Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Troy Goodnough
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

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

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Troy Goodnough
Sustainability Director
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 Some
Commuting Some
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations None
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:

The Office of Sustainability solicits information from campus stakeholders about energy use, etc. This data is entered into an in-house spreadsheet and GHG emissions are calculated accordingly.


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:

There are two main verification paths we have for our SCOPE I and II data. Scope I greenhouse gas emissions are mostly generated from the central heating/cooling plant on-campus. Data from the central plant are used to provide the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency with criteria pollutant information. So, this data is verified by MPCA. Scope II GHG emissions are mostly from purchased electricity. This electricity is carefully metered by the local utility -- therefore, total electricity usage for the campus is well-known and is billed accordingly. These are the main data sources to compose our SCOPE I and II GHG footprint. Additionally, we worked with a 3rd party to develop a carbon master plan. During this process, we were able to confirm similar conclusions about our carbon footprint and steps to reduce it.


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

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 5,112 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5,233 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 314 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 314 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 3,024 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,239 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 8,450 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,786 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, 2012 Dec. 31, 2012
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):
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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 8,450 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 13,786 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 872 758
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,876 1,673
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 380 395
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 1,910 1,740.50

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 4.42 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
44.15

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
965,852 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 18,052 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 7,553 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,009,509 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 261 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 1,721 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations 0 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:

1) Instituted a windrow-based on-campus composting system (2013)
2) The Green Prairie Community residence hall was awarded LEED Gold (2014)
3) A 20kW solar PV array began generating power (2015)


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

40% reduction of carbon footprint between 2005 and 2012 (Scope I and II).
Over 60% of campus electricity is from on-site wind turbines.
We are continue to be recognized as one of the EPA's Top On-Site power producers
Morris was listed at the 27th Top Onsite producer (of 30 producers) in the United States in 2015.
http://www.morris.umn.edu/newsevents/view.php?itemID=13186

We will update this information in 2017 as part of our next Second Nature Climate Commitment submission due in 2017.


40% reduction of carbon footprint between 2005 and 2012 (Scope I and II).
Over 60% of campus electricity is from on-site wind turbines.
We are continue to be recognized as one of the EPA's Top On-Site power producers
Morris was listed at the 27th Top Onsite producer (of 30 producers) in the United States in 2015.
http://www.morris.umn.edu/newsevents/view.php?itemID=13186

We will update this information in 2017 as part of our next Second Nature Climate Commitment submission due in 2017.

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.