Overall Rating	Gold - expired
Overall Score	74.81
Liaison	Kelli O'Day
Submission Date	March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

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

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	5.67 / 8.00	Camille Kirk Director of Sustainability and Campus Sustainability Planner 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	60,028.04 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	74,106 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	14,705.93 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	11,882 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	15,380.54 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	74,177 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy	143.99 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	90,258.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	160,165 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased	5,696 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	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	5,696 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):

For the third-party verified carbon offsets, the Regents of the University of California retires offsets in the sum of 8% of each campus’s total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions under the Cap and Trade program, which is the maximum under regulations. The University retired 172,919 California Carbon Allowances and 62,872 California Carbon Offsets to meet the 235,789 MT obligation, which represents 30% of the 785,965 MTCO2e CARB emissions. The per-campus breakdown was provided, which gave us our certified/third-party verified carbon offsets.

In 2019, the UC Davis main campus retired 5,696 CCOs for 2018 emissions and broken down as follows: 5,436 V17 U.S. Forestry CCOs from the CAFR5226-A Project, 205 V17 Ozone Depleting Substances CCOs from the CAOD5328-A, and 55 V18 Ozone Depleting Substances CCOs from the CAOD5329-A. By pulling CITSS compliance account data, the following information was determined:

Vendor - Element Markets provided California Compliance Offsets (CCOs) to the UC Davis main campus via the University of California, Office of the President. The three projects are listed on the Climate Action Reserve and American Carbon Registry.

Project Source - Offsets were generated from three projects: The Allegheny Improved Forest Management Project (ACR), the ODS Destruction 23 Project (CAR), and the ODS Destruction 24 Project (CAR). The projects are registered by either the Climate Action Reserve or American Carbon Registry (and subsequently California Air Resources Board).

Verification Program - All projects underwent an independent third-party verification and review by the Climate Action Reserve or American Carbon Registry, and subsequently the California Air Resources Board.

Contract Time Frames - The carbon offset retirement is part of a multi-year procurement by the UC Davis main campus.

As an institution, UC Davis does have programs implemented such as composting and sequestration from our farms, trees, grasses, etc. However, we do not measure these carbon sinks and therefore cannot report a value, but these programs do exist and are used at UC Davis.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	84,562.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	160,165 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, 2018	Jan. 1, 2005
End date	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2007

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

n/a

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	10,491	5,114
Number of employees resident on-site	0	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	340	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	34,008	26,255
Full-time equivalent of employees	11,443	9,182
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted Campus Users	37,051	27,856.25

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	2.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	5.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

60.31

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

13,541,776 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	2,678,403 Square feet
Healthcare space	1,356,030 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	1,048,398 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

22,659,040 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:

UC Davis has a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that uses scenario modeling to define a path towards carbon neutrality (net zero greenhouse gas emissions) for business operations by 2025. The UC Davis CAP articulates strategies for reducing energy use intensity of new buildings, energy efficiency in existing buildings and operations, fuel-switching to renewable energy sources, including biofuels, and use of carbon offsets and sequestration methods. Through direct actions, particularly those of energy efficiency and renewable energy sourcing, the Davis campus has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40% since 2007. The most recent efforts at the Davis campus include an investment to shift the district steam heating system to low-temperature heating hot water, which will significantly reduce campus GHG emissions, as well as save water and reduce energy use. For additional information about this project, see bigshift.ucdavis.edu.

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

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

UC President Janet Napolitano and all 10 UC chancellors signed The SDG Accord 2019 climate emergency declaration letter that recognizes “the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change."

In signing the declaration, UC leaders agreed to a three-point plan that includes increasing action-oriented climate research; expanding education and outreach on environmental and sustainability issues; and achieving climate neutrality, a goal UC expects to achieve by 2025, five years ahead of the declaration’s pledge.

The UC Davis Chancellor also signed the We Are Still In declaration in 2017.

Links:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/university-california-declares-climate-emergency

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/chancellor-backs-climate-and-innovation-efforts

Kiana Lee, student employee in the Office of Sustainability, assisted in compiling this credit response.

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.