CURRENT EFFORTS Building on a Strong Foundation
CH4 SF6
Led by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, Pitt began actively tracking its greenhouse gas inventory for fiscal year (FY) 2008, with five GHG Inventories complete (for FY08, FY11, FY14, FY17 and FY19). Led by Dr. Melissa Bilec (MCSI/CEE) and performed by graduate students, the Pitt GHG Inventory data and process is incredibly important; their existence helped set the institution’s science-based reduction and neutrality targets – and will evaluate our progress moving forward. As part of our Carbon Commitment, we are now updating our GHG Inventory for the Pittsburgh campus annually, with the FY20 inventory underway.
N 2O
HFCs
GREENHOUSE GASES CO2
NF3
SCOPE 2 INDIRECT EMISSIONS Purchased Electricity Steam from Bellefield Boiler Plant Transmission & Distribution Electricity Losses
PFCs
=
Converted to carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
SCOPE 3 SCOPE 1 DIRECT EMISSIONS FROM COMBUSTION
OTHER INDIRECT EMISSIONS Commuter Travel Air Travel Other Pitt-Sponsored Travel Paper Purchasing Solid Waste Wastewater
Pitt and other universities follow international methods Steam from Carrillo Street Steam Plant and emission factors provided by the GHG Protocol; Pitt’s Natural Gas to Buildings inventories have used the SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Pitt Fleet Vehicles Management and Analysis Platform) online tool since Refrigerants & Chemicals the FY14 GHG inventory. Figure 4 illustrates the three scopes of GHG emissions tracked and reported for the Figure 4. Greenhouse Gas Scopes and Categories in Pitt’s Inventories Pittsburgh campus. The largest scope for universities (including Pitt) is Scope 2 (Indirect Emissions), which includes GHG emissions from purchased electricity as • Leased Space is not included, though it is ~10% of all • Investments are not accounted for in Pitt’s GHG well as thermal steam energy from the Bellefield Boiler Pitt-occupied space. Evolving University space needs Inventory or carbon neutral goal, nor is it common Plant (see “District Energy”). require revisiting this limitation annually as part of the practice for universities to account for the GHG inventory process, especially once better information on emissions of their endowments in campus inventories. SIMAP converts all GHGs to a carbon dioxide equivalent, leased space utilization and utility consumption exists. As laid out in the international GHG Protocol, emissions or CO2e, which is the primary unit of our inventories and from investments are counted by public and private analysis. • Embodied carbon (CO2 emissions resulting from the companies that provide financial services (e.g., banks life-cycle of construction materials and processes) is and credit agencies). GHG Inventory Exclusions not included in our current inventory, though both Pitt faculty research and facilities management’s • Food – In 2019, Pitt was one of the first global Though Pitt’s GHG data is comprehensive for the new construction projects are exploring its impact. universities to sign the Cool Food Pledge to reduce GHG Pittsburgh campus, the following categories are not Additionally, Pitt’s facilities’ design guidelines encourage emissions from meals 25% by 2030. This goal supports included – and thus not included in GHG reduction design teams to explore using materials that have the PittCAP’s intent, but was not included in our FY19 potential in this CAP: lower primary material embodied carbon compared to GHG inventory or accounted for in this PittCAP. It • Regional Campuses. This plan’s scope is the Pittsburgh equivalent baselines, along with conserving embodied could be added in the future in the Scope 3 emissions campus only. Regional campuses represent future life cycle energy by considering durable, regionally category; Pitt’s 2017 Cool Food GHG baseline showed opportunities, including to the extent that Pittsburgh manufactured, salvaged, remanufactured, reusable, total food-related carbon costs of 39,780 MT CO2e, procurement and contracts cascade to the four regional recycled-content, rapidly renewable, recyclable, and/or of which 8,183 MT CO2e are from agricultural supply campuses. biodegradable materials and products. chains.
12
University of Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan
