| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.67 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2024 |
University of Pittsburgh
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.79 / 8.00 |
Federica
Geremicca Graduate Student (GHG Audits) MCSI |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 34,880 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 9,200 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 2,821 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 1,300 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 64,777 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 138,700 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 20,310 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 55,100 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 122,788 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 204,300 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
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 | 19.40 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 |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Carbon sold or transferred above is 19.4 MT of organic materials composted off-site. It does not seem to be subtracting out of adjusted net GHG emissions below.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 122,788 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 204,300 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2021 | July 1, 2007 |
| End date | June 30, 2022 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The University's first comprehensive GHG inventory was completed for fiscal year (FY) 2008, which was selected to capture baseline data prior to operation of Pitt's new state-of-the-art natural gas-fired Carillo Steam Plant. Prior to Carillo's construction, all of Pitt's steam supply was generated by Bellefield Boiler Plant (a much older plant that primarily burned coal at the time). Carillo Steam Plant came online in 2009 and Bellefield Boiler Plant switched all operations to natural gas starting July 1, 2009. The FY08 GHG inventory is also the baseline for the University's incremental GHG reduction goal of 50% by 2030. Pitt is also committed to carbon neutrality for the Pittsburgh campus by 2037.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 7,342 | 7,000 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 18 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 27,607 | 24,755 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 12,993 | 7,683 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 32,290 | 26,078.50 |
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 | 3.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7.83 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 3,954,410 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 475,136 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Since FY2017, the University of Pittsburgh has continued to implement a number of energy and water saving initiatives in campus buildings, including LED lighting retrofits, chilled water plant upgrades, more efficient HVAC equipment, installation of water-saving devices, retro-commissioning, etc. These efforts primarily affect electricity, steam, and natural gas consumption.
For FY22, Pitt's renewable electricity (Scope ) totaled 31,439 unbundled Green-e certified renewable energy credits (RECs equivalent to 31,439 MWh), equating to 17.9% of the Pittsburgh campus's annual electricity consumption being attributed to renewables via RECs.
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:
Pitt reports "Yes" for purchased goods and services because our GHG inventory includes purchased paper and food; however, no other purchased goods or services are included in our GHG inventory.
Due to FY22 GHG inventory data being the most recent available, not all fields above are copied from other AASHE STARS credits (because those credits (like PRE-5) use more recent, FY23 data); weighted campus users fields fall into this category.
The number of distance students for FY22 is unknown, and thus marked zero above.
Pitt reports "Yes" for purchased goods and services because our GHG inventory includes purchased paper and food; however, no other purchased goods or services are included in our GHG inventory.
Due to FY22 GHG inventory data being the most recent available, not all fields above are copied from other AASHE STARS credits (because those credits (like PRE-5) use more recent, FY23 data); weighted campus users fields fall into this category.
The number of distance students for FY22 is unknown, and thus marked zero above.
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.