| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.37 |
| Liaison | Jay Price |
| Submission Date | April 3, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
8.24 / 10.00 |
Preston
Jacobsen Sustainability Manager Facilities Services |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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 | All |
| Commuting | All |
| Purchased goods and services | Some |
| Capital goods | Some |
| Waste generated in operations | All |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Some |
| 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 University of New Hampshire's Campus Carbon Calculator is a tool that helps organizations determine how much they are contributing to global climate change and better manage their GHG emissions. It is an MS Excel-based spreadsheet tool that provides procedural protocols and framework for investigation of campus GHG emissions. For Scope 3 emissions, the commuting data was derived from a commuting survey that was distributed to a subset of campus faculty, staff and students. The Office of Sustainability received data covering Directly Financed Outsourced Travel (rental cars, trains, taxis, ubers, ferries, buses, and mileage reimbursement) and used that data to calculate miles traveled by each mode. The Office of Sustainability received data regarding student study abroad trips and calculated air miles flown. For the paper inventory, a report of eMarketPlace purchases was acquired and filtered, along with Office of Sustainability staff emailing department purchasing heads to receive data for paper that was purchased outside of the widely used eMarketplace. Wastewater data was provided by Facilities Services director, and the UT Sustainability Manager provided REC offset data.
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 internal and/or external verification process:
This document has been verified by Facilities Services managers as well as by a full-time data analysis coordinator on staff at the Office of Sustainability.
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):
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 63,429 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 61,186 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 7,432 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7,436 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 142,213 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 173,384 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 213,074 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 242,006 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, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
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):
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 | 1 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 302 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 38 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 | 302 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 39 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):
Food waste from all campus dining locations and select buildings as well as used paper towels from multiple buildings across campus are collected and taken to our composting facility off Cherokee Trail. Once there, the this waste is combined with wood chips and separated into long piles called windrows. The windrows allow the wastes to biodegrade aerobically, which is faster and reduces the potential for methane production. Periodically, the windrows are turned and watered to manage temperature and biodegredation.
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 | 150,038 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 4,430 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
The RECs purchased are Green-e Energy Certified with a product content of 99.1% wind, 9% solar sourced from Illinois and Tennessee. A portion of RECs were bought as part of TVA's Green Power Switch® Southeastern RECs pilot, however the majority were bought from Renewable Choice Energy.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions | 70,559 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 237,537 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 8,739 | 8,132 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 11 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 609 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 25,726.70 | 24,998.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 7,245.90 | 7,986 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 140 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 27,420.95 | 26,771.60 |
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 | 2.57 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 8.87 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 | 993,018 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 114,681 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 214,680 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:
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 14,237 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 27,707 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 1,026 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 14,358 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 6,132 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories | 5,023 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
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:
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.