| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.54 |
| Liaison | Jay Price |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.70 / 10.00 |
Preston
Jacobsen Sustainability Manager Facilities Services |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | Yes |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes |
| Capital goods | No |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
The Campus Carbon Calculator is a tool that helps organizations determine how much they are contributing to global climate change and better manage their GHG emissions. It is an MS Excel-based spreadsheet tool that provides procedural protocols and framework for investigation of campus GHG emissions.
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?:
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 74,340.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 61,186 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 3,580.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 6,121 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 129,947.60 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 135,183 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| 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 | 1 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 336 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 38 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
Food waste is collected from all campus dining locations and select buildings and taken to our composting facility off Cherokee Trail. Once there, the food waste is combined with wood chips and separated into long piles called windrows. The windrows allow the wastes to biodegrade aerobically, which is faster and reduces the potential for methane production. Periodically, the windrows are turned and watered to manage temperature and biodegredation.
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 7,213 | 6,817 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 581 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 25,263.60 | 24,998.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,333 | 8,096 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 673 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,041,465 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 114,575 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 225,477 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 12,313.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 27,294 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 189.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 8,559.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 7,179.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 2,267.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Study Abroad Air Travel
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
The University officially burned their last piece of coal in the on-site steam plant April 2015 and completely switched to natural gas. The Student Environmental Initiative Fee has also funded a "Photovoltaic Revolving Fund" to sponsor more solar panels on campus along with a "Green Revolving Fund" to support retrofit and energy reduction initiatives. The Office of Sustainability has also managed many energy reduction campaigns to help educate students, staff, and faculty on why and how they should reduce their use of water, waste and electricity as well as recycle more.
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.