The University of British Columbia
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

To measure its GHG emissions, UBC established a Technical Advisory Committee of academic, operations, staff and student members in 2007. The initial inventory used the World Resources Institute Greenhouse Gas Protocol to quantify 2006 emissions, which include direct and indirect emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2), and optional emissions (Scope 3). The committee elected to adopt the broadest approach to scoping the institution’s GHGs including faculty, staff and student daily commuting, paper procurement, solid waste, staff and faculty air travel and building lifecycle. This was based on the recognition that UBC has a sphere of influence to reduce emissions beyond its operational boundary. As part of the requirements of the Province of British Columbia’s Carbon Neutral Government Regulation and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Act (GGRTA, Bill 44, 2007) UBC is required to submit annual GHG inventory reports to quantify the GHG emissions created by its facilities and operations. The inventory is produced by uploading usage data to SMARTTool, the provincial GHG inventory tool.

Under the GGRTA and as part of the BC public sector, UBC is required to determine, publicly report, and verify campus GHG emissions. UBC follows a comprehensive quality assurance procedure for compiling its GHG inventory based on provincial guidelines and internal procedures. UBC’s GHG Inventory and Quality Control procedures are reviewed and signed off on by UBC Executives on an annual basis and submitted to the provincial Climate Action Secretariat. On an annual basis, the Province also assesses a representative sample of organizations to undergo an independent verification of their GHG emissions measurement and reporting procedures. In 2011, UBC voluntarily participated in a self-certification pilot in conjunction with its 2010 GHG inventory. The pilot involved documenting QA/QC procedures according to a checklist provided by the province. UBC was additionally selected for verification by the BC Ministry of Finance Internal Audit and Advisory Services team. The procedures for compiling the inventory have been updated for subsequent reporting years based on feedback from the verification.

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As a public sector organization under the Province of British Columbia’s Carbon Neutral Government Regulation and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Act (http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=BE9BE637F7BA4FFB97AFFE62181F9A67), UBC has been required to report and offset its emissions since 2010, including emissions from all properties owned and leased by UBC and its subsidiaries. As required, UBC offset all emissions to become carbon neutral in 2013, purchasing 56,778 tonnes of high quality, made-in-B.C .carbon offsets from the Pacific Carbon Trust (http://www.pacificcarbontrust.com/), a Crown Corporation that was established in 2008 to acquire credible GHG emissions offsets from B.C. projects that meet stringent eligibility criteria as defined by the Ministry of Environment's Emission Offsets Regulation. The offset total includes core and ancillary buildings, fleet and paper at UBC’s Vancouver campus, as per UBC’s STARS Boundary, plus emissions from off-campus properties, which is also reported on and budgeted from UBC Vancouver. More information is available in UBC’s 2013 Carbon Neutral Action Report: http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/strategic-plans-policies-reports/annual-reports.

UBC’s Climate Action Plan selected the baseline year of 2007, consistent with The Province of British Columbia Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act.

Other Scope 3 emissions included in UBC’s annual GHG Inventory include purchased paper, which is included in our offset purchase as per provincial regulation, and building lifecycle, which is estimated based on total campus floor area and published conversion factors.

UBC’s Vancouver campus made significant progress this past year towards achieving the Vancouver Campus Climate Action Plan’s aggressive GHG reduction targets of 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2015. In 2013, UBC’s Vancouver Campus offsettable emissions decreased 14 per cent from 2007 levels, despite an 11 per cent increase in building floor space and a 16 per cent increase in student enrolment. Per capita, we have reduced emissions 26 per cent per full-time equivalent student since 2007. Key 2013 achievements made towards implementing the three core projects of our Climate Action Plan include: • UBC’s Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility, a pioneering campus as a living lab project, completed the first full year of operation, reducing campus emissions by 9 per cent and producing enough renewable energy to supply 8 per cent of total campus energy, equivalent to heating 1,200 homes. • Over half of the five-year Academic District Energy System (ADES) steam to hot water conversion project is now complete, including design of the new Campus Energy Centre, which will replace the campus’ aging steam plant. When complete, the ADES will connect 130 buildings to the more efficient hot water district energy system and will reduce emissions by 22 per cent and result in annualized cost savings and cost avoidance by FY18 of $5.5 million. The steam to hot water conversion will also enable a flexible platform for alternative energy sources and research and demonstration projects. • The Continuous Optimization “Building Tune-Up” program is retro-commissioning over 70 buildings, targeted to reduce emissions in core buildings by 10 per cent combined with behaviour change programs. Implementation was completed in 17 laboratory buildings, another 24 buildings will commence implementation in 2014, and a further 27 additional buildings are currently being investigated. In 2015, UBC will begin developing an updated Climate Action Plan to outline steps towards achieving our 2020 GHG reduction targets. More information about UBC’s climate action plan, progress reports and inventories are available at: http://sustain.ubc.ca/campus-initiatives/climate-energy/climate-action-plan

In 2010, UBC announced our Vancouver Campus Climate Action Plan, committing to reduce GHG emissions 33 per cent by 2015, 67 per cent by 2020, and 100 per cent by 2050, compared to 2007 levels. UBC has made significant process completing the three core projects that will together achieve our target of reducing emissions 33 per cent. To track progress towards achieving our GHG reduction targets, UBC produces annual Carbon Neutral Action Reports which include a detailed analysis and discussion of our GHG Inventory. In 2013, UBC’s Vancouver Campus offsettable emissions decreased 14 per cent from 2007 levels, despite an 11 per cent increase in building floor space and a 16 per cent increase in student enrolment. Per capita, we have reduced emissions 26 per cent per full-time equivalent student since 2007. UBC’s leadership in developing and implementing our Climate Action Plan has been recognized with several national and international awards, including the 2012 AASHE Campus Sustainability Case Study Award and an Honorable Mention in the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) Quality and Productivity Awards. More information about UBC’s climate action plan, progress reports, inventories, and case studies is available online at: http://sustain.ubc.ca/campus-initiatives/climate-energy/climate-action-plan