Overall Rating	Gold - expired
Overall Score	65.52
Liaison	Andrew D'Amico
Submission Date	Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

Princeton University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	5.23 / 10.00	Thomas Nyquist Executive Director Engineering and Campus Energy

"---" 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	None
Commuting	None
Purchased goods and services	None
Capital goods	None
Waste generated in operations	None
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2	None
Other categories	None

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:

FY 2017 Emissions Inventory.pdf

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:

The University uses its own internal GHG accounting system, which uses campus utilities data and emissions factors determined by the Environmental Protection Agency.

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:

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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	66,418 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	78,893 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	1,008 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	965 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity	30,345 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	42,034 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	97,771 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	121,892 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, 2016	June 30, 2017
Baseline Year	July 1, 2005	June 30, 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 baseline was adopted because this timeframe was prior to the inception of the University’s first Sustainability Plan (2007-2008). It is also used to maintain consistency throughout the University’s earlier STARS submissions. Princeton is currently working toward the goal set under the first Sustainability Plan to reduce absolute campus greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. As mentioned in the new 2026 Campus Plan, the University plans to significantly decrease annual GHG emissions, notwithstanding campus expansion, to set the University on a course for net neutral CO2-eq emissions by 2046.

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):

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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	97,771 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	121,892 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	7,093	6,111
Number of employees resident on-site	557	474
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	504	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	8,032	6,935
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	6,468	5,400
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted campus users	13,291.50	10,897.50

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	7.36 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	11.19 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

34.24

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

9,232,747 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor Area
Laboratory space	3,123,383 Square feet
Healthcare space	0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	1,736,429 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

17,215,942 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

Optional Fields

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:

Starting in 2007, Princeton began a multi-step plan to reduce campus carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. These reductions are being completed through: distribution system improvements, lighting improvement projects (including an LED retrofit program), building HVAC replacements, control system optimization, HVAC improvement projects, making the Central Plant more efficient, and photovoltaics. Specifically within the past three years, the University continued a multi-year effort to upgrade campus lighting to LEDs, installed ground-coupled heat pumps for heating and cooling in the new Arts & Transit Neighborhood, and implemented other energy conservation measures such as steam trap replacements, pump upgrades, air compressor upgrades, variable speed drive installations, and the addition of a booster chiller in the engineering building which received a 2017 Innovation Award from the International District Energy Association (IDEA).

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

https://sustain.princeton.edu/progress/energy

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Additional Links: https://campusplan.princeton.edu/ The reported greenhouse gas emissions include emissions from all buildings that are connected to the main campus utility systems, and more specifically, those that get electricity, steam or chilled water from the central energy plant, as well as those that are fed power from Elm Drive and Charlton Street substations. Also included are emissions from buildings that house significant campus energy-consuming programs that were once fed by these systems but have been moved off the main campus since 1990, including 701 Carnegie Center, as well as emissions from fleet vehicle fuel that is purchased by athletics, the business office (MacMillan fuel pumps), and building services. As such, the reported gross floor area of building space reflects the buildings included in the GHG emissions inventory. The 2006 emissions data reflects an updated utility emissions factor, unlike the emissions data reported in the University’s annual Sustainability Report. The 2006 number has not been updated in the annual report for the sake of consistency; the original numbers continue to be used to track the University’s progress toward reaching its greenhouse gas emissions goal, which was established prior to the utility emissions factor being updated. The 504 “other individuals resident on site” represents family members of University employees (faculty and staff) who live in University rental housing including Merwick Stanworth (Merwick Stanworth is owned and operated by American Campus Communities on Princeton University-owned land. All market rate units are currently occupied by Princeton affiliates (faculty and staff) and are included in the count). Some of the 557 resident employees are also family members within the same household.