University of Oregon
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

We use the Clean-Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator

Scope 1 and 2 energy and emissions data are collected by Central Plant staff and reviewed independently by Sustainability Office staff. Methodologies are occasionally reviewed with external experts as needed. This system has caught and corrected significant metering and data collection errors. Scope 3 business air travel emissions are collected by university business office and contracted travel agents. Data is independently reviewed by Sustainability Office. This process has resulted in improved data collection. The most significant change is the change from dollars spent on air travel to air miles flown.

We don't have a formal program, however, we sponsor and organize community emissions reduction projects such as weatherization in student off-campus rentals and bulk solar purchasing for community members.

We don't have a formal program, however, we sponsor and organize community offset projects such as plantings at Mt. Pisgah "Mud Stains for Flood Plains" partnered with UPS and estimate that during the 60 year life of the project the planted trees will sequestor an estimated 933 MTCO2e.

"The Students at the University of Oregon, funded the infrastructure for this program and thus all composting and zero waste services are free at all student fee funded areas. Campus Zero Waste charges $5 per pick-up for non-student fee funded areas. Pre-consumer food waste is collected in all Housing, catering, student union and campus cafe kitchens. The Program has an Earth tub that was donated that collects a minimum amount of food waste that is converted to soil and used at the campus Urban Farm. The Urban Farm is a campus farm that is managed through a year round class. Additionally, Campus Catering now offers compostables in lieu of disposables. If departments want to recycle and compost at campus events, it is an extra charge and the customer has to know to order and pay for these services through Campus Recycling. Pre and post-consumer waste is serviced five days a week with 35 gallon roll carts and a step van with a lift gate. The full roll carts are taken to a 20yd dumpster with rolling lid at Facilities Services parking lot. The roll carts are dumped into the dumpster using a roll cart lifter. When the dumpster is full it is hauled to Rexius Forest By-Products, a local commercial composter, where the material will be turned into soil amendment. http://zerowaste.uoregon.edu/Composting.htm"

"Farm Power’s Misty Meadow project will install an anaerobic digester at a dairy with almost 3,500 cows in the traditional dairy community of Tillamook, OR. The digester will be fueled by manure that’s been diverted from an anaerobic lagoon, preventing the release of methane into the atmosphere. Over the course of a century, methane’s ability to warm the planet is at least 23 times that of an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide (CO2). The new digester will also take manure that was previously sent to another– soon to be shut down–digester. The project will convert the cow manure to biogas, which will generate electricity and utilize excess heat. The diversion of manure from a lagoon into a digester–in combination with other organic feedstocks–produces biogas that is combusted, thus producing carbon credits. The project produces a separate environmental attribute; Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that are associated with the displacement of fossil fired electricity. The credits will be qualified and quantified under the Climate Action Reserve’s (CARs) Livestock Manure Management Protocol version 3.0. Verified by the Climate Trust. Under the current CAR protocol, the project is projected reduce 7,000 mtCO2e annually. February 8, 2013. "

2004 was the first year the UO completed Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Although a study has been done projecting 1990 GHG levels, it was decided that 2004 would be the baseline year.

Scope 2 T&D losses, wastewater, paper, study abroad air travel

The UO's emissions reduction initiatives/goals over the past three years are are derived from the Climate Action Plan. They also include the development of the Oregon Model for Sustainability where all new buildings are required to be LEED Gold and also must pay into a fund to support retrofitting and efficiency projects in older buildings to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. (Verified and on going) Mt. Pisgah project and SCORE is a good fit for this credit, but is not included here as the emissions saved are not estimated at this time. (Not verified happened in 2015). Have an offset project with Misty Meadows which was verified in Misty Meadows in 2013.

Emissions from Purchased Goods and From Services & Capital Goods: We did hire Good Company (sustainability consultant) to estimate all emissions from purchases. We know that it roughly doubles Scope 1, 2 and 3 travel-related emissions. Because it's only an estimate, we don't regularly include it in our emissions reporting. 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?: Received data directly from departments responsible for the oversight of the credit. Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration, performance year: We have 4000 trees on campus (est. 92 MTCDE), many acres of forrest at OIMB, and 75 acres at the Shire that we maintain as undeveloped space, but we have not included their offsets in this calculation because the land has not been officially preserved for carbon sequestration.