Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.50
Liaison Amy Kadrie
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Rochester
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.67 / 10.00 Amy Kadrie
Recycling Coordinator
Facilities
"---" 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 None
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
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:

SCOPE 1 EMISSION SOURCES
The data compiled for the Scope 1 GHG emission sources is summarized below:
1. On-campus cogeneration: University of Rochester provided OBG with the Central Utilities (CU) Cogen Hot Water Production and Power Production data for FY2010 through FY2016. The annual natural gas consumption for the CU facility for these years was used for the purpose of estimating total natural gas consumption for the cogeneration facility for FY2010 through FY2016. The electricity output for the cogeneration facility was provided by the University, which derived its exported electrical production from monthly meter readings. The steam output for the cogeneration facility was estimated from the heat Million British thermal unit (MMBtu) recovery data for the University’s records for River Campus and the Medical Center.
2. Boilers: University of Rochester provided OBG with the annual natural gas consumption data for the boilers that serve the campus buildings that are under the University’s control, as previously discussed.
3. Mobile sources: University of Rochester provided OBG with the gasoline, diesel and propane consumption for mobile sources, including the on-campus bus system, for FY2010 through FY2016.
4. Fugitive Sources: University of Rochester provided OBG with refrigerant & chemical usage for chillers and facility operations. Leak rates and losses were provided for a portion of the refrigeration units. For those units that the University of Rochester does not track losses for, it was conservatively assumed that 1% of the total charge is released on an annual basis.
5. Agriculture Sources: University of Rochester provided OBG with the total pounds of synthetic fertilizer used annually for FY2010 through FY2016. The percent nitrogen content for the fertilizer was also provided.
SCOPE 2 EMISSION SOURCES
The Scope 2 GHG emission sources operated at the campus include purchased electricity. University of Rochester provided the annual purchased electricity consumption for each of the aforementioned buildings for FY2010 through FY2016. It is noted that the aforementioned revised electricity consumption provided by University of Rochester does not include electricity generated by the on-campus cogeneration facility.
SCOPE 3 EMISSION SOURCES
University of Rochester provided OBG with the following data for FY2010 through FY2016:
 The number of faculty/staff and student parking permits
 The zip codes associated with the faculty/staff and student parking permits
 The number of students living on on-campus dorms/housing
 Mass of solid waste shipped offsite for landfill disposal that was generated by the campus buildings. It was indicated that the solid waste that is generated by the University of Rochester is shipped to a landfill that provides methane recovery with electricity generation.
 Mass of solid waste incinerated. The waste sent for incineration is not used for electricity generation
 Mass of recycled material consisting of plastic, metal, glass and scrap metal
 Mass of recycled paper
The faculty/staff and student commuting miles were estimated based on the following assumptions:
 Each member of the faculty and staff makes an average of 10 one-way trips per week to the campus
 80% of the faculty and staff travel to campus 48 weeks per year
 20% of the faculty and staff travel to campus 42 weeks per year
 The average distance for each one-way trip for each member of the faculty or staff is 9 miles. This distance was estimated based on an evaluation of the zip code data provided for the issued parking permits for faculty/staff.
 65% of the faculty/staff commute via personal automobile and 35% of the faculty/staff commute via public bus.
University of Rochester has indicated that students who commute to the campus use personal automobile, public bus, ride bikes and walk. University of Rochester provided the number of parking permits that were issued for each zip code from which students commute using personal automobiles. The total commuting miles for student commuting via personal automobile and public bus were estimated based on the following assumptions:
 The number of students that commute was assumed to be the difference between the total number of students and the number of students living in on-campus dorms.
 75% of the students that commute do so via person automobile
 25% of the students who commute do so via public bus, bicycle and walking
 Equal numbers of students commute via public bus, bicycle and walking
 Students who commute via personal automobile or public bus make 8 one-way trips to the campus per week for 30 weeks per year.
 The average distance per one-way trip for students who commute via personal automobile or public bus is 6 miles. This distance was estimated by dividing the total, combined one-way distance for 80% of the students who have parking permits.


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:

The inventory was conducted by outside consultant O'Brien and Gere Engineers, Inc.


Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
No

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion --- ---
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources --- ---
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity --- ---
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources --- ---
Total 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 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 --- ---
Baseline Year --- ---

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):
---

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 --- ---
Carbon storage from on-site composting --- ---
Carbon offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution --- ---
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 --- ---

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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 4,043 ---
Number of employees resident on-site 26 ---
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 830 ---
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 11,085 ---
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 22,957 ---
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education --- ---
Weighted campus users 27,378.75 0

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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
12,001,581 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 931,788 Square feet
Healthcare space 1,072,143 Square feet
Other energy intensive space ---

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
16,009,443 Gross square feet

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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel ---
Commuting ---
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
---

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

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.