The Arizona State University (ASU) Masters of Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) program connects student teams with real-world clients to solve real-world sustainability problems as a part of the students’ Culminating Experience in the program. This report details the project assigned to our group, the Emissions Data Detectives (EDD), in partnership with our client, Gannett Fleming. This project focuses on calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the client’s leased office spaces across the United States and Canada. In excess, GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere, negatively affecting global air quality and human health. In addition, top companies similar to our client are already disclosing their emissions, new legislation is aiming to require such reporting, and stakeholders are trending to gravitate towards firms measuring and reducing their environmental impact. During the first semester of this project, we noticed that Gannett Fleming lacked data on specific utility usage in their leased office spaces, as not all data is shared, standardized, or robust enough for accurate emissions calculations. After conducting a landscape analysis where group members interviewed companies facing a similar problem, the team identified best practices for addressing this issue. Such practices included using mixed methods for calculations based on data availability, leveraging organizational connections for efficient communication with landlords, creating custom communication plans, and using concise language with landlords. The team also conducted an sTOWS analysis to understand better how our research could best be applied to Gannett Fleming’s problem. From there, we developed a project plan that included an Invitation to Participate and Data Request to collect the necessary data. Next, the team outlined strategies for emissions calculations, including applying calculations from the GHG Protocol and compiling all calculations in a navigable spreadsheet. Greenhouse gas calculations were made using a mix of asset-specific data from the Data Request forms and average data from the EPA estimates using equations from Scope 3, Category 8, or Leased Upstream Assets per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Emissions were categorized under Scope 3 since the client has no control over the leased offices, and the control approach was used. Final results showed that the emissions calculated for the 8 offices where asset-specific data was used combined with the 31 offices where average data was used totaled 2,390 metric tonnes of CO2e for FY2022. In order to ensure that this project can be helpful to Gannet Fleming long-term, we came up with three main deliverables including a GHG spreadsheet including all calculations and findings, a GHG roadmap with simplified step-by-step instructions of our methodology, and a Sustainable Leasing Policy information to ensure the client’s emissions reduction goals are communicated and considered in the decision-making process for future lease agreements. This version contains results that have been edited to ensure client confidentiality. Offices have been anonymized, and numbers used are not representative of actual emissions findings.

Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN) is a nonprofit organization based out of Patagonia, Arizona, that partners with borderland communities to grow a restorative economy by rebuilding healthy ecosystems, restoring habitat for wildlife, and reconnecting border communities to the land through shared learning. Borderland communities encompass the southern United States and northern Mexico border, and BRN is centered within the Madrean Archipelago, one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. A core program that BRN offers is the Borderlands Earth Care Youth (BECY). This paid internship-style program focuses on educating and training youth between fifteen and twenty to address the growing environmental and sustainability challenges associated with climate change, habitat fragmentation, aridification, and socio-economic injustices. Through the BECY program, BRN provides a critical opportunity for the Arizona communities of Douglas, Patagonia, Nogales, and Rio Rico. The purpose of this program is critical for borderland communities, given the historical marginalization of these communities. This can be seen with the demographics of these communities as the communities of Douglas, Nogales, and Rio Rico are all over 80% Hispanic/Latino identifying, according to the U.S. Census Bureau information from 2020-2022. With the majority of these communities being Hispanic/Latino, the implementation of an environmental education program that accounts for and supports cultural backgrounds and resources is one that is critical. The advancement of quality education and networking opportunities in these communities helps to create a diverse conservation sector that will further support the restoration economy in borderland communities. In 2018, BRN completed a survey research project and found that ninety-two percent of overall respondents claimed they were inspired by the BECY program to make sustainable changes in their lives. Respondents reported that the program helped them “To look at the environment differently, [and] the impact humans can have (positive and negative) on other species’ habitats,” and to recognize the benefits of “...the social aspect of community building, as well as the fundamentals of ecosystem and watershed restoration” on their environment (Anonymous Participants, 2018, BRN Program Evaluation). These statements showcase the importance of BECY in shaping participants’ views of the environment and the role that they each play as stewards. Over the course of nine months, the JKLM Sustainability Consulting team completed a project for BRN by using sustainability analysis tools and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) guidelines to provide foundational information and guidance regarding environmental education curriculum development, program evaluation, and program expansion to assist BRN in achieving its youth education program expansion goals. The deliverable of the consultation project was an updated and enhanced BECY curriculum and related activities guide to be used in Summer 2023.

This report was created for an MSUS applied project. Team ESG was tasked with creating an ESG scorecard to compare asset managers and portfolios for the Arizona State University Foundation. ASUF is committed to creating a net zero emissions endowment by 2035. Therefore, Team ESG goes into detail about the ESG scorecard and roadmap for its implementation in this report.