Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.00
Liaison Jonna Korpi
Submission Date Nov. 4, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Minnesota, Duluth
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.86 / 10.00 Mindy Granley
Sustainability Director
UMD Office of Sustainability
"---" 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 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:

UMD used the SIMAP calculator to find Scope 1 and 2 emissions for 2018.
Estimates of Scope 3 emissions from the last full GHG inventory were carried forward for the best estimate of all three scopes for 2018.


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:
---

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 20,813 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,842 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 861 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,357 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 25,139 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 33,287 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 46,813 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 53,486 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 Jan. 1, 2018 Dec. 31, 2018
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2007 Dec. 31, 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):

The 2007 baseline was adopted because that was the first year UMD calculated greenhouse gas emissions for Scope 1, 2, and 3.


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

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

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 46,813 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 53,486 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,094 2,671
Number of employees resident on-site 6 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 10,505 11,264
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,550 1,506
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 9,816.25 10,245.25

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 4.77 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
8.65

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
3,632,453 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 714,652 Square feet
Healthcare space 127,225 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 64,548 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
5,380,755 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 2,043 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 1,562 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations 279 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:

UMD has continued efforts to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Despite opening several campus buildings (LEED-certified Silver Ianni Hall, upcoming opening of Chemistry and Advanced Materials Sciences), we have reduced emissions intensity (emissions per square foot of campus) and held the line overall on energy emissions when adjusted for weather. Building retrofits, lighting/equipment retrofits, ventilation upgrades, and operational changes (Campus Temperature Policy, building scheduling, winter/spring break energy conservation programs) have all been employed to help save energy, save money, and reduce emissions.

We aim to use energy rebates from our newest CAMS project to invest in a Master Thermal Energy/Utility plan, to help us map out options and future goals for our campus heating plant. Goals of the UMD Thermal Energy Master Plan are to: 1) Support the Campus Master Plan and future plans/expansion of campus, 2) Address aging equipment, and 3) Make progress on Carbon Reduction goals.

We installed 90 kW of new solar-PV in past year on two campus buildings (Oakland Aspen building- paid for by student fees and green fund- 40 kW, HCAMS- paid for as part of the construction project- 50 kW), to total 101 kW of on-campus solar, a 900% increase in one year.
We purchased a 100 kW block (10%) in the MP Community Solar Garden (UMD Auxiliaries- Dining, Housing, Transportation) located in Wrenshall, MN.
We are evaluating a UMN-systemwide contract for third-party financed solar on campus, however we are unsure if this will be successful in adding large solar installations on campus rooftops, due to facilities concerns and the up-front capital investment needed.
Student leadership in solar: A group of students participated in a Solar University Network (SUN) Delegation and worked with NREL to analyze campus use and solar potential. We discovered through their analysis of campus 15-minute electrical demand data that a goal of 775 kW of on-site solar generation would be most economically viable.

All related campus solar data available at: https://scse.d.umn.edu/umd-solar


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:

Dec 2019 changes:
Updated Building sq footage to copy over from IC-2 characteristics.
Updated Weighted users to copy over IC-3 characteristics.

All Green Building information: http://d.umn.edu/sustainability/campus-initiatives/buildings


Dec 2019 changes:
Updated Building sq footage to copy over from IC-2 characteristics.
Updated Weighted users to copy over IC-3 characteristics.

All Green Building information: http://d.umn.edu/sustainability/campus-initiatives/buildings

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.