| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.36 |
| Liaison | Marianella Franklin |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2023 |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.40 / 3.00 |
Maysam
Pournik Sustainability GHG Faculty Fellow Mechanical Engineering |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
For the FY 2020 GHG emission report UTRGV Sustainability Faculty Fellows Dr. Maysum Pournik, Dr. Jongmin Kim, and Sustainability Graduate Fellow Claudia Aleman worked with Gordian, formerly known as Sightlines, to collect all data for scope 1, 2, and 3 from UTRGV using SiMAP to calculate emissions factors. Utility data, fertilizer, refrigerants, fleet fuel, paper purchasing, trash, and air/ground travel was all provided by UTRGV Facilities Planning & Operations. Commuting was estimated using the number of parking permits the university sells and the average distance traveled by each commuter. The same process was used in collecting data on previous submissions.
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 GHG inventory verification process:
Gordian/Sightlines served as our independent validation third party.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 3,524.10 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 1,380.46 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 43,317.36 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 2,182.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 15,604.58 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | --- | --- |
| Capital goods | --- | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 2,218.06 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 1,518.16 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 85.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Scope 3 emissions were accounting business travel, commute from students, staff, and faculty, and transmission and distribution losses from purchased electricity and upstream emissions of purchased fuels and electricity, through external reporting by SiMap
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | --- |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | --- |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | --- |
| Particulate matter (PM) | --- |
| Ozone (O3) | --- |
| Lead (Pb) | --- |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | --- |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | --- |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | --- |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | --- |
| Area sources | --- |
| Mobile sources | --- |
| Commuting | --- |
| Off-site electricity production | --- |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
N/A
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
UTRGV has increased the campus footprint by 7% since FY16. Emissions
historically increased in conjunction with this space growth, but FY20 saw
an 18% decrease from FY19 due to the impact of Covid-19. Total emissions
decreased by 13% compared to the FY16 baseline.
UTRGV has increased the campus footprint by 7% since FY16. Emissions
historically increased in conjunction with this space growth, but FY20 saw
an 18% decrease from FY19 due to the impact of Covid-19. Total emissions
decreased by 13% compared to the FY16 baseline.
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.