Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 79.54
Liaison Kelli O'Day
Submission Date June 20, 2023

STARS v2.2

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

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.88 / 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 55,179.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 74,106 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 13,900.45 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11,882 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 37,994.53 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 74,177 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 215.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 107,290.26 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 2,607 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 2,607 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 4% of each campus’s total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions under the Cap and Trade program, which is the maximum under regulations. The University retired a total of 30,289 California Carbon Offsets. The University of California Office of the President provides a per-campus breakdown of our certified/third party verified carbon offsets.

In 2022, the UC Office of the President retired 2,607 CCOs on behalf of the Davis campus for 2021 emissions.

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

Project Source - Offsets were generated from two projects: The 2019 Offset U.S. Forest Projects and the 2016 Offset U.S. Forest Projects. The projects are registered by the 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 104,683.26 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, 2021 Jan. 1, 2005
End date Dec. 31, 2021 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 14,471 5,114
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 344 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 33,387 26,255
Full-time equivalent of employees 9,532 9,182
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 494 0
Weighted Campus Users 35,780.50 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 2.93 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:
49.12

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
13,933,790 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 2,130,139 Square feet
Healthcare space 220,328 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 692,159 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
19,326,883 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:
0.01 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 35% 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:
https://sustainability.ucdavis.edu/goals/climate

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

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

The Big Shift is UC Davis’s ongoing project to replace its old, steam-based campus heating system with a new, hot water based system. This will improve the system’s energy efficiency and allow it to be powered using renewable electricity, rather than natural gas. https://bigshift.ucdavis.edu/

Alex Berk, student employee at UCD 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.