Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.84
Liaison Morgan Hartman
Submission Date Dec. 12, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.17 / 8.00 Morgan Hartman
Recycling Coordinator
FMO
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 56,360.48 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 46,014.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 87,046.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 136,634.41 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 143,406.69 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 182,648.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 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 storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ---
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
n/a

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 143,406.69 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 182,648.92 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2019 Jan. 1, 2017
End date Dec. 31, 2019 Dec. 31, 2017

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The GHG Emissions baseline is based on the 2017 emissions report. The baseline was adopted to track the progress of the University's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

We have seen an increase in Scope 1 emissions from the baseline year due to an increase in natural gas usage. There was, however, a significant decrease in Scope 2 emissions because of the change in the resource mix of purchased electricity(a large part is coming from hydro).

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 8,306 7,843
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 21,772 22,253
Full-time equivalent of employees 5,982 6,125
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 228 111
Weighted Campus Users 22,721 23,161

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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 6.31 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7.89 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
19.96

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
14,985,003 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 1,006,948 Square feet
Healthcare space 66,038 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 443,554 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
17,574,529 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
UNL employs a variety of strategies for reducing GHG emissions. UNL's Energy Manager, Kirk Conger, elaborates on a few of these strategies in a 2021 blog post: https://sustainability.unl.edu/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-unl-facilities

UNL's Dining Services team also actively works to reduce GHG emissions through their sustainability initiative. This includes their utilization of the Leanpath program to track food waste and their commitment to landfill waste diversion through the installation of biodigesters in most campus dining centers. https://dining.unl.edu/sustainability

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This credit uses its performance year as 2019. Information included in PRE 4 and 5 is based on 2021 data.

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.