Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 83.80
Liaison Breeana Sylvas
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of California, Merced
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.20 / 10.00
"---" 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 None
Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 None
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:
All emissions are reported to Second Nature. The university also reports GHG emissions annually to the UC Office of the President. The Climate Registry and epa.gov provide up-to-date emission factors for each emission source. The university also uses an emission factor provided by its utility provider to calculate scope 2 emissions. Calculated emissions are generated through utility usage, transportation, and travel data. Scope 3 emissions are calculated using air and commuter miles.

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:
The emission inventory has been internally reviewed. The campus has also within the reporting time frame provided GHG emissions documentation to Ruby Canyon Engineering to carry out an audit to verify/correct greenhouse gas accounting.

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 3,419 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3,324 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 626 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 627 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity 2,740 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 4,164 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 6,785 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):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2017 Dec. 31, 2017
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

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 greenhouse gas emissions baseline was established to reflect new building inventories. The baseline was also established to reflect third party verified GHG emissions output. UC Merced is expanding and growing, calendar year 2015 is reflective of an appropriate time-frame for the campus.

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):
---

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:
---

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 6,785 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,115 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,293 1,790
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 8,038 6,836
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,443 1,355
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 7,684 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 0.88 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:
28.29

Part 3

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,777,565 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 221,658 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 61,903 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,282,784 Gross square feet

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

Optional Fields 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
Emissions
Business travel 1,377 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Commuting 2,895 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 0 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:
The institution has included 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 output.

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:
Baseline data is provided for 2015. The performance year is 2017.

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.