Charts

The University of California’s greenhouse gas emissions systemwide decreased slightly in 2019 by roughly 1% compared to 2018, with about a 4% increase in scope 1 emissions, 20% decrease in scope 2 emissions, and a minor decrease in scope 3 emissions. Scope 2 emissions in 2020 are expected to decrease even further as the UC Power Program is now procuring 100% clean electricity. Scope 3 emissions are also expected to decrease in 2020 as a result of reduced air travel and commuting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time of this report, 61 energy efficiency projects costing about $11.5 million are expected to be completed in 2020. These projects will earn $6.1 million in incentives and are projected to avoid $2.1 million annually in energy costs, net of debt service.

In July 2019, five UC locations began participating in CEOP, and preliminary results project that many of them will have emissions reductions and, as a result, will receive incentives in the range of $1 million or more. For now, the CEOP temporarily put performance payments on hold to address the impacts of the coronavirus on operations.

Energy use intensity (EUI) is the industry standard metric to report relative energy use. EUIs are calculated by summing up all of the energy used by a location and dividing by the associated square footage. EUIs should not be compared from location to location, as weather and building types drive energy use.

UC Power supplies approximately 25% of the University’s electricity use to eight campuses and three health systems that are eligible to select alternative energy providers. Pursuant to a limited expansion of customer choice recently enacted in California, participation in UC Power will increase by 20-30% in 2021.

The University’s supply portfolio for UC Power includes power generated by two Fresno County solar projects under long-term contracts, as well as other renewable and clean energy sources. The portfolio will soon also include generation from a third long-term contract for California-sited solar, which will also supply Renewable Energy Credits to campuses and accounts that are not served by UC Power.

The University now has 352 LEED certified building projects, totalling over 29 million square feet. UC’s Sustainable Practices Policy also requires energy-efficient design above and beyond LEED certification. In fiscal year 2019-20, three UC projects qualified to register with their local utility company’s Savings By Design program in order to receive over $850,000 in energy efficiency incentives. On average, these projects exceeded the energy provisions of California’s Building Code by 35% and are projected to save approximately $260,000 annually in avoided energy costs.

UC reported on green spend goals for the second year in a row. However, the coronavirus pandemic impacted UC’s these goals. Spend in the cleaning supplies categories was compromised, for example, and many campuses had to seek out new suppliers because of product shortages. Systemwide, UC continues to meet its green goals in the categories of cleaning supplies, electronics, and indoor office furniture. However, individual UC locations are still purchasing products that do not meet minimum sustainability policy requirements in these categories.

In the future, UC hopes to report data on water appliances and fixtures, as well as compostable food service ware. Additionally, because of data limitations, campus-level data on office supplies is not available this year. UC hopes to report more product category data for campuses in the future as well.

The University of California reduced its water usage by 47% from the three-year average baseline of 236,048 gallons per capita.

Due to COVID-19 public health orders that resulted in a lower census systemwide, per capita water use calculations reflect a greater than predicted reduction in overall water use. Currently, all campuses, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the UC Office of the President are on track to achieve the interim goal of 20% reduction by the 2020-21 fiscal year. 

In fiscal year 2019-20, per capita waste generation for UC campuses was at 1.2 pounds per person per day, which is a 12% decrease from last year, and a 28% decrease from the baseline year, fiscal year 2015-16. The decrease in per capita waste generation is also likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to campus closures that occurred in early March 2020.

The University’s long-term waste goals were unfortunately impacted by the pandemic. In fiscal year 2019-20, campuses diverted 62% of their municipal solid waste, and when including construction and demolition debris information, the diversion rate increased to 67%. Unfortunately, the observed diversion rates dropped slightly from the previous year, which can likely be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated decreased populations on campus, dramatic shifts in materials accepted for recycling, and the cancelation of large coordinated recycling efforts and events that normally take place every year, such as move-out and department clean-outs.