Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.63
Liaison Karen Oberer
Submission Date Aug. 22, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

McGill University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.39 / 10.00 Jerome Conraud
Energy Manager
Facilities Operations & Development, Div. of Univ. Services
"---" 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 All
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods All
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories None

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
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:
All data is gathered internally by McGill Utilities & Energy Management and compiled for the different GHG and pollutant release reporting schemes (Natural Resources Canada's NPRI and GHG Reporting Program, Québec Ministry of Environment (MDDELCC)'s inventaire québécois des émissions atmosphériques and to the City of Montreal). Emission factors come from different sources (MDDELCC, US EPA, Natural Resources Canada, BC Ministry of Environment, and in-house calculations).

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
The 2014 report was reviewed by the University's Internal Audit team in Fall 2015. Internal Audit investigated the risks associated with potential errors in reporting activities and to that end, focussed particularly on the process of collecting and compiling data. A review memo was issued by Internal Audit in October 2015.

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

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 35,579 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 52,915 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 6,317 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3,492 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 441 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 271 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 912 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 912 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 43,249 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 57,590 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 Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014
Baseline Year June 1, 2002 May 31, 2003

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):
The baseline was defined by Québec's Ministry of Higher Education (MESRS) for all universities in the Province. Note: gross floor area for baseline year was 7,037,552 sq. ft. (+21% campus growth)

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 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 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 0 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):
---

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 43,249 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 57,590 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,260 30,334
Number of employees resident on-site 15 14
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 31,755 24,007
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 6,979 4,497
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 32 20
Weighted campus users 29,845.25 30,348

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 1.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
23.64

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
891,994 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 167,219 Square meters
Healthcare space 15,607 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 52,838 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
14,105,932.38 Gross square meters

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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 9,028 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 6,311 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 171 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 180 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 199 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

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

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Note: Scope 1 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions: - same livestock head count except for cows (half as many as reporting year) and same manure management; - same fertilizer usage (agricultural fields); - same refrigerant usage (HVAC systems); - same fuel consumption level from fleet of vehicles. Scope 2 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions: - same steam usage. If anything, steam consumption has decreased since 2002-2003 due to an upgrade of the HVAC systems of the only building on campus using steam supplied by a third-party supplier. This also assumes the said supplier also had the same steam production and distribution efficiency as today, which, again, is a very conservative estimate due to the many energy conservation measures implemented by the supplier.

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.