Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.12
Liaison Matthew Williams
Submission Date June 30, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Florida
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.95 / 10.00 Megan Walker-Radtke
Program Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
Yes or No
Business travel Yes
Commuting Yes
Purchased goods and services Yes
Capital goods No
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 Yes
Waste generated in operations Yes

Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:

We utilized the Campus Carbon Calculator Version 7.0 with some minor customizations to accommodate campus-specific operations (e.g. UF purchases steam, but not electricity, directly from an on-site natural gas fired cogeneration facility owned by Progress Energy; emissions allocated to steam production were calculated manually according to EPA guidance since CCC 7.0 does not offer that scenario as an option).


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?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 11,010.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10,392 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 8,712.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 9,384 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 276,435.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 274,451 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 67,424.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 67,277 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated 200 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 200 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
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:

The University of Florida works with We Are Neutral (http://weareneutral.com/), a Gainesville-based non-profit that generates local carbon offsets by performing free-of-charge energy efficiency retrofits for low-income families and by planting indigenous trees on local conservation land. UF's commencement is carbon-neutral as is the athletics program (athletics was not included in the GHG inventory, however). We continue to work actively with We Are Neutral to offset additional UF activities and programs.


A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
---

A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
---

A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
---

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 8,491 7,581
Number of residential employees 4 4
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 46,302.50 46,389
Full-time equivalent of employees 13,889.01 13,326.94
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 7,690.02 6,520.74

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015
Baseline Year July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013

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

The data for 2013 is more complete and readily available than data from 2005.

The GHG emissions baseline was adopted in 2015 as the University of Florida updated its greenhouse gas inventory using the Campus Carbon Calculator v. 7.0. The previous inventory was conducted in 2009 using an internally developed methodology and a baseline year of 2005.

Since the 2009 inventory is not directly comparable to the 2015 inventory due to the significant change in methodology, we decided to adopt a new baseline year -- one for which we would have robust and consistent data for use in inventories and analyses going forward.


Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
22,404,996 Square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 1,495,345 Square feet
Healthcare space 207,587 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 165,692 Square feet

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
Emissions
Business travel 29,991 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 32,236.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 1,080.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 21,757.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 5,637.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories (please specify below) 10,816.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":

Study abroad air travel


A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.