Reducing GhG Emissions Across Ellucian's Ecosystem
Around the world, higher education institutions are educating a generation of students who are focused on sustainability and concerned about climate change. In a study conducted by College Pulse in December 2022, 82% of U.S. students surveyed reported being very or somewhat worried about the impacts of climate change.1 For 85% of students in the same study, it's at least somewhat important for their campus to prioritize sustainability.1
Leading institutions are reducing environmental impact through investments ranging from the purchase of renewable energy and net zero building renovation to composting and vegan menus in campus cafeterias. In the classroom, curricula across multiple disciplines integrate sustainability, with 46% of U.S. students reporting they have chosen to pursue sustainability topics in coursework when possible.1
Ellucian's Commitment to Reducing GhG Emissions
As a trusted partner to higher education institutions, Ellucian's commitment to sustainability reflects the deep concern and substantial commitment made by Ellucian's customers in addressing climate change. In 2022, Ellucian committed to a 25% absolute reduction in greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions by 2025 from a 2019 base year across scopes 1, 2 and partial 3. In 2023, Ellucian developed its first-ever comprehensive GhG reduction roadmap, which put the company on a path to meeting their target and to continue reducing emissions in the future.
Ellucian is on track to meet its 25% reduction target by the end of 2025, despite significant increases in business travel in 2022 over the previous year. Emissions increases were balanced partially by decreased emissions in other areas like third party data center operations.
Ellucian's comprehensive GhG reduction roadmap includes a focus on reducing emissions generated by office electricity by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). By procuring RECs equivalent to the amount of electricity used by Ellucian's facilities, the company is ensuring that an equal quantity of renewable energy is being generated on the electric grid. In 2023, Ellucian purchased RECs to match 100% of the electricity used at its Malvern facility. Ellucian's roadmap calls for expanding REC purchases in the future.
Employee involvement is a critical part of Ellucian's approach to emissions reduction. One element of Ellucian's roadmap is an employee engagement campaign focused on reducing emissions while working at home or in the office. Ellucian will also continue to drive greater efficiency in its third-party data center usage, reducing its footprint and offering emissions reduction benefits to customers who use the company's SaaS-based solutions.
Investing in Climate Projects
For the first time in 2023, Ellucian invested in carbon credits to offset emissions from the prior year. Carbon credit purchases complement Ellucian's reduction strategy and enable the company to support global projects that mitigate carbon emissions now and in the future.
Through a partnership with Patch, a platform that scales unified climate action, Ellucian selected climate projects in communities where it operates around the globe.
| Those projects are: |
|---|
Clearloop Arcadia South Solar (Louisiana, U.S.) Powering homes with clean energy |
Grassroots Carbon Regenerative Grazing (Texas, U.S.) Incentivizing ranchers to adopt regenerative practices |
Laguna OM Restoration and Improved Forest Management (Mexico) Improving living conditions and safeguarding natural resources |
Northeastern Argentina Regenerative Grazing (Argentina) Supporting sustainable grazing practices |
Saline Hill Scotland Afforestation (U.K.) Planting trees to create a native woodland project |
Everest Carbon Enhanced Weathering (India) Using mineral carbon removal with nature restoration projects |
Ellucian's SaaS Solutions Help Institutions Reduce GhG Emissions
Customers who use Ellucian SaaS Solutions instead of operating those solutions in on-premise data centers can experience a reduction in the emissions generated by the solution workload. AWS is working aggressively to meet a 100% renewable energy goal across all data centers in 2025. Once this occurs, reductions are predicted to grow further.
From Ellucian's Milton Keynes office, Business Development Director, Pete Moss, works with U.K. universities to find Ellucian solutions that serve students, faculty, and staff while maximizing the potential of every dollar spent on information technology. Those same university leaders are also focused on lowering GhG emissions.
"University leaders have a sophisticated view around climate change and acknowledge the GhG reduction opportunities possible in a transition from on-prem to SaaS solutions," Moss said. "As our customers transition to SaaS, we are seeing GhG emissions generated by our solutions fall substantially."
The 2023 Ellucian Impact Report shares our commitment to supporting student success, building an inclusive culture, reducing our impact on the environment, and making a positive difference across critical issues important to our company and communities.
1Student Voice Survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, December 2022
Ellucian CA 1305 Report, January 19, 2024
