Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.30
Liaison Dianne Anderson
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

New York University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.85 / 10.00 Nicholas Liu-Sontag
Manager
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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 All
Other categories All

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:

NYU's GHG inventory is based on methodologies developed by the GHG Protocol Initiative. NYU utilizes the SIMAP reporting tool developed by the UNH Sustainability Initiative in conjunction with the GHG protocol for GHG emissions calculations.

NYU's Scope 3 emissions were compiled in the following ways:

- Business Travel: Air travel emissions were calculated from NYU spending on purchase cards for airline flights. A spend-based emissions factor from the SIMAP tool was used to convert this to GHG emissions. Because this spending does not capture all of NYU's spending on business travel, the value calculated is the lower bound of NYU's emissions in this category.

- Commuting: The estimate for commuting emissions is based on NYU's directly financed but outsourced shuttle fleet, which transports students/staff/faculty to and from University locations. In the uploaded file, this category is denoted as 'Outsourced Fleet'. The fuel consumption for this fleet was converted to emissions based on EPA emissions factors.

- Waste Generated: NYU's waste emissions were calculated based on emissions factors from the EPA WARM tool and the NYC Carbon Challenge.

- Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or 2: NYU's Transmission and Distribution losses were calculated for electricity purchases using a T&D emissions factor from the IEA 2018 Emissions Factor publication.

- Other Categories: Estimates for NYU's emissions from Municipal Water and Wastewater Treatment were calculated using emissions factors utilized by the City of New York and applied to NYU's water usage and sewage waste.


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?:
No

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

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

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 100,877 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 119,131 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 591 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,189 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 26,708 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 54,402 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 6,340 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5,003 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 134,516 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 179,725 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, 2018 Dec. 31, 2018
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2006 Dec. 31, 2006

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 2006 baseline year was adopted based on NYU's adoption to its 2040 carbon neutrality goals and its joining of the NYC Carbon Challenge.


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

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

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 134,516 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 179,725 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 11,833 10,073
Number of employees resident on-site 1,196 1,000
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 1,824 1,524
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 50,740 34,222
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 20,351 9,265
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 655 84
Weighted campus users 57,908.25 36,844.50

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 2.32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
52.38

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
14,510,801 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 702,134 Square feet
Healthcare space 114,924 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 26,172 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
16,171,089 Gross square feet

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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel ---
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

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:

Campus user and campus area figures in this credit differ slightly from IC-3 because the performance year for this credit is 2018, and data in IC-3 is reported for 2019.


Campus user and campus area figures in this credit differ slightly from IC-3 because the performance year for this credit is 2018, and data in IC-3 is reported for 2019.

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.