Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.54
Liaison	C Jane Hagen
Submission Date	Sept. 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.31 / 8.00	C Jane Hagen Sustainability Data Analyst 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	43,808.62 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	21,941 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources	805.42 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	2,418 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity	46,551.19 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	67,007 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	91,165.23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	91,366 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	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):

N/A

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:

	Performance year	Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions	91,165.23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	91,366 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, 2022	July 1, 2007
End date	June 30, 2023	June 30, 2008

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

VCU's first Sustainability Director was hired in 2008 and began the GHG inventory process. The first year VCU inventoried greenhouse gas emissions was 2008, therefore it is the baseline used.

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	5,520	4,706
Number of employees resident on-site	10	0
Number of other individuals resident on-site	0	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	26,345	23,884
Full-time equivalent of employees	6,766	5,210
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	2,546	0
Weighted Campus Users	24,306.25	22,997

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	3.75 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent	3.97 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

5.59

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:

8,424,086.88 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:

	Floor area
Laboratory space	521,631.27 Square feet
Healthcare space	0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space	83,463 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:

9,550,812.42 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:

0.01 MtCO2e per square foot

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

All new construction and renovations are built to LEED standards. In 2017 a $20 million dollar performance contract was begun to address mechanical problems with aging facilities. Energy performance contracting is an innovative finance strategy designed to help VCU accomplish energy saving initiatives. It identifies opportunities to reduce energy consumption and save money. When we reduce costs, we have extra money to reinvest in energy conservation upgrades. And the cycle of energy reduction and cost reduction continues until VCU facilities are performing optimally and we’re reducing as much energy as we can.

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

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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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.