Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.82
Liaison Rebecca Collins
Submission Date Dec. 10, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Temple University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.14 / 10.00 Rebecca Collins
Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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 All
Commuting All
Purchased goods and services None
Capital goods None
Waste generated in operations All
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 All
Other categories None

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 Greenhouse Gas Inventory quantifies Temple’s anthropogenic GHG emissions from energy consumption, waste disposal, agricultural activities, use of chemicals and refrigerants, and commuter transportation choices and tracks emissions of three primary greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Greenhouse Gas reporting includes only those campuses where the university has operational control and can enforce a change in policy (Main, Ambler, Health Sciences, Podiatric and Tyler campuses). Using the methodology of CarbonMAP (http://campuscarbon.com), GHG emissions are expressed in Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (MTeCO2). The individual greenhouse gases are converted to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the global warming potential (GWP) of the respective gases to convert them to common units. The total MTeCO2 is the sum of the emissions from each source. Previous inventories were generated using Clean Air – Cool Planet’s Campus Carbon Calculator. Temple’s emissions data is recalculated annually to reflect updates to emission factors and global warming potentials.

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?:
Yes

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

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

Part 2 

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 54,909 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 57,174 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 1,640 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2,565 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 53,034 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 104,559 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources 694 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 278 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 110,277 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 164,576 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, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Year July 1, 2005 June 30, 2006

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):
Full greenhouse gas inventory report released in May 2009 - Fiscal year 2006 was considered the year with the most complete and reliable data and was established as the baseline year.

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

If total performance year carbon offsets are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the offsets in each category reported above, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Temple substantially expanded its green power procurement in FY2016 by allocating a portion of its utility budget to purchase additional renewable energy credits (RECs). By doing this, Temple became an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner in 2017 for utilizing green power RECs for 25 percent of its total electricity needs.

The reporting fields in the table below are reserved for institutions that have NOT already accounted for renewable energy purchases (including RECs and GOs) in their Scope 2 GHG emissions calculations. Other institutions - including all SIMAP users - should report zero ('0') to avoid double-counting. 

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 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

A brief description of the purchased RECs/GOs including vendor, project source and verification program:
Purchased RECs FY2017: Vendor: Direct Energy Source: National Wind Verification: Green-e Temple substantially expanded its green power procurement in FY2016 by allocating a portion of its utility budget to purchase additional renewable energy credits (RECs). By doing this, Temple became an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner in 2017 for utilizing green power RECs for 25 percent of its total electricity needs.

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 110,277 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 164,576 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 5,366 4,550
Number of employees resident on-site 12 12
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 1 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 36,541 25,280
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 7,571 6,478
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 787 0
Weighted campus users 33,839.25 24,959

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 3.26 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 6.59 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
50.58

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
10,908,684 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 991,354.23 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
12,891,392.46 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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 7,890 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 35,595 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Purchased goods and services ---
Capital goods ---
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 ---
Waste generated in operations ---
Other categories ---

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
• Renewable energy purchases amounting to 20% of the university’s overall energy consumption; • Resigning of the President’s Climate Commitment which has been adapted to include both climate and resiliency goals; • LEED certification of six campus buildings; • Implementation of the Continuous Automated Commissioning pilot software system; • Continuation of the implementation phase of the Utility Master Plan’s energy conservation measures (ECM) with the assistance of The Efficiency Network. Completed projects include: lighting upgrades at the Carlisle Parking Garage, Klein Law Building, Liacouras Garage, Pearson and McGonigle Halls, Pearson Gym, Presser Hall basement; and, campus wide pipe and equipment insulation upgrades.

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:
Includes data through end of FY2019

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.