Peer Responses: Section 1
Responding to Person 1
Thank you for your post. Your concise and clear analysis regarding Scope 3 emissions is most relevant to SMSU. Purchased goods and services, upstream transport, waste generated by operations, and employee commuting are all significant categories to investigate. Including intangible services such as marketing and advertising under purchased goods and services was a good call, as these activities also have hidden carbon footprints: Peer Responses: Section 1.
Your mention of upstream transport being associated closely with purchased goods is important, as delivery and transport account for significant emissions. Additionally, waste from other sections of on-campus dining halls, offices, and residence halls is also an important contributor, and being able to monitor it efficiently could lead to better waste management (Rodríguez-Guerreiro et al., 2024). Employee commuting is another significant contributor, as SMSU is a large employer, and daily commuting is an essential contribution. Overall, your analysis pinpoints the most significant areas where SMSU can focus on reducing Scope 3 emissions. Good job!
References
Rodríguez-Guerreiro, M.-J., Torrijos, V., & Soto, M. (2024). A review of waste management in higher education institutions: The road to zero waste and sustainability. Environments, 11(12), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11120293
Person 2
Thank you for your post. Your breakdown of Scope 3 emissions in SMSU accurately identifies purchased goods and services, waste generated during operations, and employee commuting as the most significant categories. I prefer how you linked food and beverage purchases, bookstore materials, and other consumables to purchased goods while also mentioning their environmental impact. Your recognition that waste generation is an inherent part of campus operations is significant, especially given that waste reduction initiatives directly impact emissions.
Moreover, employee and student commuting is also an important factor, as many commuters to and from campus daily are a contributing source of emissions (Cirrincione et al., 2022). Therefore, to counter that impact, SMSU can consider promoting carpooling, biking, and public transportation incentives. Another action to be put in place would be investigating alternative suppliers who have lower carbon footprints for campus acquisitions. Your analysis is a good starting point for identifying SMSU’s most substantial Scope 3 emission sources and solutions.
References
Cirrincione, L., Di Dio, S., Peri, G., Scaccianoce, G., Schillaci, D., & Rizzo, G. (2022). A win-win scheme for improving the environmental sustainability of university commuters’ mobility and getting environmental credits. Energies, 15(2), 396. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15020396
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Question 
Instruction: Reply to threads
Section 1
Person 1
The top Scope 3 emission categories that I believe are the most likely material for SMSU are the following:
- Upstream Emissions # 1 – Purchased Good or Services – This will include any tangible products purchased and used around SMSU. Tangible products such as classroom supplies, office supplies, school equipment, etc. Also, it includes intangible services provided by the school such as marketing and advertising.
- Upstream Emissions # 4 – Upstream Transportation & Services – The scope 3 emissions in this category will be related to category # 1. It will include the delivery and transportation of the goods and services purchased and provided by the school.
- Upstream Emissions # 5 – Waste Generated in Operations –We can include day-to-day waste created anywhere in the school. Whether it’s waste from the residence halls, classrooms, labs, offices, dining halls, they all produce waste that heavily contributes to the Scope 3 emissions that are generated.
- Upstream Emissions # 7 – Employee Commuting – Per SMSU’s website, the school employs over 400 people. We can assume that most of these employees live off campus and will commute to the school daily. This means hundreds of cars will be on the roads each day releasing Scope 3 emissions on their commute back and forth from the school.
Peer Responses: Section 1
Person 2
In the scope 3 emissions for SMSU they would have #1 purchased goods or services. SMSU offers food and beverages for purchase on campus that would contribute to waste, as well as having the book store which would include paper and other products for purchase.
Also #5 waste generated in operations, this would be true because people are on campus every single day, and as a natural human function we create waste.
#7 employee commuting, not only are there faculty members but there are other employees and students who are commuting to SMSU every day.
Client’s Notes:
- please follow the assignment.
- Southwest Minnesota State University: SMSU
Class textbook: