| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.91 |
| Liaison | Daryl Pierson |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Portland State University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.47 / 10.00 |
Amanda
Wolf Program + Assessment Coordinator Campus Sustainability Office |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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 | All |
| Capital goods | All |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | All |
| Other categories | Some |
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:
Campus Sustainability Office(CSO) staff contacted various campus departments for reports of the required data. Those data were then entered into the CarbonMap calculator through UNH for emissions totals. For most scope 3 sources, dollars spent were run through the CBEI (Consumption Based Emissions Inventory) that was developed by the Oregon DEQ to calculate emissions
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:
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):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 6,295.56 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 6,900 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 249.25 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 750.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 14,799.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 19,367 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 | 21,344.41 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 27,017.20 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, 2017 | June 30, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2011 | June 30, 2012 |
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):
We have made strides to make data collection consistent, and fiscal year 2012 is the first year in which we adopted our current methodology. Thus, using 2012 as a baseline allows for comparing apples-to-apples, as opposed to other years in which we are less confident in data used and collected.
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 | 21,344.41 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 27,017.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,205 | 1,900 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 9 | 50 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 20,507 | 20,458.88 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 2,731 | 2,483 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,984 | 350 |
| Weighted campus users | 16,494 | 17,431.41 |
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 | 1.29 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 1.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 314,834 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 6,995 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 322,391 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| 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:
Travel Offset Program: program to help mitigate the greenhouse gas impacts of University business travel. Currently a voluntary program that charges participating departments a fee of 2% of their total travel expenses. Those funds are then allocated to the Green Revolving Fund for efficiency upgrades on campus.
Green Revolving Fund: supports energy reduction and climate action goals while further advancing PSU’s leadership in sustainable practices. The fund is used to implement efficiency projects and is reimbursed through savings in the campus utilities budget. The fund was set up in 2013 with $500,000 using funds allocated by the State of Oregon to PSU for capital improvements. An additional $489,000 was added in 2014, and $517,729 in 2015, with savings from the university’s utility budget. As of June 2015, $45,000 have been added from Energy Incentive Rebates ($44,900) through the Energy Trust of Oregon, and a voluntary travel offset program ($150) for PSU departments. In total, $1,551,779 as been allocated to the fund so far.
Climate Champions: is designed to promote and recognize resource conservation and stewardship within PSU departments, as well as to support the goals of our Climate Action Plan. The program includes an assessment that departments use to track their progress on sustainable best practices for the workplace.
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:
PSU is currently working on improving our Scope 3 data collection and emissions reporting. Therefore we have not updated our published GHG reports, our last reporting GHG was FY16.
Scope 1 & 2 data has been updated in SIMAP and is reported to Second Nature
PSU is currently working on improving our Scope 3 data collection and emissions reporting. Therefore we have not updated our published GHG reports, our last reporting GHG was FY16.
Scope 1 & 2 data has been updated in SIMAP and is reported to Second Nature
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.