2008 DRAFT
Environmental Issues Committee Final Report
Summary:
In April 2007
University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer signed the American College and
University PresidentÕs Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The University of Oregon is now preparing a Climate Action
Plan (CAP) to guide its emissions reduction work. The complete document is due in October 2009. Work on the CAP is currently
proceeding along two parallel tracks.
Under the direction of Steve Mital, Director of Sustainability, specific
recommendations for actions are being developed with input from staff, faulty
and students whose technical expertise includes the central plant maintenance,
heating and cooling buildings, transportation, and purchasing. These recommendations will largely respond
to the question of how to reduce emissions. The Environmental Issues Committee (EIC) evaluated
normative concerns and its work responds to the question of which emissions the
University should be responsible for under the CAP, what our goals ought to be,
and how we should measure our progress.
The following document describes an emissions classification framework
which includes the responsibility the UO has in each of the listed areas, and
recommendations for actions to reduce emissions in alignment with the
ACUPCC. This report contains
a list of goals but not an associated timeline along which to achieve those
goals (except for Class I emissions as defined on the following page).
Classifying
Emissions: (from the Carbon Disclosure ProjectÕs website)
Due to the
international explosion of concern over climate change and its causes
governments and businesses have begun to develop emissions profiles for their
activities. A commonly accepted
framework for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions soon became necessary.
Several years ago the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released Greenhouse Gas
Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Revised Edition). It is now the standard method for
classifying and quantifying carbon emissions. The Protocol defines three ÒscopesÓ for carbon emissions
accounting in order to distinguish between ÒdirectÓ and ÒindirectÓ emissions,
to promote transparency and consistency and to ensure, as far as possible, that
no two companies account for the same emissions.
Scope
1 - Scope 1 emissions
occur from sources that are owned or controlled by a company, such as
combustion facilities (e.g.: boilers, furnaces, burners, turbines, heaters, incinerators,
engines, flares etc), combustion of fuels in transportation (e.g.: cars, buses,
planes, ships, barges, trains etc), and physical or chemical processes.
Scope
2 - Scope 2 emissions
are from the generation by another party of electricity that is purchased and
consumed by the company. This is described as Òpurchased electricity.Ó
Scope
3 - Scope 3 covers all
indirect emissions (other than from purchased electricity) that occur from
sources that are not owned or controlled by the company. Examples include
extraction, manufacture and production of purchased materials, transportation
of purchased fuels and use of sold products and services, business travel and
employee commuting in vehicles not owned or controlled by the company, and
emissions associated with waste management.
The WRI/WBCSD
GHG Protocol considers the quantification of Scope 3 emissions as optional when
preparing an overall corporate GHG inventory, as do similar protocols such as
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program. One reason
for this is that one companyÕs Scope 3 emissions are other companiesÕ Scope 1
or Scope 2 emissions. If everyone were implementing the full GHG Protocol
(including Scope 3 emissions), it would result in the same emissions being
counted a number of times. In addition, a company is not likely to be regulated
on its Scope 3 emissions in the future, whereas it might be for its Scope 1 and
Scope 2 emissions.
University
of Oregon Classification of and Responsibility for Emissions:
The table on the
following pages is influenced by the WRI/WBCSD protocol. We organized the UOÕs emissions into
four categories. Class I emissions
translate into scope one and scope two emissions. Class II, Class III and Class IV emissions each represent a
piece of scope three emissions. During the 2007-08 academic year, the EIC
defined each emissions class and provided examples of sources of emissions for
each class. Recommendations for
the UOÕs responsibilities for each emissions class are then given followed by recommended
goals, actions, measurement units, and monitoring requirements.
EIC
Committee Chair for 2008-09
Professor Art
Farley was nominated by outgoing committee chair Chuck Kalnbach to chair the
Environmental Issues Committee for the 2008-09 academic year. Committee members present at the June
12th meeting unanimously supported the motion and Professor Farley accepted the
position.
EIC
issues for 2008-09 Academic Year:
During the
2007-08 academic year the EIC identified and resolved numerous important
questions related to the UOÕs climate action plan. The EIC will address the
following questions that it did not have time to deliberate when its monthly
meetings resume in the Fall Õ08.
1. Buildings owned by UO and leased by UO
will be included in the GHG emissions report. Should buildings that UO leases to others be included in the
GHG emissions report?
2. What criteria should be used to determine
which types carbon offset projects are acceptable?
3. What criteria should be used to determine
which carbon offset organizations the UO should work with?
4. Can UO claim carbon offset credits for
our commuter programs?
