Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.87
Liaison Daimon Eklund
Submission Date Dec. 23, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Washington, Seattle
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.77 / 8.00 Jecca Canet
Environmental Engineer
UW Facilities Engineering Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 93,488 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 89,654 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,376 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 19,699 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 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 95,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 109,353 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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 11,479 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 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 11,479 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
On-site composting data source: UW Recycling Annual Report 2019

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 84,385 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 109,353 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2019 Jan. 1, 2005
End date Dec. 31, 2019 Dec. 31, 2005

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The 2005 baseline calendar year was adopted at the time the original emissions inventory was conducted in 2007. Adoption of the 2005 baseline calendar year is also consistent with Washington State RCW 70.235.050 and RCW 70.235.060 which set GHG reduction goals relative to 2005 calendar year emission levels.

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 9,729 4,894
Number of employees resident on-site 20 10
Number of other individuals resident on-site 683 380
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 54,277 38,400
Full-time equivalent of employees 18,307 24,950
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 893 269
Weighted Campus Users 56,888.50 48,916.75

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 1.48 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2.24 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
33.65

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
2,198,256.48 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 137,273.75 Square meters
Healthcare space 117,709.22 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 29,449.41 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,737,671.83 Gross square meters

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.03 MtCO2e per square meter

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
The UW has developed and implemented numerous steam energy-saving projects to reduce Power Plant natural gas and fuel oil consumption and associated carbon emissions. The UW intends on reducing carbon emissions to 15% below the 2005 baseline year by implementing additional projects.

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:
Scope 2 imported electricity emissions are zero, as electricity is sourced from Seattle City Light, which is carbon-neutral. From their site: “The majority of the electricity we provide comes from carbon-free hydroelectricity, and we offset all of our operations and were the first carbon-neutral utility in the nation.”


Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources reported as zero because for the purposes of STARS reporting, we only include contiguous properties that UW owns and manages. Facilities such has Harborview Medical Center and others located throughout the city and may use steam are not owned by UW and thus their GHG emissions are tracked and reported through other agencies or the property owners.

In 2017, the UW joined the “We are Still In” statement in 2017 to demonstrate our continued report of the Paris Climate Agreement.
https://www.wearestillin.com/

In 2018, the UW joined the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3).
https://secondnature.org/uc3-coalition/

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.