| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.67 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2024 |
University of Pittsburgh
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.83 / 3.00 |
Keith
Duval Health and Safety Environmental Health & Safety |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
Completion of the University of Pittsburgh's annual greenhouse gas inventory is led by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation in partnership with the Office of Sustainability and many collaborators across campus. Pitt's GHG inventories are all quantified via SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform).
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?:
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
Pitt's now annual greenhouse gas inventorying process is led by Dr. Melissa Bilec and her graduate students in the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, in partnership with and reviewed by Dr. Aurora Sharrard, the University's Executive Director of Sustainability. Information and data is gathered from many functional areas of the University. Data and results were validated by internal stakeholders across departments, including the University's' Carbon Commitment Committee of the Chancellor's Advisory Council on Sustainability.
Final results were presented to the Chancellor's Advisory Council on Sustainability.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 34,880 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 2,821 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 64,777 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 20,310 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 11,540 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 12,225 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 5,354.63 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | No | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 14,122 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 1,955 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | Yes | 5,043 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
The University of Pittsburgh tracks Scope 3 emissions in the following categories: Faculty & Staff Commuting, Student Commuting, Directly Financed Air Travel, Other Directly Financed Travel, Study Abroad Air Travel, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Paper, Food, Electricity Transmission & Distribution Losses, and Fuel & Energy Related Activities.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 11.90 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 0.60 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 5.50 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0.70 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 1.30 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 0 Tons |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | Yes |
| Area sources | Yes |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
The University was issued a Title V Major Source Operating Permit on 12/19/13. The permit establishes pollutant limits for boilers, spray booths, and emergency generators. All of the sources have been identified and inventoried. The University submits required semiannual reports as well as annual air emission inventory statements to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). The emission weights provided above are from the University's Emission Inventory Statement provided to ACHD in March 2023 for calendar year 2022. This section updated by Pitt Environmental Health & Safety on 9/14/23.
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
All Pitt GHG Inventories from FY08 through FY22 are online - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/commitments-reports/
The Pitt Sustainability Dashboard also visualized all Pittsburgh campus GHG inventory results - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/dashboard/
Part 2 Air Pollution EI annual weights provided by Pitt's Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) from Emission Inventory Report (3/2023) for the 2022 reporting year.
All Pitt GHG Inventories from FY08 through FY22 are online - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/commitments-reports/
The Pitt Sustainability Dashboard also visualized all Pittsburgh campus GHG inventory results - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/dashboard/
Part 2 Air Pollution EI annual weights provided by Pitt's Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) from Emission Inventory Report (3/2023) for the 2022 reporting year.
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.