5. How broadly should Class III emissions be
interpreted? Do they include
emissions from fan travel to sporting events, graduation ceremonies,
conferences and lectures? Or is it
limited to commute travel from current faculty, staff, and students?
Class I:
Physical infrastructure |
||
Definition |
Emissions that result
from the daily operation of all UO owned or leased property. |
|
Sources |
UO Central Power Station,
purchased electricity, refrigerants, vehicles owned by UO, emissions
resulting from water treatment, delivery, and waste water management. |
|
EIC DRAFT Recommendations |
UO Responsibility |
UO will take action to
reduce these emissions as much as possible and neutralize the remaining Class
I emissions by purchasing carbon offsets. |
Goals |
Use 1990 as a baseline
year. Reduce and offset emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010, 40% below
1990 levels by 2020 and 100% below 1990 levels by 2050. This allows UO to benefit from its
existing efficiency work up through the first two interim timelines. These goals are more aggressive than
current goals for state owned buildings that aim for stabilization by 2010,
10% reduction by 2020 and 50% reduction by 2050. |
|
Actions |
Draft recommendations
to be developed by Sustainable Buildings technical working group. |
|
Measurement |
Measure carbon
emissions for all buildings owned or leased by UO in absolute terms, per
building square foot, and per full time student. Use only the second two
measurements to gauge success.
Imbedded emissions in water shall be estimated using figures provided
by EWEB and the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission. |
|
Monitoring |
Annual monitoring and
reporting organized into three categories: 1) contiguous main campus
properties and their associated vehicles, 2) all other properties in Eugene
and their associated vehicles, and 3) all other properties and vehicles
associated with those properties.
Annual monitoring of second two categories to be completed when data
becomes readily accessible. |
|
Class II:
Direct transportation activities |
||
Definition |
Emissions resulting
from travel conducted on behalf of and/or sanctioned by the University of
Oregon. |
|
Sources |
Auto travel for
university business, faculty and staff air travel, athletic staff and student
travel, student travel to and from UO sanctioned study abroad programs. |
|
EIC DRAFT Recommendations |
UO Responsibility |
UO will develop
baseline Class II emissions profile, take action to reduce these emissions as
much as possible, and neutralize the remaining Class II emissions by
purchasing carbon offsets. |
Goals |
Reduce business travel
where appropriate. Encourage transportation modes that emit fewer
emissions. Develop carbon offset
programs for travel emissions. |
|
Actions |
Work with Department
of Administrative Services to develop appropriate monitoring program and
increase MPG requirements for motor pool vehicles. Additional recommendations to be developed by Sustainable
Transportation technical working group. |
|
Measurement |
Measure carbon
emissions in absolute terms and per user. |
|
Monitoring |
Annual monitoring for
vehicle miles. Annual monitoring
for air miles once system is operational. |
Class III:
Indirect transportation activities |
||
Definition |
Emissions resulting
from travel to and from campus by current users that is not paid for by the
University of Oregon. The exception to this rule is student travel to and
from UO sanctioned Study Abroad program sites. |
|
Sources |
Daily commute travel. |
|
EIC DRAFT Recommendations |
UO Responsibility |
UO will continue to
provide and support safe low-carbon alternatives for automobile travel.
However, UO will not be responsible for mitigating or offsetting commute
related emissions. These emissions are not directly under UO control. |
Goals |
Provide and support
transportation alternatives for all faculty, staff, and students. |
|
Actions |
Draft recommendations
to be developed by Transportation Working Group. |
|
Measurement |
Estimate carbon
emissions per user. |
|
Monitoring |
Conduct survey to
estimate commute emissions every 5 years. |
|
Class
IV: Goods and Services |
||
Definition |
Emissions resulting
during any stage of the life cycle (manufacturing, processing, distribution,
decay) of materials purchased for use by the University of Oregon. |
|
Sources |
Imbedded energy and
greenhouse gas emissions in purchases (food, paper, computers, construction
materials, etc). |
|
EIC DRAFT Recommendations |
UO Responsibility |
UO will continue to
support and enhance the Campus Recycling program (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and
purchase wisely. UO will not be
responsible to mitigate or offset remaining emissions associated with its
goods and services as these are Scope 1 and 2 emissions from the businesses
that manufactured and/or provided these goods and/or services. |
Goals |
UO will consider
embodied energy in all of its purchases and reduce these related emissions
through smarter purchasing decisions. |
|
Actions |
Draft recommendations
generated by Purchasing working group. |
|
Measurement |
To be developed as
tools and procedures become available. |
|
Monitoring |
To be developed as
tools and procedures become available. |
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