peer institutions, the inventory found that North Carolina State's emissions were comparable with some of the environmentally conscious East Coast schools and are in line with current trends.
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