Overall Rating	Platinum
Overall Score	92.73
Liaison	Emmanuelle Jodoin
Submission Date	Oct. 24, 2022

STARS v2.2

Université de Sherbrooke
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	7.48 / 8.00	Patrice Cordeau Assistant Vice-President, Sustainable Development Office of the Vice-President, Administration and Sustainable Development

"---" 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	5,136 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	13,956 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	365 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	419 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	106 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy	275 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	1,532 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	5,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	16,013 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased	3,075 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	16 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	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	3,091 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):

In 2020-2021, the Université de Sherbrooke has bought 3075 carbon offsets. These carbon offsets come from six different projects in different regions of the world in the following areas:

• Conservation and protection of forests
• Wind power
• Avoidance of methane emissions from waste through composting
• Improvement of waste management
• Improvement of cooking stoves in rural communities

The credits have been purchased from credible suppliers and meet industry standards. The Madre de Dios project is certified by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS now known as VERRA) while the other projects are recognized by the UN platform and the Clean Development Mechanism established by the Kyoto Protocol. The Kitchen Stove project is also recognized by the Gold Standard.

The Université de Sherbrooke - Rapport des émissions de gaz à effet de serre 2020-2021 [EN: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2020-2021] (page 26, Table 10) presents these projects, as well as details of the retirement of credits on the public registry for each of them.

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/fileadmin/sites/developpement-durable/uploads/Inventaire_GES_UdS_2020-2021_-_final.pdf

Carbon storage from on-site composting (16 t CO2e) is the carbon storage associated with the composting of residual materials by the composting unit in operation on the Main Campus (https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/matieres/compost).

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	2,773 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	16,013 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	May 1, 2020	May 1, 2002
End date	April 30, 2021	April 30, 2003

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

The year 2002-2003 was chosen as the baseline for it reflects the year in which the first energy efficiency projects and measures were implemented and that had an impact on the Université de Sherbrooke's greenhouse gas emissions. This coincides with the hiring of a Director responsible for the Projects and Engineering Division, Building Services, who developed the energy efficiency program for the University from that time on. In addition, the Ministère de l'enseignement supérieur du Québec had defined 2002-2003 as the reference year for Québec universities.

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	363	993
Number of employees resident on-site	5	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	21	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	22,343	12,902
Full-time equivalent of employees	4,144	2,892
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	901	14
Weighted Campus Users	19,302.50	12,083.25

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	0.14 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	1.33 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

89.16

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

361,354 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	89,248 Square meters
Healthcare space	1,229 Square meters
Other energy intensive space	63,766 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

606,073.74 Gross square meters

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 MtCO2e per square meter

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

From 2002-2003 to 2020-2021, the University enjoyed a period of growth in both surface area and student numbers. The Université de Sherbrooke has taken advantage of this opportunity to deploy an ambitious energy efficiency program on its campuses aiming to reduce energy consumption while also reducing the associated GHG emissions.

Between 2002-2003 and 2020-2021, some 45-energy efficiency projects or measures were carried out on the three campuses, representing investments of some $21 million. These projects include the installation of heat recovery and optimization systems such as heat pumps, heat wheels, heat pipes, runarounds, equipment replacement (higher efficiency boilers, windows, energy-efficient lighting), control optimization and recommissioning of mechanical systems, conversion of boilers to hydro, and geothermal systems. Some examples of the projects that have been implemented are:

• The installation of a heat pump in the Office of the President and the Central Library Building, and in the Georges Cabana Building on the Main Campus
• The installation of a geothermal system at the School of Music and complete replacement of steam heating with hydroelectric heating
• The complete renovation of the Student Life Pavilion (E1)
• The addition of an electric boiler to Pavilion Z5, on the Health Campus
• The modernization of the heating system in the student residences on the main campus (G1 to G15)

Construction and major renovation projects also include high-performance energy efficiency measures. Since 2002-2003, all of these measures have reduced the energy consumption of the Université de Sherbrooke's buildings by 44.4%. Overall, it can be observed that the reduction in energy consumption has been achieved by making optimal use of hydroelectricity.

Since 2018-2019, the Université de Sherbrooke has been purchasing renewable natural gas every year. Between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, the total of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) purchased is 275,027 m3. The purchase of RNG for the year 2022 will be substantially increased to 300,000 m3. This contribution has reduced emissions by 525 tons of CO2 over the past three years.

With regard to Scope 3 emissions, the following measures have recently been implemented and are still being improved: integration of GHG criteria in calls for tenders when appropriate, implementation of a public transit open access program for employees, measures to promote active transportation, and continued awareness activities to reduce the carbon footprint.

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

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/gestion-responsable/ges

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

See also :

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/actualites/relations-medias/communiques/2022/juin/communiques-detail/47918

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/actualites/nouvelles/details/47864

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.