Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison Austin Sutherland
Submission Date Feb. 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Pennsylvania
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.04 / 10.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
Yes

Does the institution’s GHG emissions inventory include all, some or none of its Scope 3 GHG emissions from the following categories?:
All, Some, or None
Business travel Some
Commuting Some
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations Some
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
Other categories Some

A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory, including how the institution accounted for each category of Scope 3 emissions reported above:

The Penn GHG emissions inventory is conducted by a research group within the the Penn School of Design: the Center for Environmental Building + Design (CEB+D). The GHG emissions are calculated according to the WRI GHG Protocol with adjustments by the CEB+D to conform the accounting to Penn’s district energy systems. Some emissions categories are estimates and carried forward year-to-year. These estimates and their calculations are being reevaluated and will be appropriately updated.


Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
No

A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Documentation to support the internal and/or external verification process:
---

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 and Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions):
Yes

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 1,620 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,620 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 2,214 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,236 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 121,567 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 145,932 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 70,360 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 74,925 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 195,761 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 224,713 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2016 June 30, 2017
Baseline Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):

The 2014 baseline was adopted with the release of the CAP 2.0. Some emissions categories are estimates and carried forward year-to-year. These estimates and their calculations are being reevaluated and will be appropriately updated.


Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased (exclude purchased RECs/GOs) 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 sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration 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 offsets included above for which the emissions reductions have been sold or transferred by the institution 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon offsets 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):

The University of Pennsylvania entered into an agreement with NextEra Energy Power Marketing LLC to purchase Green-e Energy Certifiable Wind Energy RECs (vintage 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018) for 200,000 RECs for each Vintage.


Emissions reductions attributable to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) or Guarantee of Origin (GO) purchases:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Emissions reductions attributable to REC/GO purchases 71,992 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 74,611 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:

The University of Pennsylvania entered into an agreement with NextEra Energy Power Marketing LLC to purchase Green-e Energy Certifiable Wind Energy RECs (vintage 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018) for 200,000 RECs for each Vintage.


Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 123,769 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 150,102 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 6,380 6,494
Number of employees resident on-site 50 50
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 50 30
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 21,358 21,296
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 17,354 16,710
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 1
Weighted campus users 30,691.50 30,169.75

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 4.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
18.95

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
15,864,661 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 3,622,403 Square feet
Healthcare space 221,225 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
23,551,917 Gross square feet

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

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 66,185 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 11,817 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Capital goods 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Waste generated in operations 4,875 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Other categories 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:

Penn's "Climate Action Plan 2.0" is the guiding document for greenhouse gas reductions on campus.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Please note, the number of employee residents is an approximation.

The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2014 "Climate Action Plan 2.0". This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been referenced and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.


Please note, the number of employee residents is an approximation.

The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2014 "Climate Action Plan 2.0". This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been referenced and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.

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.