Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.01
Liaison Connie Norton
Submission Date Oct. 29, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Simon Fraser University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 9.17 / 10.00 Wendy Lee
Development Sustainability Manager
Facilities Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
Yes or No
Business travel No
Commuting No
Purchased goods and services No
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No
Waste generated in operations No

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
SFU's GHG emissions inventory is conducted through the BC Provincial government's inventory tool, SMARTTool. This tool converts energy, vehicle fuel, and paper order data to tonnes of GHG emissions equivalents. Data is collected and input into the tool by staff in SFU's Facilities Services, Safety and Risk Services and Ancillary Services departments.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Each year, the BC Provincial Government arranges for third-party verification of several Public Sector Organization's (PSO) Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Processes. For the 2013 Calendar Year, SFU was selected to be one of these PSOs and underwent independent verification by Deloitte in August 2014. Initial results from this verification show that there were no material errors in the inventory, and that the inventory and reporting processes at SFU are strong. Final results from the verification are expected in November 2014.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 14,442.26 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 16,262 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 298.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 2,010.66 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,672 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated 10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 9 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
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 16,991 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
N/A

A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
N/A

A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
N/A

A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
SFU has been carbon neutral since 2010, based on the BC Government's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (GGRTA), which requires all public sector organizations to measure their Greenhouse Gas Emissions, reduce emissions as much as possible, and pay offsets to the independant crown corporation, the Pacific Carbon Trust. Details on offsets can be found in the Carbon Neutral Government Regulations: http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/392_2008

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 1,533.33 1,350
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 24,774 19,981.90
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,676.50 2,573.90
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 1,727.30 1,439

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2007 Dec. 31, 2007

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The year 2010 was adopted as our baseline year as this is the first year that SFU completed the comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory based on the standardized methodology legislated by the Province of British Columbia public sector organizations.

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
4,580,845.37 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 476,377.18 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 131,544.26 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 269.92 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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
All paper purchased by the university is tracked, and Scope 3 emissions associated with this paper is calculated. SFU pays offsets for these emisisons annually to the Pacific Carbon Trust, through the BC Provincial Government's Carbon Neutral Public Sector program.

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
---

The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
SFU has a years long commitment to conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, focusing on emissions our largest source, buildings. Facilities services continues to improve campus energy performance through projects that optimize building operations, in conjunction with behaviour change programs. The energy-performance projects are identified through BC Hydro's Continuous Optimization Program and are implemented as part of Facilities Services' Energy Management program. Each year, new buildings are upgraded and added to energy dashboard displays. Since the baseline of 2007, SFU has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 12%, despite the the university's building footprint growing approximately 11% in the same time period.

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.