Determining GHG Emissions from

Composting at the University of

ArizonaEmily ToffolUA NASA Space Grant InternUA Office of Sustainability

Joe Abraham, PhDUA Office of Sustainability

AASHE 2012 Annual Conference October 16, 2012

Outline• Introduction & background• Research questions• Data• Methods• Results• Lessons learned & next steps

UA Snapshot• Approx 39,000 Students & 15,000

Employees• 175 buildings ~ 9M gross sqft (Main

Campus)

UA Snapshot• AAU Member Institution (“Research 1”)• $586M in R&D Expenditures (2011-12)

Around the State

Tucson Area

Arizona’s Land Grant Institution

Arizona/NASA Space Grant• NASA created National Space

Grant College and Fellowship Program 1989

• Provides experiences for and attracts and attains students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Compost Basics

Student-Run Compost Program

Compost Ingredients

Collection and Processing

Why Inventory GHG Emissions?

• UA is an ACUPCC signatory

• ~2% of total GHG emissions come from solid waste (4,200 MT CO2e)

• An inventory is first step in quantifying reductions

Research Questions• How effective is the Compost Cats

program at reducing emissions due to organic waste?

• How can the Compost Cats better monitor their emission reductions?

• How can Compost Cats reliably inform business partners of their GHG reductions?

Inventory Methods• Climate Action Reserve (CAR)

Organics Composting Protocol

• Developed and reviewed by industry experts, federal agencies, and environmental organizations.

• Established for Western Climate Initiative cap and trade program and other voluntary markets

climateactionreserve.org

Determining Emission ReductionsBusiness-as-Usual Emissions Compost Project EmissionsVS

Waste Transportation

Waste Processing

Composting: Aerobic

Decomposition

Waste Transportation

Landfill: Anaerobic

Decomposition

Processing Green

Waste into Fuel Pellets

Combustion for Energy

Manure Spread on Farmland

= MT CO2e reduced

Calculations

Calculator Tool

• Enter sources (lbs), returns emission reductions

• Consistent with process and protocol• Easy to use

ResultsAverage Weekly Project v. Business-as-Usual Emissions: Mt CO2e

Mt C

O2e

• Using established protocol = credibility• Research was challenging but not

impossible• Emission reductions are negligible (<

1%)• Custom calculator is really handy but

requires updating…

Lessons Learned

New Sources Since Inventory

Post-consumer waste Soiled animal bedding Residence hall composting

New Composting Location More Fuel-Efficient Truck

Process Changes Since Inventory

Future Plans for Compost Cats

• Bagging compost for local retail• Expand collection– UA fraternities & sororities– More local restaurants– More local grocery stores

Thank You

Acknowledgements

Emily Toffol etoffol@email.arizona.edu

Joe Abraham jabraham@email.arizona.edu