Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.69
Liaison Alan Turnquist
Submission Date July 24, 2023

STARS v2.2

Michigan Technological University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.66 / 8.00 Alan Turnquist
Director of Sustainability and Resilience
Office of the President
"---" 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 18,785 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 21,292 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,313 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,860 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 15,371 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 30,601 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 35,469 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 53,753 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 ---
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):
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Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 35,469 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 53,753 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, 2020 July 1, 2015
End date June 30, 2021 June 30, 2016

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The baseline of FY 2016 was set at the inflection point when the university began to take affirmative steps to address GHG emissions by entering in a long-term contract for bundled RECs with our utility provider

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 2,908 2,950
Number of employees resident on-site 8 4
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 7,009 7,270
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,539 1,631
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted Campus Users 7,140 7,414.25

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 4.97 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7.25 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
31.48

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
3,493,469 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 442,401 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 65,254 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
4,443,525 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:
50 percent of Michigan Tech's electricity is wind-powered—saving $3.6 million over the life of our current contract.

Other things Michigan Tech does:

Maintain and enhance current energy-conservation efforts.
Find alternate ways to heat new facilities. For example, the Great Lakes Research Center is heated primarily from waste heat from the heating plant boilers.
Install additional occupancy sensors; add variable frequency drives to fans and pumps; and upgrade air compressors to more efficient units.
Long-term initiatives include phased implementation of the energy-conservation plan, developed by the Energy Advisory Group, to utilize biomass cogeneration; retrofit lab HVAC systems; and employ additional lighting control, enhanced computer controls, and other measures.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
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.