Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 85.74
Liaison Mike Wilson
Submission Date Dec. 13, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Victoria
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.15 / 3.00 Gary Bridgens
Director, Maintenance & Operations
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

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:
Each year the Climate Action Secretariat (CAS) of the Provincial Government of British Columbia assesses the inventory data and report to ensure that the emissions report meets the legislated requirement of the law. Open communication with and support from CAS is always available to its public service organizations, such as UVic.

As part of the requirements of the Province of British Columbia’s Carbon Neutral Government Regulation and the Climate Change Accountability Act (CAA), UVic is required to submit annual GHG inventory reports to quantify the GHG emissions created by its facilities and operations. The inventory is produced by uploading energy usage data to the Clean Government Reporting Tool (CGRT), the provincial GHG inventory tool.

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 GHG inventory verification process:
Under the CCA and as part of the BC public sector, UVic is required to measure, reduce, offset, report, and verify campus GHG emissions. UVic follows a comprehensive quality assurance procedure for compiling its GHG inventory based on provincial guidelines and internal procedures. UVic's GHG Inventory and Quality Control procedures are reviewed and signed off on by UVic Executives on an annual basis and submitted to the provincial Climate Action Secretariat.

On an annual basis, the Province also assesses a representative sample of organizations to undergo an independent verification of their GHG emissions measurement and reporting procedures. In 2011, UBC voluntarily participated in a self-certification pilot in conjunction with its 2010 GHG inventory. The pilot involved documenting QA/QC procedures according to a checklist provided by the province. UBC was additionally selected for verification by the BC Ministry of Finance Internal Audit and Advisory Services team. The procedures for compiling the inventory have been updated for subsequent reporting years based on feedback from the verification.

Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
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Scope 1 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Weight in MTCO2e
Stationary combustion 10,882 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) 292 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
11,174 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 2 GHG emissions
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
Weight in MTCO2e
Imported electricity 693 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
693 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

GHG emissions from biomass combustion
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Scope 3 GHG emissions
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
Yes or No Weight in MTCO2e
Business travel No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services Yes 65 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other sources No 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
65 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
The University of Victoria utilizes the the B.C. provincial government’s online CGRT program to track and report on greenhouse gas emissions that stem from paper supplies purchasing, under the “purchased goods and services” category.

Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory

Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Yes

Annual weight of emissions for::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 5.40 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 0.06 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 0.80 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 0.50 Tons
Ozone (O3) 0.00 Tons
Lead (Pb) 0.00 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 0.00 Tons
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) 0.00 Tons
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations 0.00 Tons

Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
Yes or No
Major stationary sources Yes
Area sources No
Mobile sources No
Commuting No
Off-site electricity production No

None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
The emissions were estimated as follows:

NOx: Utility metered gas consumption; average of the most recent flue gas analysis; average of boiler firing rates.
SOx: Utility metered gas consumption: typical emission factor.
CO: Utility metered gas consumption; average of the most recent flue gas analysis; average of boiler firing rates.
PM: Utility metered gas consumption: typical emission factor.

Optional Fields

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:
No specific steps have been taken to minimize pollutants from stationary sources, as our natural gas fueled boiler system used to heat most of campus produces relatively few air pollutants, and the generators are only used in emergencies. The campus Integrated Energy Master Plan provides a framework for the use and review of energy sources used in building operations.

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.