Worcester Polytechnic Institute
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Part 1

Institution has conducted a publicly available greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory that includes, at minimum, Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and may also include Scope 3 GHG emissions. The inventory may be validated internally by campus personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party.

Part 2

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

Part 3

Institution’s annual adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions are less than the minimum performance threshold of 0.02 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) per gross square foot (0.002 MtCO2e per gross square metre) of floor area.

Performance for Part 3 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.

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

1. Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets (popularly known as “local offsets”)
2. Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration (as documented in policies, land management plans or the equivalent)
3. Carbon storage from on-site composting
4. Third-party verified purchased carbon offsets

Purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that are either Green-e Energy certified or meet Green-e Energy’s technical requirements and are verified as such by a third party may be counted as zero emissions energy for purposes of Scope 2 GHG accounting.

Purchased carbon offsets and RECs that have not been third-party verified do not count.

Institutions that have sold or transferred emissions reductions, e.g. in the form of verified emissions reductions (VERs), may not count those reductions toward this credit.

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 Section E: Reporting Fields is entered in the online Reporting Tool.

Scoring for Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit are based on adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, a measure of an institution’s overall climate impact (emissions minus carbon offsets generated). STARS calculates the figure according to the following formula:

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions = { [A + B] – (C + D + E + F) }

A = Scope 1 GHG emissions (MtCO2e)
B = Scope 2 GHG emissions (MtCO2e)
C = Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated (MtCO2e)
D = Carbon sequestration (MtCO2e)
E = Carbon storage from on-site composting (MtCO2e)
F = Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (MtCO2e)

Part 1

An institution earns the maximum of 2 points available for Part 1 of this credit when its publicly available GHG emissions inventory has been validated or verified (internally or by a third party) and covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and emissions from 6 categories of Scope 3 GHG emissions (see table in the STARS Technical Manual). Partial points are available based on the categories of emissions included in the inventory and whether or not the inventory has been verified.

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 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 2).

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 2 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 greenhouse gas emissions, baseline year (MtCO2e)
B = Weighted campus users, baseline year
C = Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, performance year (MtCO2e)
D = Weighted campus users, performance year

Part 3

Institutions earn the maximum of 4 points available for Part 3 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 0.02 MtCO2e per gross square foot (0.002 MtCO2e per gross square metre) 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 3).

Scoring for Part 3 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. Points for Part 3 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 foot/metre)
B = Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, performance year (MtCO2e)
C = EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year (square feet/metres)

See scoring tables and examples in the STARS Technical Manual.

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 annualized 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 during its first STARS submission, but would be able to use its newly established baseline for subsequent submissions. 

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 annualized 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

To conduct a GHG emissions inventory, campuses may use Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Campus Carbon Calculator or Carbon Management and Analysis Platform (CarbonMAP), or any methodology and/or calculator that is consistent with the World Resources Institute (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard and/or the Scope 3 calculation guidance provided by WRI.

An institution that includes Scope 3 emissions for some but not all of the activities included in each category should report those emissions under “Scope 3 emissions from other categories”. For example, an institution that includes Scope 3 emissions from its paper purchases, but not from other purchased goods and services, should report that data under “Scope 3 emissions from other categories” rather than “Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services”.

Institutions may use any commonly accepted forest sector protocol to report carbon sequestration, for example Climate Action Reserve’s Forest Project Protocol, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ Framework for Forest Management Offset Protocols (pdf), or the Compliance Offset Protocols (COP) adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). On and off-campus projects may be counted.