Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.21
Liaison Olivia Wiebe
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Idaho
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.63 / 10.00 Marc Compton
Mechanical Engineer
Facilities—Utilities & Engineering Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

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 All
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 Some
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:
The Sustainability Center and Facilities Management gathered the needed information and used Second Nature's Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) to complete the GHG inventory. Methodology/tools used for reporting Scope 3 emissions are as follows: -Business travel: Air travel data is provided by the Accounts Payable Office. -Commuting: Data is based on a 2018 commuter survey, fitted to population data. -Waste: Data provided by Facilities includes landfilled waste after removing recyclable and compostable materials

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Internal verification of the data gathered and SIMAP GHG Inventory results were completed by Gene Gussenhoven, Director, Facilities - Utilities and Engineering Services.

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 2,863 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,370 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,283 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,637 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 11,521 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 16,219 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 16,667 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,226 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 July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2005 Dec. 31, 2005

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):
The greenhouse gas baseline, 2005, was adopted as part of the University of Idaho's submission to the American College and University Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and the university's Climate Action Plan published in 2010.  

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 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 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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
No offsets are reported above. Note: The University of Idaho manages over 10,000 of acres of stewarded forest and 59 acres of arboreta. This land is stewarded for environmental health and forest products research. The forest supports the institution's land-grant status as an agricultural research institution. Currently, the forest is not managed specifically for carbon sequestration.

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

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:
No REC's/GO's are reported as of 2018.

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 16,667 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 22,226 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,466 2,000
Number of employees resident on-site 8 8
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 250 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 8,286.90 10,415
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,406 2,254
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 8,388.18 10,003.75

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 1.99 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.57

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
4,237,773 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 467,141 Square feet
Healthcare space 3,967 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 126,555 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
5,306,544 Gross square feet

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 13,657 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 4,791 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 2 580 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 2,591 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:
Scope 1: -Ongoing use of biodiesel for steam plant vehicles. -Installation of 2 EV charging stations. Scope 2: -Ongoing energy efficiency efforts such as the campus-wide installation of LED lights, occupancy sensors, and VFDs. -Feasibility assessment and project design of on-site biomass-fueled cogeneration. -Solar PV site assessments on campus. Scope 3: -Campus-wide food composting efforts. -Heavy use of reclaimed water.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
-Marc Compton, Mechanical Engineer, Facilities - Utilities & Engineering Services -Kayla Bordelon, Sustainability and Student Engagement Coordinator, Sustainability Center -Jeannie Matheison, Director, Sustainability Center -Craig Carson, Campus Landscape Supervisor, Facilities -Gene Gussenhoven, Director, Facilities - Utilities and Engineering Services -Kyle Petersen, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technician, Facilities

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.