Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 71.15
Liaison Sarah Stoeckl
Submission Date Aug. 1, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Oregon
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.09 / 8.00 Cimmeron Gillespie
Education & Analytics Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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 25,615.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 28,600 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 311.88 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 1,338 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 5,427.09 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 18,068 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 120 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 31,354.68 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 48,126 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 105.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 342 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 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 105.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 342 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):
The University of Oregon Campus and Grounds team maintains a 'hot pile' of aerobic composted plant matter on site. This on-site composting is for all plant matter such as tree limbs, lawn clippings, shrub and brush trimming. All matter is combined and put through a wood chipper roughly 2 times a year and the resulting compost mulch is used on campus in plant beds and soil areas. We collect tonnage information and put these data into SIMAP.

Additionally, 200 tons of pre-consumer compost from dining halls, cafes, and kitchens is collected annually on campus and is composted by a local vendor off-site. Since only limited quantities return to campus, this is not counted in the above carbon storage.

There is an onsite living-learning farm, "The Urban Farm" which composts food and plants in a cold-pile compost. Compost from the Urban Farm is not included in the carbon sink inventory.

Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 31,248.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 47,784 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 July 1, 2021 July 1, 2003
End date June 30, 2022 June 30, 2004

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The climate action plan completed in 2010 reached back to 2004 for baseline emission estimates. We have not been able to locate internal data required to corroborate the 2004 scope 1 & 2 estimates. In 2019 we updated the climate action plan and reset the baseline year to 2010. Since then, we have learned that 2010 scope 3 data (business air travel, business ground travel, and commute) are not available. 2017 is the first year that we have comprehensive scope 1, 2 & 3 data.

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 5,504 3,950
Number of employees resident on-site 16 16
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 21,781 19,301
Full-time equivalent of employees 4,709 4,377
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 191 400
Weighted Campus Users 21,104.25 18,450

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 1.48 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 2.59 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
42.83

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
9,036,258 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 342,798 Square feet
Healthcare space 33,223 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 193,336 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
9,981,636 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:
0.00 MtCO2e per square foot

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
The UO's emissions reduction initiatives/goals over the past three years are derived from the Climate Action Plan found here: https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/university-oregon-climate-action-plan

There are ongoing efforts to explore and develop alternatives to fossil fuels for heating. A formal recommendation will be shared with the University President in Fall 2023.

See the UO emissions monitoring plans:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/emissions-monitoring-and-reporting

See the UO comprehensive environmental policy:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/Policy-Sustainability

Data are shared publicly via the UO Sustainability Dashboard:
https://sustainability.uoregon.edu/climate.html

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
University of Oregon sources electricity from Eugene Water and Electric Board which reports carbon intensity factors to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. EWEB's reported carbon intensity factor has declined significantly since 2003 and accounts for much of the reduction in UO's scope 2 emissions.

The UO website with climate data is publicly available through the Sustainability Dashboard: https://sustainability.uoregon.edu/climate.html

The University of Oregon Climate Action Plan lays out the framework whereby the the institution will work to determine and implement the best methods to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. See the UO Climate Action Plan here:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/university-oregon-climate-action-plan

See the comprehensive environmental policies here:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/Policy-Sustainability

See also the UO emissions monitoring plans:
https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/emissions-monitoring-and-reporting

Finally see the Air and Climate emissions reporting page on the UO Sustainability Dashboard:
https://sustainability.uoregon.edu/climate.html

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.