Class Project Report Sustainable Air Quality, EECE 449/549, Spring 2008 Washington University, St. Louis, MO The Carbon Footprint of Danforth Campus and its Causality Drivers Instructors: Professor Rudolf B. Husar, Erin M. Robinson See also a 5 min screencast and more details on the class wikiscreencastclass wiki Students: Devki Desai Martin Groenewegen Tyler Nading Kate Nelson Matt Sculnick Alyssa Smith Varun Yadav

Transportation Devki Desai Tyler Nading Varun Yadav

Washington University Transportation Emission Commuter Travel –Faculty/Staff –Students University Fleet Air Travel –Athletic Meets –Study Abroad –Faculty Air Travels

Annual Commuter Emission Calculation Factors effecting the emission: –# of people commuting to WashU –miles driven per year –gallons of fuel required –amount of Carbon or Carbon Dioxide produced by the fuel milesgallons 2,421 grams of Carbon/Gallon as given by the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR ) 0.99 % fuel oxidized 12 gm C 44 gm CO 2 mileyear Emissions X = XXXX # people

Data Collected Student Parking Permit Data: Only Student Local Address Data Student Home Address Data Faculty/Staff Parking Permit Data: Only Faculty/Staff Local Address Zip code: Only

Issues with Data Some students provide their permanent home address zip code instead of local address zip code Each year over students do not provide zip code. Historic faculty/staff local zip code not available. Historic parking permit data not available.

Distance within 150 miles to WashU considered for analysis Data on Google Earth

Distance Calculation Zip code converted to latitude and longitude based on U.S. Gazetteer and zipinfo.U.S. Gazetteer zipinfo For WashU, coordinates of Brookings Hall (38.648N, W) considered. Distance from zip code coordinates to WashU coordinates calculated using the reference formula:reference formula –Δx = 69.1*(lat1-lat2); Δy = 53.0*(lon1-lon2), –Distance (in miles) = (Δx 2 +Δy 2 ) 1/2. Calculates straight line distance between WashU and centroid of zip code

Fudge factors required for calculated distance –Highways and road directions –Bridges on East and North St. Louis 18% for Students 40% for Faculty/Staff

Annual Distance Traveled Assume every person makes 1 round trip (2 trips) to school per working day of the year Faculty/Staff working days per year Students working days (excluding vacations)

Faculty Commuter Contribution

The number of students living within 150 miles of the Danforth Campus have not lead to an increase in the amount of parking permits issued as our data implied. Student Commuters

Annual miles driven per student decreased most dramatically from This is explained in part by the shift in student residences from

Student Commuter Carbon Emissions

University Fleet Contribution The University fleet grew and contribution steadily increased despite improvements in fuel economy, yet is minimal in comparison to student commuter carbon emissions.

Air Travel Emissions General areas of air travel –Faculty –Study abroad –Athletics Methodology –Faculty air travel not considered –Study abroad data was provided for the past 6 years –Athletic air travel data provided for the past 3 years

Air travel emissions have increased by 30%

Study abroad emissions are the driver in this study

Washington University Transportation Emission