Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	76.71
Liaison	Gioia Thompson
Submission Date	Feb. 6, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Vermont
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	5.44 / 8.00	Gioia Thompson Sustainability Strategist UVM Office of Sustainability

"---" 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	28,353 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	34,655 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	1,511 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	3,336.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	23,159 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total	29,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	61,150.50 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):

None

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	29,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	61,150.50 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, 2021	July 1, 2006
End date	June 30, 2022	June 30, 2007

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

Beginning of a major campus expansion

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	5,453	4,791
Number of employees resident on-site	22	19
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	12,968.67	10,805
Full-time equivalent of employees	3,443	3,437
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	190	2
Weighted Campus Users	13,535.00	11,882.50

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	2.21 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	5.15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

57.13

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

6,053,508 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	430,953 Square feet
Healthcare space	31,666 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	89,146 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

7,067,892 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:

0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:

Energy infrastructure upgrades, LEED building policy, Energy Revolving Fund, solar study and installations, cleaner fuels, Active Transportation Plan, progressive parking fees, RECs purchase

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:

---

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The University of Vermont has continued to work with the local electricity and natural gas utilities, as well as the statewide energy efficiency utility, to reduce energy use and peak demand by buildings, with an emphasis on new construction and major renovations. UVM contracts with Sightlines, LLC to analyze facilities needs and to find the most effective ways to invest in building improvements. The decision by the Board of Trustees has been to focus on removing buildings with the greatest need for repair, and replacing them with more efficient buildings that meet current programmatic needs. This strategic direction is supported by the $13M Energy Revolving Fund and the 2004 policy that all major construction and renovation projects be formally commissioned as well as certified at a minimum of LEED Silver level. UVM has also switched from using #6 fuel oil as a backup fuel for the central heating and cooling plant, to using #2 fuel oil, and has converted the boilers in small buildings that are not part of the central system from oil to natural gas.

Sightlines, LLC also conducts the institution's greenhouse gas inventory, which includes building energy use, commuting, business travel (ground and air), and study abroad travel. On the transportation front, UVM has continued to expand programs for commuters while further limiting the number of parking spaces on campus, requiring relatively high parking fees, and strictly enforcing policies. A new Active Transportation Plan provides guidance for how to make the campus safe and accessible without a car. Many of the vehicles in the campus fleet cannot easily be replaced with alternate fuel vehicles due to their function --- needing to be used for snowplows, for example, or 15-passenger vans -- but then again, many of these are not used very frequently. The decision has been to focus on the campus buses, which are in near-constant use, and which are responsible for most of the fleet's fuel use. These are now run on natural gas, which provides the benefit of not having the diesel or biodiesel emissions that used to be noticeable to the campus community as buses went by.

UVM’s 2010 Climate Action Plan set a goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2015. This goal has been met by purchasing Green-E certified RECs to cover all campus electricity. The decision to buy RECs was made despite the fact that the Burlington Electric Department buys 100% of its power from renewable sources; these sources are not necessarily Green-E certified, however. In addition, UVM has installed solar panels to the extent feasible, working with the Burlington Electric Department to hire a consultant to identify every possible space where solar could be installed at a reasonable price. Several solar projects are already providing power to campus buildings. The LEED Platinum Aiken Center, home of the Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources, sources about 40% of its power from 17 solar trackers nearby.

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.