Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.91
Liaison Elizabeth MacKenzie
Submission Date June 25, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Iowa
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.95 / 8.00 Brinda Shetty
Program Manager
Office of Sustainability and the Environment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 148,015.80 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 284,326.07 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 85,261.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 263,613.93 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 233,277.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 547,940 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 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 storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ---
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

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

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
---

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 233,277.20 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 547,940 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2023 July 1, 2004
End date Dec. 31, 2023 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:

The baseline year of 2005 was adopted because it was the year in which the University of Iowa joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (which has since been disbanded) and was thus an important year for setting goals in sustainability for the University.


Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 6,415 5,572
Number of employees resident on-site 15 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 5 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 29,140 26,112
Full-time equivalent of employees 10,982 8,895
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,958 739.93
Weighted Campus Users 30,235.50 27,093.30

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

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 7.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 20.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
61.85

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
14,912,991 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 1,539,932 Square feet
Healthcare space 97,309 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 327,116 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
18,514,589 Gross square feet

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

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

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:

The university is transitioning away from coal as the primary fuel at the power plant which is reducing air emissions.


Building efficiency and fault detection updgrades have been implemented in many main campus buildings.


Since the COVID-19 pandemic, university policy allows some employees to work remotely. 


Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

As the university shifts away from coal as the primary fuel in the power plant, reportable air emissions from the power plant are decreasing. Comparing emissions from the years 2020 and 2023 show significant decreases in criteria pollutant emissions including SO2, NOx, VOC, CO, PM, PM10, and PM 2.5. Reportable emissions in 2023 were almost 300 tons less than reported emissions in 2020.


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.