Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 54.78
Liaison Christa Rieck
Submission Date Jan. 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Houston
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.43 / 8.00 Elizabeth Clark
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Planning
"---" 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 27,025.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 20,138.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 521.12 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3,438.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 105,039.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 108,540.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 126.35 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 132,712.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 132,117.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 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 32.12 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 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 32.12 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):
The four-star Green Restaurant dining hall Cougar Woods started composting all back-of house food waste through a third-party provider, Zero Waste Houston. In Fiscal Year 23 alone, over 220,000 pounds of food waste was diverted from the landfill.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 132,680.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 132,117.40 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 Sept. 1, 2022 Sept. 1, 2008
End date Aug. 31, 2023 Aug. 31, 2009

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
We chose fiscal year 2009 as our baseline year as this was our most accurately assessed analysis of the university's greenhouse gas emissions prior to the performance year.

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 6,878 4,950
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 37,837 29,630
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,215 4,623
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,200 893
Weighted Campus Users 32,358.50 26,257.50

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 4.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
18.51

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
16,740,264 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 1,540,360 Square feet
Healthcare space 83,429 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 305,776 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
20,293,618 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:
UH has various initiatives that impact the reduction of Green House Gasses. At the top level, all buildings are required to be LEED silver certified or above. Facilities Planning is also rolling our an Energy Master Plan in addition to maintaining a campus tree inventory to ensure proper mitigation of any canopy loss. And, the dining halls have begun recycling programs and are composting all back-of-house food waste.

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:
Tree survey results: http://www.uh.edu/af-university-services/sustainability/campus-initiatives/path-to-platinum/university-of-houston-tree-report_final

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.