Overall Rating Platinum - expired
Overall Score 85.72
Liaison Marina Zdobnova
Submission Date March 4, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of California, Berkeley
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.13 / 8.00 Kira Stoll
Director of Sustainability
Office of 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 142,460 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 140,081 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,843 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,613 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 2,320 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 15,421 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 147,623 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 158,115 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 9,912 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 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 9,912 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):
Berkeley procures carbon offsets as part of compliance with Cap and Trade regulations. In the future for compliance purposes and for carbon neutrality, Berkeley will continue to carbon offsets in its GHG reduction strategy until carbon reduction can be achieved on campus.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 137,711 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 158,115 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, 2019 Jan. 1, 2005
End date Dec. 31, 2019 Dec. 31, 2005

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
UC policy requires carbon neutrality from scopes 1 and 2 by year 2025. 2005 is chosen as a baseline because that is the year the campus published it's current Campus Long Range Development and Environmental Impact Report and following that year the campus began more energy efficiency measures and other energy mitigation programs.

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 10,264 7,184
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 41,775 33,558
Full-time equivalent of employees 15,347 14,326
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted Campus Users 45,407.50 37,709

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 3.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4.19 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
27.67

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
16,599,236 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 5,042,963 Square feet
Healthcare space 75,228 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 1,332,775 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
28,168,393 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:
Berkeley has a goal to achieve complete carbon neutrality from scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 2025. Strategies to meet this goal include energy efficiency, energy-saving behavior change, on-site solar PV, acquiring natural gas replacement fuels such as biogas, vehicle fleet replacement with more efficient and renewable fuel alternatives, green power options for procured electricity,and Renewable Energy Credits. Berkeley also aims to achieve scope 3 carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner.

More detail can be found: https://sustainability.berkeley.edu

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information in this field was provided by the UC Berkeley Office of Sustainability.

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.