Green House Gas Emissions at Trent University
One of the services offered by the SO is completing Trent's GHG inventories. Faculty and students often request this data to bring real-world scenarios into the classroom. We track scope one and two emissions from all sources, aligning the practice with the GHG Protocol. All Ontario institutions must report a modified set to the Ministry of Energy and Electrification. Trent’s Scope 1 and 2 GHGs for 2023 are 6,694t, down ~20% from 20071. It is important to understand our absolute emissions; however, the projects and programs that address reductions live in the details. We share some of our insights below and invite you to dive deeply into our data to discover your own.
The illustration below contrasts our emissions over time with changes to Trent's buildings. Trent’s built space has increased by ~14% since 2007; during this period, GHG emissions dropped by ~20%.
Notable insights related to Trent’s building stock during this time are as follows:
- Athletics Centre (Addition, 2010) - The addition to Trent’s athletics facility earned LEED Silver Certification. This project expanded the center by 50% yet reduced natural gas use in the entire building by more than 10%, with water use dropping by a third. We expect electricity would have similar impacts but did not have building-level metering at the time.
- Life and Health Sciences (2010/11)- Life and Health Sciences, our largest science building, earned LEED Gold Certification. Although science facilities are typically energy-intensive, this building represents 11.6% of our built space and accounts for 12% of our GHGs. The efficiency of this building keeps its GHG intensity very close to our campus average in spite of the specialize use of the space.
- Forensics Crime Scene Facility - Trent’s newest building was built to be certified Zero Carbon by the International Living Futures Institute. This certification acknowledges two key aspects of building carbon: operational and embodied.
- Operational Carbon: The building's solar panels generate about 30% more energy than the building uses, resulting in a net GHG reduction despite adding to our built space.
- Embodied Carbon: Through the strategic selection of building materials prioritizing plant-based and recycled materials, building stores more carbon in its physical structure than was used to extract and manufacture the construction materials used to build it.
Looking Ahead - We are pleased to report on our progress, and our sights are set forward. Our 2024 plan outlines our commitment to achieving a low-carbon campus with a long-term net-zero emissions goal. We are a small institution, and our story is complex. Our institution continues to lead by example with projects like our innovative power storage solutions in the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and our groundbreaking Zero Carbon Forensics building. Our next steps include updating and refining our carbon reduction strategy and seeking funding to implement more projects.
Note: 1. The estimated reduction of 20% is from 2007 to the present without adjustment. This assessment uses absolute data. Often, when comparing to historical data, we exclude the impact of former on-site hydro generation to align with current practices and sector standards. We do this by estimating emissions as if all of our electricity in the reference year had been purchased from the Ontario grid, as it is today. Using this method, the reduction over the same period is approximately 34%.