Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 74.78
Liaison Daryl Pierson
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Portland State University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.03 / 8.00 Amanda Wolf
Program + Assessment Coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 6,519.67 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6,900 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 137.35 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 750.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 12,926.17 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 19,367 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 19,583.19 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 27,017.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

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

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 19,583.19 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):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date July 1, 2018 July 1, 2011
End date June 30, 2019 June 30, 2012

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

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 “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 1,917 1,900
Number of employees resident on-site 8 50
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 19,078 20,458.88
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,651 2,483
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,141 350
Weighted Campus Users 15,172.25 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:
16.72

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
5,228,713 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 299,376 Square feet
Healthcare space 6,995 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 325,354 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
6,166,809 Gross square feet

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

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:

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.


Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Data for FY19 (except population and square footage). Not updated for FY20 due to Covid impacts


Data for FY19 (except population and square footage). Not updated for FY20 due to Covid impacts

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.