Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.12
Liaison Maria Dahmus
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of St. Thomas
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.47 / 8.00 Colin Brownlow
Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Facilities Management
"---" 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 9,609.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 9,529.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 96.47 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 142.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 19,178.36 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 31,071.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 1,567.42 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,981.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 30,451.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 42,725 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):
---

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 30,451.55 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 42,725 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 July 1, 2018 July 1, 2006
End date June 30, 2019 June 30, 2007

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
2007 was chosen as baseline for the university's original climate action plan. This was the first year the university performed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory The university's president signed the Climate Leadership Carbon Commitment in 2008.

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 2,716 2,566
Number of employees resident on-site 28 40
Number of other individuals resident on-site 11 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 8,783 8,514
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,552 1,531
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 95.50 0
Weighted Campus Users 8,376.63 8,185.25

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 3.64 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
30.35

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
3,191,084 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 97,754 Square feet
Healthcare space 3,050 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 89,256 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
3,481,948 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:
The university continues to make improvements to heating distribution and control
systems, air handling systems, lighting systems and energy management controls. We continue to improve our waste recycling program and to increase our collection of compost. We are designing two new buildings and an annex to our chapel to be LEED Silver or better.

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:
Additional information about the university's actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is available in the Carbon Neutrality Plan Progress Report.

The latest year for which the University's greenhouse gas data are available is fiscal year 2019 (July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019). The total campus square footage & weighted campus users reported in this credit are therefore based on fiscal year 2019 data. As a result, the figures in this credit vary slightly from those reported in PRE 4 & 5, which are based on fiscal year 2020.

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.