Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Part 1. GHG emissions per person

Institution has reduced its adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user compared to a baseline.

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Institution’s annual adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions are less than the minimum performance threshold of 0.215 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) per gross square metre (0.02 MTCO2e per gross square foot) of floor area.

Performance for Part 2 of this credit is assessed using EUI-adjusted floor area, a figure that accounts for significant differences in energy use intensity (EUI) between types of building space (see Standards and Terms).

Carbon sinks

For this credit, the following carbon sinks may be counted:

• Third-party verified, purchased carbon offsets

• Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets (popularly known as “local offsets”)

• Carbon storage from on-site composting. The compost may be produced off-site, but must originate from on-site materials and be returned to the campus for use as a soil amendment.

Purchased carbon offsets that have not been third-party verified do not count. Consistent with the Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform (SIMAP) and relevant protocols from The Offset Network, non-additional sequestration does not count, but may be reported in the optional reporting field provided.

Scope 2 GHG emissions totals should include accounting for any contractual procurement and sales/transfer of renewable energy, e.g., Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), Guarantees of Origin (GOs), and International RECs (I-RECs). Such products may not be counted as carbon offsets.

This credit applies to all institutions.

Each part is scored independently. Points earned are calculated according to the formulas below. Please note that users do not have to calculate the number of points earned themselves; points will be calculated automatically when the data listed under Reporting Fields is entered in the online Reporting Tool.

Scoring for both parts of this credit are based on adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, a measure of an institution’s overall climate impact (gross emissions minus net carbon sinks). STARS calculates the figure according to the following formula:

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions = ( A + B ) – ( C + D + E - F )

A = Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions (MTCO2e)

B = Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions (MTCO2e)

C = Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated (MTCO2e)

D = Carbon storage from on-site composting (MTCO2e)

E = Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (MTCO2e)

F = Carbon sold or transferred (MTCO2e)

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 4 points available for Part 2 of this credit by achieving zero adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Incremental points are awarded for reducing adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user compared to a baseline. For example, an institution that reduced its adjusted net GHG emissions per weighted campus user by 50 percent would earn 2 points (half of the points available for Part 1).

STARS awards only positive points; points will not be deducted if adjusted net GHG emissions per weighted campus user increased rather than decreased during the time period. Points for Part 1 of this credit are earned according to the following formula:

Points Earned = 4 × { [ ( A / B ) - ( C / D ) ] / ( A / B ) }

A = Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, baseline year (MTCO2e)

B = Weighted campus users, baseline year

C = Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, performance year (MTCO2e)

D = Weighted campus users, performance year

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 4 points available for Part 2 of this credit by achieving zero adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Incremental points are awarded based on an institution’s performance between the minimum performance threshold of 0.215 MTCO2e per gross square metre (0.02 MTCO2e per gross square foot) of floor area and zero. For example, an institution with annual adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions of 0.01 MTCO2e per gross square foot of floor area would earn 2 points (half of the points available for Part 2).

Scoring for Part 2 of this credit is based on an EUI-adjusted floor area figure that accounts for significant differences in energy use intensity (EUI) between types of building space. The STARS Reporting Tool calculates EUI-adjusted floor area according to the following formula:

EUI-adjusted floor area = { A + [ 2 × ( B + C ) ] + D }

A = Gross floor area of building space (square metres or feet)

B = Floor area of laboratory space (square metres or feet)

C = Floor area of healthcare space (square metres or feet)

D = Floor area of other energy intensive space (square metres or feet)

Points for Part 2 of this credit are earned according to the following formula:

Points Earned = 4 × { [ A  - ( B / C ) ] / A }

A = Minimum performance threshold (MTCO2e per gross square metre or foot)

B = Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, performance year (MTCO2e)

C = EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year (square metres or feet)

Timeframe

Performance Year

Report the most recent data available from the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission.  Institutions may use the most recent single year for which data is available or an average from throughout the period. Institutions may choose the annual start and end dates that work best with the data they have (e.g., fiscal or calendar year), as long as data are reported from a consecutive 12-month (or 3-year) period.

Report building space and population figures from the same time period as that from which GHG emissions data are drawn (e.g., the consecutive 12-month or 3-year period that most closely overlaps with the emissions performance period). Institutions may report building space using an average from throughout the period or a snapshot at a single representative point during the period.

Baseline Year

Report data from the baseline year, which may be:

• Any year from 2005 to the present

• A baseline year, 1990 to 2004, that the institution has adopted as part of its sustainability plans or policies or in the context of other reporting obligations

Recommended best practices for defining a baseline include:

• Using the average of three consecutive years to reduce the impact of outliers.

• Using the same baseline year for multiple credits to reduce reporting requirements. For example, institutions using 2005 for all STARS credits that are baseline-based would only have to calculate baseline weighted campus user data once.

• Ensuring that baseline and performance year data are valid and reliable (e.g., that the data were gathered in the same manner).

Institutions without valid and reliable historical data should use performance year data for both the baseline and performance year. Following this approach, an institution would not be able to claim points for reductions during its first STARS submission, but would be able to use its newly established baseline for subsequent submissions. Institutions without valid and reliable historical data should use performance year data for both the baseline and performance year.

Institutions may choose the start and end dates that work best with the data they have (e.g., fiscal or calendar year), as long as data are reported from a consecutive 12-month (or 3-year) period.

Report building space and population figures from the same period as that from which GHG emissions data are drawn (e.g., the consecutive 12-month or 3-year period that most closely overlaps with the emissions baseline period). Institutions may report building space using an average from throughout the period or a snapshot at a single representative point during the period.

Sampling and Data Standards

This credit is based on GHG emissions calculated using a market-based method that reflects emissions from electricity that the institution has purposefully chosen, including contractual instruments such as RECs, GOs, and I-RECs. For more information, see the Emissions Inventory and Disclosure credit.

Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets must be certified/third party verified or, at a minimum, quantified using a method that addresses all of the following accounting issues:

• Selection of a baseline scenario (i.e., what would have happened in the absence of the project?);

• Demonstration of additionality (i.e., the project has resulted in emission reductions or removals in addition to what would have happened in the absence of the project);

• Identification and quantification of relevant secondary effects (i.e., small, unintended GHG consequences of a project, include leakage and changes in GHG emissions up- and downstream of the project);

• Consideration of reversibility (i.e., assessing the risk of reversibility, together with any mitigation or compensation measures included in the project design);             

• Avoidance of double-counting (i.e., the reductions giving rise to the offset must occur at sources or sinks not included in the target or cap for which the offset is used).

Examples include:

• GHG Protocol for Project Accounting  (World Resources Institute)

• Land Use, Land Change and Forestry (IPCC)

• Forest Project Protocol (Climate Action Reserve)

• Framework for Forest Management Offset Protocols (Canadian Council of Forest Ministers)

• The Compliance Offset Protocols (COP) adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB)

• Protocols shared by members of The Offset Network

Institutions that have sold or transferred carbon , e.g., in the form of verified emissions reductions (VERs), must report those transactions in the appropriate reporting field. Net GHG emissions are automatically adjusted upward to reflect the sale or transfer of any institution-generated offsets that have been included as carbon offsets (see Scoring).

Reductions should only be counted as offsets once, i.e., toward no more than one of the offset categories outlined in the credit criteria