Overall Rating	Bronze - expired
Overall Score	42.13
Liaison	Eva Rocke
Submission Date	June 30, 2017
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

University of Montana
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	4.27 / 10.00	Madeleine Jones ASUM Sustainability Coordinator ASUM

"---" 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	Some
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:

Calc_v7.0_FINAL.xlsm

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:

UM used the Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator administered by the University of New Hampshire. The completed inventory we are sharing in this STARS report is version 7.0, but as of summer 2017, we are completing our 4th inventory to include FY15/16. To account for commuting-related emissions, we used commuter survey data from a 2015 campus survey. To determine university subsidized air travel, UM's business services office compiles air fare expenditures for the years requested. Using best practices for converting expenditures to air miles (varies for each fiscal year), we estimated annual air miles traveled by university employees. Currently, UM subsidizes very little airfare for study abroad participants, so air travel numbers are primarily from research, professional development, university business, and recruitment travel. All of the university's solid waste, aside from what is diverted through reuse and recycling, is managed by a single local waste disposal entity in Missoula. The landfill does not currently burn methane to generate energy, but does burn it off. We receive monthly solid waste volume records from our waste hauler and estimate pounds of waste generated by using assumptions for campus waste weight-to-volume conversions. Just this year we have begun to weigh our dumpsters around campus each quarter in order to have more accurate measurements of waste generation on campus.

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?:

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:

When we have completed our next emissions inventory (FY 15 and 16), we will have the inventory reviewed by one of our faculty in the School of Business and the campus sustainability committee. The sustainability committee is not responsible for generating any of the data that is included in the inventory and the diverse expertise of the group will be valuable as we work to educate and engage campus community members on emissions sources and reduction efforts.

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	14,266.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	16,763.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	1,284.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity	14,294.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	15,739.50 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	29,845.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	32,502.70 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, 2013	June 30, 2014
Baseline Year	July 1, 2006	June 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):

UM's baseline emissions year was adopted in 2010 when our first GHG emissions inventory was conducted and we developed our climate action plan. Retired university president George Dennison signed the ACUPCC in 2006, making UM one of the charter signatories. Upon initial data collection, it quickly became clear that finding sufficient data from earlier than FY 2007 would be too difficult and inaccurate.

Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs)	69.45 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	69.45 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):

In spring 2015, UM spent $6,341 on one-time, third-party verified carbon offsets to help us meet our 2015 emissions target. We purchased offsets from the following vendors: 1. NativeEnergy's methane capture project in Colorado 2. Bonneville Environmental Foundation's waste heat project in Culbertson, MT 3. Sterling Planet's Flathead Valley landfill methane project All three of the projects we supported are certified by Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

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:

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Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions	29,775.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	32,502.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	2,679	2,744
Number of employees resident on-site	12	4
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	11,651	11,698
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	2,238	1,772
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted campus users	11,089.50	10,789.50

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	2.69 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	3.01 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

10.87

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

3,542,658 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor Area
Laboratory space	329,008 Square feet
Healthcare space	1,666 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	0 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

4,204,006 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	8,281.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting	3,891.30 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	1,740 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:

UM continues to pursue energy conservation projects in its buildings across campus when funding and time allow. In the last year, in partnership with the City of Missoula, we completed our first campus transportation study and plan, a document that clearly describes our reliance on SOV commuting to campus and identifies strategies to reduce our commute-related emissions footprint. We will continue to implement those TDM strategies as funding allows. In terms of renewable energy, UM is undergoing a study to determine the efficacy of a large combined heat and power facility for campus that would reduce our reliance on grid electricity and would move a greater portion of our energy source to natural gas. The final piece of emissions reduction efforts that are strongest on campus are our efforts at education and behavior change. The Office of Sustainability and the ASUM Sustainability Center continue to offer internships, green office pilots, and campus events that encourage engagement in UM's emissions reduction goals.

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:

The data (FTEs and floor space) in IC-3 and OP-1 do not match because the OP-1 data reflect UM demographics as of fall 2014, while IC-3 demographics are from fall 2016. Our most recent greenhouse gas emissions inventory includes FYs 2013 and 2014 (we're wrapping up our 2015 and 2016 inventory this summer), but the rest of our data and institutional characteristics are more current and reflect 2016 headcounts and FTEs. The same is true of the discrepancy between OP-1 and IC-2; the OP-1 credit includes data from 2014, our performance year, rather than the most current year's data, which is reflected in IC-2.