Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.39
Liaison Marianne Martin
Submission Date Sept. 22, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Colorado Boulder
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.55 / 8.00 Edward von Bleichert
Environmental Operations Manager/Campus IPM Coordinator
Facilities Managment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 45,056 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 70,673 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,811 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,381 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 79,082 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 63,625 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 125,949 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 135,679 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 15,167 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 635 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 15,802 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

CU Boulder uses Native Energy, a thirdy party premium provider of high quality carbon offsets. Currently, CU Boulder is working on three offset programs, one is an avoided conversion program in the university's home state, while the other two focus on international development of clean wind and water infrastructure. These projects are intended to offset 10,671 metric tonnes of CU Boulder's carbon footprint. NativeEnergy employs the highest quality verification standards in the industry including: The Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard, and Climate Action Reserve. For more details on these projects see the Native Energy Proposal attached.


Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 110,147 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 135,679 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2019 July 1, 2004
End date Dec. 31, 2019 June 30, 2005

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

This baseline date (FY2005) was established consistent with the State baseline, ACUPCC, and Renewable Portfolio Standards.


Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 9,390 6,296
Number of employees resident on-site 26 23
Number of other individuals resident on-site 500 500
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 33,608 25,978
Full-time equivalent of employees 9,961 5,534
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,774 5,503
Weighted Campus Users 34,200.25 21,586.50

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 3.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6.29 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
48.76

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
12,960,842 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 1,256,428 Square feet
Healthcare space 18,221 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 173,698 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
15,683,838 Gross square feet

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:
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Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The performance year data reported was provided from calendar year 2019. The institutional data provided in PRE4 is up to date (Spring 2021)
PRE 5 used data collected for fiscal year 2020 which runs July 2019 to June 2020. However this credit used data from calendar year 2019. This was selected to avoid COVID 19 impacts to data.


The performance year data reported was provided from calendar year 2019. The institutional data provided in PRE4 is up to date (Spring 2021)
PRE 5 used data collected for fiscal year 2020 which runs July 2019 to June 2020. However this credit used data from calendar year 2019. This was selected to avoid COVID 19 impacts to data.

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.