| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85.50 |
| Liaison | Breeana Sylvas |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2022 |
University of California, Merced
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
8.00 / 8.00 |
Breeana
Sylvas Assistant Director Sustainability |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 5,398.46 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,324 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 1,329.00 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 627 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 694.68 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,164 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 | 7,422.14 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8,115 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 7,422.14 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 | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 7,422.14 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):
The offset credits were issued by the Climate Action Reserve following a rigorous project registration process used to ensure the originating offset project contributes to real and additional emission reductions.
The Climate Action Reserve offset credits have been tracked in the Climate Action Reserve using a identification number to prevent double counting and double selling. The offset credits have been retired from the Reserve permanently, no other entity can hold or retire the offset credits.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8,115 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, 2015 |
| End date | Dec. 31, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2015 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The greenhouse gas emissions baseline was established to reflect new building inventories. The baseline was also established to reflect third party verified GHG emissions output.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,600 | 1,790 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 8,847 | 6,836 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,623 | 1,355 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 8,752.50 | 6,590.75 |
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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 1.23 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 645,219 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 35,584 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 140,468 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
The campus has implemented a market-leading energy efficiency program to reduce energy consumption in buildings. The campus has a minimum LEED certification standard of GOLD and has achieve Platinum status on all except three buildings. The campus has also set aggressive conservation measures for buildings to consume half of the energy and demand of similar university buildings in California, surpassing the state of California minimum efficiency standards by upwards of thirty to fifty percent (50%).
The use of renewable energy is also a component of the campus strategy to eliminate carbon emissions output. The campus has six megawatts of solar onsite and sources clean power from the grid.
Additionally, the institution has implemented several programmatic initiatives to reduce the university's plug load including implementing the Green Labs and Green Offices program to engage students, faculty, and staff in behavior changes to reduce GHG emissions.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Baseline data is provided for 2015. The performance year is 2019.
Baseline data is provided for 2015. The performance year is 2019.
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.