Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	78.69
Liaison	Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date	Feb. 14, 2023

STARS v2.2

Santa Clara University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	7.97 / 8.00	Kevin Jenkins Climate Action and Energy Manager Center for Sustainability

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion	5,543.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	6,340.04 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	99.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	201.14 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	10,730.80 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	5,643.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	17,271.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased	5,545 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	---	---
Carbon sold or transferred	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks	5,545 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

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

SCU uses a portfolio approach for purchasing carbon offsets, balancing cost per unit with social and educational benefits. At least 50% of the portfolio must have co-benefits. We look for projects that work toward higher-impact solutions as identified by Project Drawdown, and advance at least two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2021, SCU purchased carbon offsets through 3Degrees for the following projects:
• Prairie Winds aids in North Dakota’s transition to a decarbonized economy (https://3degreesinc.com/resources/prairie-winds-nd1-emissions-reduction-project-profile/)
• Cookstoves reduce emissions in Ugandan households (https://3degreesinc.com/resources/biolite-stove-uganda-project-profile/)

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	98.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	17,271.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Performance year	Baseline year
Start date	Jan. 1, 2021	Jan. 1, 2005
End date	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2005

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

We use 2005 to be consistent with prior STARS reports.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site	3,242	2,156
Number of employees resident on-site	35	31.20
Number of other individuals resident on-site	12	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	8,239	6,991
Full-time equivalent of employees	1,589	1,326.80
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	783	0
Weighted Campus Users	7,615	6,785.15

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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	0.01 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	2.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

99.49

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

3,596,915 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	209,443 Square feet
Healthcare space	1,000 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	103,111 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

4,120,912 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

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:

SCU has had a public climate commitment since 2007, when then-president, the late Fr. Paul Locatelli, recognized the urgency to care for our common home and joined the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, now known as the Climate Leadership Commitment. Since then, Presidents Fr. Michael Engh, Fr. Kevin O'Brien, and Julie Sulivan have each reaffirmed this presidential commitment and called for progress to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions and called upon the Center for Sustainability to catalyze infusion of climate action, sustainability practices, and environmental justice work into the university’s academics, campus life, and community engagement.

SCU has decreased energy use per square foot by 42% since 2005. SCU’s Energy Master Plan sets a continued, ambitious course to reduce energy usage through efficiency upgrades, metering, and retro-commissioning building systems. SCU plans to continue driving down reliance on fossil fuels by reducing energy demand, expanding onsite renewable generation, and increasing onsite-energy storage capacity.

SCU’s carbon neutrality strategy includes strategic offsets to mitigate unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions. SCU plans to use our carbon neutrality efforts to help scale global carbon solutions and climate resiliency, especially in poor and low-income communities where the impacts of climate change hit the hardest.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:

https://www.scu.edu/sustainability/takeaction/climate/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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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.