Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.41
Liaison David Tedder
Submission Date Sept. 30, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Kentucky
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.97 / 10.00 Shane Tedder
Sustainability Coordinator
Office oF Sustainability
"---" 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 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:
We use an internal excel sheet for our emissions calculations that pulls emissions factors from a number of sources. Our inventories are included in the above PDF. The methodology for each of these is included in our Emissions Reduction Plan document which is attached as additional documentation to this credit.

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:
Our inventories were prepared by an internal team led by the Offices of Sustainability and Utilities & Energy Management with input from a large number of other campus units.

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):
Yes

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 91,443 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 116,180 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,348 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,516 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 349,297 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 323,494 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 443,088 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 442,190 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 July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010

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 emissions baseline year of 2010 was adopted as part of the University's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Commitment (Dec 2016).

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):
There is significant sequestration occuring on the forest, farm and grass lands that the University owns around the state. However, these facilities and their associated carbon emissions and offsets were not included in the scope of the University's Emission Reduction Plan. See attached below for additional details.

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:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 443,088 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 442,190 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,105 6,000
Number of employees resident on-site 41 55
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 1,086 473
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 28,550 22,536
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 16,442 11,219
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 4,871 0
Weighted campus users 32,963.25 27,303

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 13.44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 16.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
17.00

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
20,600,321 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 1,273,873 Square feet
Healthcare space 3,358,102 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 104,104 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
29,968,375 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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 8,034 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 31,487 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 3,015 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 194 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
In December of 2016, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto signed an Emissions Reduction Commitment that targeted a 25% reduction in emissions versus a 2010 baseline by 2025. The effort to get the university to take this leadership position was catalyzed by students over several preceding years and supported by the University's Sustainability Advisory Committee. Following the adoption of the commitment, a taskforce was established to draft a plan for achieving the reductions. That plan was formerly adopted in the summer of 2018, however many of the recommendations were initiated during FY2018 and significant reductions were achieved in the first performance year of the plan.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Numbers for Adjusted Gross Scope 1 and 2 need to be updated once IC credits are complete

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.