| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.34 |
| Liaison | Elida Erickson |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Santa Cruz
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.21 / 10.00 |
Patrick
Testoni Energy Manager Physical Plant - Utilities |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
| All, Some, or None | |
| Business travel | Some |
| Commuting | All |
| Purchased goods and services | None |
| Capital goods | None |
| Waste generated in operations | Some |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | None |
| Other categories | None |
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:
Calculations were done by the Energy department based on billing data for purchased fuel and electricity. Calculations and conversion factors are from ARB for regulatory compliance and The Climate Registry TCR guidelines for remaining calculations and definitions. Our last 3rd party audited report by TCR was in 2016 (see attachment) but we provided updated 2018 figures for this STARS submission.
For scope 3 air travel emissions, we used Connexus data; which is a UC wide travel procurement service that populates our air travel emissions. This data was last available from 2016.
For scope 3 mobile, the Transportation and Parking Services team extrapolates commuter data from their bi-annual traffic study based on campus population.
For scope 3 waste emissions, we calculate based on data from our weight-based billing system that sorts by all waste stream types.
Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 28,917 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 21,966 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 2,247 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 341 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 8,014 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 407 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Total | 31,912 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 29,980 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2006 | Dec. 31, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
2006 has been adopted for baseline GHG emissions because it is the earliest year we have complete energy/ GHG data.
Notes:
Scope 1: NG on site (main campus and extended campuses), propane
Scope 1 other: fleet fuel, lab gasses, transformer FS6 gas, refrigerators
Scope 2: on campus kWh*
Scope 2 other: off campus kWh*
*We separated these two emissions because on and off campus kWh have different emission factors
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) | 2,161 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 sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration | 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 offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Net carbon offsets | 2,161 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
CA certified Golden offsets
Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
UCSC has not purchased any RECs for the 2018 reporting year. RECs associated with our share of the UC's 60 MW Fresco Solar Array is accounted for in OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy, Option 3.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions | 29,751 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 29,980 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site |
8,691
Date Revised: Aug. 21, 2019
|
6,511 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 205 | 169 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds |
643
Date Revised: Aug. 21, 2019
|
497 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment |
19,142
Date Revised: Aug. 21, 2019
|
14,661 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 3,740 | 4,761 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 20,028.50 | 16,733.50 |
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 | 1.49 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 1.79 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,237,297 Square Feet |
| Healthcare space | 37,854 Square Feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 0 Square Feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 11,453 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Commuting | 24,163 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Capital goods | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 1,994.05 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Other categories | 0 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
UCSC has implemented a coordinated strategy to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency, onsite renewables, clean energy procurement, offsets, and sustainable transportation improvements.
In the last 3 years, UCSC continued to implement energy efficiency projects, including building commissioning of the campus health center and the oldest lab building on campus. We have also implemented multiple lighting retrofits to LED campuswide, and multiple HVAC retrofits reducing the campus energy usage for heating and airflow. Several major new construction projects have been designed and built utilizing the Savings By Design program, and all buildings were designed to LEED silver equivalent or better. This portfolio of projects have resulted in annual reductions of 3.4 million kWh and 700 kW in electricity, as well as 77,900 therms of natural gas.
In 2017, we completed a multi-year project to evaluate a large scale, whole-campus climate & energy strategy. This resulted in a report and Scenario Analysis tool, which will be the guiding document for the campus to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. The scope of this project included energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as recommendations for new construction policies, emissions-related policy updates & procurement strategies.
We have also opted in to California's Cap and Trade program and committed to re-investing the cost avoidance into energy efficiency projects, with a campus goal of reducing emissions from onsite stationary sources of combustion below the compliance level by 2020.
Additionally, UCSC is a founding member of the UC Regents Energy Services Unit, which is working to procure electricity with a high renewable content than what is available through our utility provider, PG&E. This includes UCSC's portion of the 80 MW PV project that UC ESU invested in that is located in Fresno, CA. This PV project will begin operation in late 2016 and provide the campus with 60% of its imported power.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Increase in Scope 1 emissions is due to the start up of a 4.4MW natural gas fired cogeneration turbine, which produces electricity to serve a majority of the campus electrical and heating load. This moved a significant portion of our carbon from Scope 2 to Scope 1.
Reported emissions data to California Air Resources Board is available at-
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reporting/ghg-rep/reported-data/ghg-reports.htm
our campus data is embedded in the downloadable spreadsheet.
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.