Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.26
Liaison Stephanie MacPhee
Submission Date Dec. 9, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.53 / 10.00
"---" 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 All
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 None
Other categories None

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:

Scope 1: The information includes inventory from utility bills pertaining to on campus stationary resources including diesel and natural gas, emissions factors of 0.00189 tCO2/m3 and 0.00273 tCO2e/L respectively.
Scope 2: The information includes inventory from utility bills pertaining to purchased electricity, steam, and chilled water, with emissions factors of 0.000017 tCO2e/kWh, 0.0000754 tCO2e/lb, and 0.00002230 CO2e/THR respectively.
Scope 3: The information includes inventory from bills pertaining to directly financed outsourced travel including business air travel to Canada and Internationally (0.000083 tCO2/passenger km), business travel mileage, calculated using commuter surveys assessing emissions related to student, staff, and faculty commute, which is then converted to emissions depending on the mode of travel - automobile (0.00021 tCO2/km), bus (0.000033 tCO2/passenger-km), transit rail (0.000061 tCO2/passenger-km) or commuter rail (0.000092 tCO2/passenger-km), with conversion factors listed in brackets - and business rental and taxi costs (0.00021 tCO2e/km). Waste data collected during our 2019/2020 annual waste audit is also included as part of this scope, composed of landfill, recycling, and composting in tonnes.


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:

The last iteration has not. However, the previous iterations had been vetted by Internat Energy Solutions Canada, an external 3rd party we worked with to complete our emissions inventory.


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 2,868 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,682 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 1,097 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,427 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 8,147 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,314 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 12,112 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,423 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 May 1, 2019 April 30, 2020
Baseline Year May 1, 2014 April 30, 2015

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):

An energy team was formally created in 2014. As such, a more rigorous data collection program was established that year hence why it was selected as our baseline.


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):

Part of the Campus Core Revitalization 2019 project includes a greening strategy that considers plant health and sustainability. The Campus Core Revitalization greening strategy aims to broaden the survivability and ecological function of our urban treescape. As a result, Ryerson will be increasing our carbon sequestration on-campus.


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 12,112 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,423 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,153 810
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 38,673.70 35,109.70
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,817.30 856
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,534.70 0
Weighted campus users 30,255.48 27,176.77

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 0.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0.49 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
18.95

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
4,220,789 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 370,337.76 Square feet
Healthcare space 1,434.24 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 62,511.92 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
5,026,844.92 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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 2,492 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 10,306 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 50.53 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 557 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:

Retro-commissioning of a total of buildings. 3 buildings (VIC, MAC, ENG) have been retro-commissed. The Library Chiller Plant and SLC are currently undergoing retro-commissioning in order to fine-tune building systems and consume less energy.

A number of steam traps have been upgraded across the campus in order to reduce waste of district steam

EPH lighting system has been upgraded to LEDs to reduce electricity consumption and associated emissions

Campus-wide sub-metering program is currently taking place in order to quantify emissions on a building to building level. This was previously not possible as Ryerson had multiple buildings on a single meter.

Campus wide waste diversion plan, including transition from a 3-stream to a 4-stream waste stream system (that includes organics and duel stream recycling), waste sorting and diversion engagement events on campus

The annual Healthy Commute Week Campaign focuses on raising awareness on sustainable transportation methods including walking, wheeling, running, biking, taking the TTC or GO Transit, or using any other form of active or public transportation.

As part of the Sustainability Ambassador Waste Monitor Program, Ambassadors attend medium to large-scale Ryerson events to monitor and educate attendees on proper waste disposal.


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:

Ryerson, along with other major stakeholders in Toronto, is signing up for the Mayor’s Green Will Initiative. This initiative will help to create a pathway to achieve net zero emissions for our campus further cementing Ryerson’s commitment to sustainable and carbon-neutral operations.


Ryerson, along with other major stakeholders in Toronto, is signing up for the Mayor’s Green Will Initiative. This initiative will help to create a pathway to achieve net zero emissions for our campus further cementing Ryerson’s commitment to sustainable and carbon-neutral operations.

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.