Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.19
Liaison Emma Blandford
Submission Date March 2, 2021

STARS v2.2

Georgia Institute of Technology
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.83 / 8.00 Anne Rogers
Sustainability Program & Portfolio Manager
Office of Campus Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 36,190.46 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 39,297 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,252.17 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,128 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 134,175.82 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 227,321 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 171,618.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 267,746 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 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 storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
n/a

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 171,618.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 267,746 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date July 1, 2019 July 1, 2009
End date June 30, 2020 June 30, 2010

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The baseline of FY 2010 was adopted in this STARS submission because it is the most recent year when energy data can be verified in our campus building management systems. This baseline year is also consistent with the other OP credits with data that relate to the GHG inventory.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 10,070 9,184
Number of employees resident on-site 307 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 9 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 25,447 20,291
Full-time equivalent of employees 7,795 6,958
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 11,738 0
Weighted Campus Users 18,731.25 22,732.75

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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 9.16 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11.78 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
22.21

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
14,725,107 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 876,511 Square feet
Healthcare space 14,171 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 162,637 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
16,669,108 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
In 2008, leadership supported the development of a CAP as required by ACUPCC. From 2014-2017, the Office of Campus Sustainability (OCS) incorporated the incremental targets of the CAP as goals into the development of our first campus sustainability plan, the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Practice. From 2015-2016, OCS partnered with a faculty to develop predictive modeling to assess CAP progress. In 2017, we achieved the first incremental CAP goal of 15% reduction in campus Btu/sf. In 2019, sustainability and climate action were discussed as opportunities for GT to meet its new vision and strategic plan. In 2020, the president created an initiative to advance the UN SDGs, and an inter-disciplinary group proposed a CAP update as a Goal 13 action step. The new institute strategic plan defined a sustainability goal statement and action to “develop and execute” an institutional CAP.

Campus initiatives related to climate action include:
• Global Change Program: As an instructional and research hub for global climate change at Georgia Tech, this project will leverage their expertise, partnerships, and networks to build engagement and input to the project.
• Climate Fellows Network: An internal network of faculty and staff advancing climate action into academics, research, and operations.
• Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS): A center charged with Georgia Tech’s Quality Enhancement Plan objective to “create sustainable communities,” this project will tie to SLS’s goals to develop community engagement and sustainability in the curriculum and the student experience with a focus in social sustainability.
• Drawdown Georgia: A state-wide project led by Georgia Tech faculty to accelerate a reduction in carbon emission in Georgia.
• Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design: a campus building modeling regenerative design principles pursuant to the Living Building Challenge certification.
• Carbon Reduction Challenge: a program where students lead carbon reduction studies within organizations where they have a summer internship. CRC studies provide a framework for student engagement and are a template for idea generation in this project’s process.
• Smart Labs Energy Reduction Initiative: a guaranteed energy savings project completed in 2020 which reduced the energy loads of two large laboratory buildings on campus by reducing unnecessary air changes.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
https://reporting.secondnature.org/institution/detail!1032##1032

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
2010 Baseline GHG Report link: https://reporting.secondnature.org/ghg/ghg-public!1311

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.