Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.97
Liaison Teddy Lhoutellier
Submission Date March 13, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Miami
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.80 / 10.00 Teddy Lhoutellier
Sustainability Manager
Environmental Health and Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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 Some
Purchased goods and services Some
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations Some
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories Some

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 followed the guidelines of the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute "SIMAP"
The Calculator includes all six greenhouse gases specified by the Kyoto Protocol (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFC,PFC, and SF6). It calculate and project emissions for the years 1990-2060 and produce charts and graphs illustrating changes and trends in our institution’s emissions over time. The spreadsheets were originally based on the workbooks provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, www.ipcc.ch) for national-level inventories, and incorporate data from the third and fourth Assessments of the IPCC. The Calculator has adapted this IPCC data for use at institutions like a college or university, but follows virtually the same protocols.
SIMAP uses standard methodologies codified by the GHG Protocol Initiative, and employed by corporations, the state of California, The Climate Registry, and other entities to account for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

1 These methodologies are currently the most accurate and widely accepted among policy makers. Inventories produced by SIMAP are compatible with current
standards used to craft forthcoming cap-and-trade policy.
2 SIMAP is also a preferred tool for the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC - 2nd Nature).

Scope 3 Carbon Emissions – Other emissions attributed to our institution, deemed “optional” emissions by corporate inventories. This includes emissions from sources that are neither owned nor operated by our institution but are either directly financed (i.e. commercial air travel paid for by the institution) or are otherwise linked to the campus via influence or encouragement (i.e. air travel for study abroad programs, regular faculty, staff, and student commuting).
Many Scope 3 emissions are considered “upstream” like the emissions associated with making and transporting plastic silverware. To prevent institutions from accounting for too many upstream emissions, most campuses define distinct financial or operational control boundaries to distinguish which Scope 3 emissions they are indeed responsible for:
♦ Solid Waste
Emissions from managing the institution’s waste (land filling, etc.)
♦ Directly Financed Outsourced Transportation
Emissions from travel that is paid for by the institution, but does not occur in fleet vehicles (business trips in commercial aircraft, etc.)
♦ Commuting
Emissions from regular commuting by faculty, staff, or students (does NOT
include student travel to and from home over breaks). Note: student commuting
is generally considered to be under a greater degree of institutional control than staff/faculty commuting.
♦ Study Abroad Air Travel
Emissions from students flying to their study abroad location.
♦ Transportation and Distribution Losses from Purchased Energy
Energy lost while transporting purchased electricity, steam, or chilled water to
campus > we did not include those emissions in our Scope 3 calculations
♦ Upstream Emissions from Directly Financed Purchases
Emissions associated with paper production, food production, fuel extraction, etc.
> we accounted for paper production emissions only.


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:

The main Energy portion of our GHG Inventory was reviewed and validated by our teams of Energy Systems Directors who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process.


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

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 8,461 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11,651 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,695 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 876 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 99,661 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 115,284 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 109,817 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 127,811 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 June 1, 2017 May 30, 2018
Baseline Year June 1, 2006 May 30, 2007

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):

FY 2007 is the start date of our updated baseline GHG inventory when we signed the ACUPCC/2nd Nature commitment in 2008.


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 269.30 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 269.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

Our Mulching/Composting area produces mulch onsite for part of our landscaping needs


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 109,547.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 127,811 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 4,193 4,250
Number of employees resident on-site 23 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 45 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 16,397 14,167
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 9,267 9,506
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 546 0
Weighted campus users 19,937.50 18,817.25

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 5.49 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6.79 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
19.11

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
9,936,736 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 525,642 Square feet
Healthcare space 100,763 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 488,114 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
11,677,660 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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 20,563 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 15,579 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 11,774 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories ---

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

LEED certification of our new constructions, Systematic energy efficiency retrofits in old buildings and installation of 3 renewable energy systems on our main campus.


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:
---

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.