Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.46
Liaison Winnie Mulamba
Submission Date March 13, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of South Florida St. Petersburg
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.93 / 10.00 Brian Pullen
Sustainability Planner
Facilities Services
"---" 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 Some
Capital goods Some
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories Some

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:

At a cost of $30,000, the USFSP Clean Energy and Resource Conservation Commission contracted the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) to guide our GHG emissions inventory and climate action plan in fulfillment of the ACUPCC. In 2007 CCS was contracted by the State of Florida to produce "Florida's Energy and Climate Change Action Plan," which informed Florida's 2008 energy legislation. Many of these tools and methodologies were applied in completing the USFSP "Greenhouse Gas Inventory - 2014 Baseline." We selected CCS for this project in order to align our effort with State policy, regulation and planning.


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:

CCS verified the USFSP GHG emissions inventory. Their proposal for the scope of work they were to provide (during the request for bid process in 2014 in which they won) is attached below.


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):
Yes

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 1,356 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,264 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 10,055.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 10,552 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 11,443.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11,848 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, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014

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):

The USFSP 2014 GHG emissions baseline was adopted in April of 2015. USFSP adopted the baseline in order to fulfill the institutional commitments outlined in the ACUPCC, which was signed by Chancellor Hogarth on Earth Day of 2013.


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 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 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):

The categories listed above have not been measured for offsetting carbon emissions. However, our campus does promote composting sites and rain gardens as ways to act as carbon sequestering sinks, as well as the increasing use of on-site renewable energy (PV), purchasing electric vehicles, and purchasing RECs. Our hired emissions analytical vendor, the Center for Climate Strategies, who helped us write our Climate Action Plan, highlighted local carbon offset opportunities but those have not been officially documented.


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 1,167 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:

Purchased RECs came through our LEED projects, in which includes the "green power" credit. RECs were purchased through Duke Energy Florida.


Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 10,276.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 11,848 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 469.67 384
Number of employees resident on-site 14.67 15
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 4,080.12 4,260.18
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 690.95 648.65
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,005 1,029
Weighted campus users 2,945.64 3,009.62

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 3.49 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3.94 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
11.38

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,291,825 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 17,233 Square feet
Healthcare space 4,118 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 15,686 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,350,213 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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 6,848 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 1,627 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 420 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 227 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 2,171 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

Over the past few years since the baseline we have implemented a wide range of GHG emission reduction initiatives which have included the installation of a 100kW solar array, a 40kW solar carport array, reduced waste-to-landfills, planting of several native trees for carbon sequestration, as well as energy efficiency projects- such as HVAC upgrades, building analytics for our Central Utility Chiller, etc.


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:

Attached above is our Climate Action Plan which thoroughly details our intended emissions reductions for implementing sustainable strategies in Energy Supply & Demand, Waste Management, and Transportation.


Attached above is our Climate Action Plan which thoroughly details our intended emissions reductions for implementing sustainable strategies in Energy Supply & Demand, Waste Management, and Transportation.

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.