Overall Rating	Gold - expired
Overall Score	70.16
Liaison	Kylee Singh
Submission Date	Sept. 19, 2019
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

California Polytechnic State University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	7.03 / 10.00	Eric Veium Energy & Sustainability Analyst Facilities Management & Development

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :

Yes

Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:

	All, Some, or None
Business travel	Some
Commuting	All
Purchased goods and services	None
Capital goods	None
Waste generated in operations	All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2	Some
Other categories	None

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:

Forecast_PolyCAP GHG Inventory Master Sheet Forecast 2018-19 Update.xlsx

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:

The Poly CAP team used the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLIE) Method with adjustments for a university campus analysis.

Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:

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Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:

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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):

Yes

Part 2

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion	11,630 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	14,149 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	2,138 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	3,561 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity	4,822 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	7,260 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	18,590 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	24,970 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Year	July 1, 2018	June 30, 2019
Baseline Year	Jan. 1, 1990	Dec. 31, 1990

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):

California implemented the legally binding Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) in 2006, which commits the state to reducing its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and by an additional 80 percent by 2050.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs)	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration	621 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent Date Revised: Oct. 16, 2019 California Polytechnic State University requested that AASHE Staff correct a mistake in this reporting field for the reason specified below. Previous Value: 1300 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent Explanation: STARS report was published before editing complete.	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting	2,200 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent Date Revised: Oct. 16, 2019 California Polytechnic State University requested that AASHE Staff correct a mistake in this reporting field for the reason specified below. Previous Value: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent Explanation: STARS report was published before editing complete.	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon offsets	2,821 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration- The Center for Sustainability, together with the Carbon Cycle Institute, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, and Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), has developed a Carbon Farm Plan for the organically managed acreage at SPR. The dataand carbon sequestration calculations can be found in the finished SPR Carbon Farm Plan here: http://cfs.calpoly.edu/carbon_farm_plan.html Carbon Storage from on-site composting- In order to calculate carbon storage from the Cal Poly composting facility we consulted with Jeff Creque, Director of Rangeland and Agroecosystem Management, Carbon Cycle Institute (www.carboncycle.org/about-cci/team/) he shared his method for calculation but ultimately said it is best to assume a 1 to 1 ratio, for every ton of compost produced you can assume a ton of CO2 stored.

Date Revised: Oct. 16, 2019

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting.

Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:

---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions	15,769 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	24,970 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	7,816	2,775
Number of employees resident on-site	21	9
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	12	1
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	20,272	15,899
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	2,589	1,884
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted campus users	19,117	14,034.25

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user	0.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	1.78 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:

53.64

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

6,047,614 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor Area
Laboratory space	164,801 Square feet
Healthcare space	32,293 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	626,450 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

7,068,252 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

Optional Fields

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:

	Emissions
Business travel	682 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting	13,081 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services	---
Capital goods	---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2	---
Waste generated in operations	230 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories	125 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:

Cal Poly continues to make progress on its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent over the last two years. The goal to reduce emissions to pre-1990 levels by 2020 was met five years ahead of the state mandate, despite 100 percent growth in building square footage and on-campus housing since that time. Energy conservation efforts reduced 2016–17 building energy intensity by 3 percent over the prior year, while water conservation, zero waste efforts, and improved agricultural practices further reduced carbon emissions. Along with greater renewable energy generation across the state from solar and wind, increased rainfall in the northwest improved hydroelectric generation for PG&E in 2017, resulting in 79 percent of Cal Poly’s electricity purchase coming from carbon-free sources — up from 59 percent two years ago. With completion of the 4.5 MW Gold Tree Solar Farm in May of 2018, 25 percent of Cal Poly’s total electricity needs are now being met by on-site solar generation, with more solar projects in development. The greatest challenge Cal Poly faces on its path to carbon neutrality is transforming the way commuters get to campus, as commuting accounts for nearly half of total campus carbon emissions. Transportation and Parking Services implemented numerous initiatives to reduce emissions from commuting, including prohibition of cars for freshmen living on campus, addition of bike racks, and expansion of ZipCar and vanpool programs. To reduce circling and traffic congestion, all commuter parking permits are now assigned specific parking locations. The 2018 campus Transportation Survey found that emissions from commuting were up 36 percent since the 2015 survey, partly due to improvements in survey language and methodology that influenced responses and captured more data, such as trips into town by on-campus residents that were previously unaccounted for. Increased emissions were attributed to increased student enrollment, a reduction in bus service offered by SLO Transit in fall of 2017, which reduced ridership by 5 percent, and increasing housing costs in SLO which continue to push faculty and staff into surrounding communities, and students into neighborhoods further from campus. The increase in on-campus housing envisioned in the Master Plan will reduce these emissions substantially. Transportation and Parking Services continues to promote and expand alternative transportation options for commuters including restoration of some of the bus route frequency previously reduced, enhancement of vanpool and carpool programs, development of more electric vehicle charging stations, and increased educational outreach to the campus community through their award winning “My Other Car Is” campaign.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:

https://afd.calpoly.edu/sustainability/docs/sustainability_reports/2018_sustainabilityreport.pdf

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.