| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.49 |
| Liaison | Richard Johnson |
| Submission Date | Nov. 11, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Rice University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Does the institution have current and formal plans to advance sustainability in the following areas? Do the plans include measurable objectives?:
| Current and Formal Plans (Yes or No) | Measurable Objectives (Yes or No) | |
| Curriculum |
No
Date Revised: Nov. 26, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: Nov. 26, 2014
|
| Research (or other scholarship) | Yes | Yes |
| Campus Engagement | No | No |
| Public Engagement | No | No |
| Air and Climate | Yes | Yes |
| Buildings | Yes | Yes |
| Dining Services/Food | No | No |
| Energy | Yes | Yes |
| Grounds | Yes | Yes |
| Purchasing | No | No |
| Transportation | No | No |
| Waste | No | No |
| Water | No | No |
| Diversity and Affordability | Yes | Yes |
| Health, Wellbeing and Work | --- | --- |
| Investment | No | No |
| Other | No | No |
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Curriculum:
This fall, sustainability director Richard Johnson will co-chair a committee to review environmental curricular offerings at Rice, with the intent of identifying opportunities and gaps, and potentially proposing new curricular and degree offerings.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Curriculum plan(s):
The goal is for the committee to complete its work by the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Curriculum plan(s):
The effort will be coordinated by the director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Research (or other scholarship):
In Fiscal Year 2011, the Rice University Office of Research issued an annual report that identified as its first objective in 2012 to “launch a five-year energy and environment initiative – the e-squared initiative – that is sustainable and well funded through diverse sources.” This research plan can be found at http://research.rice.edu/FY11AnnualReport/ and the specific commitment is on page 2.
The Energy and Environment Initiative has since been created and is one of the key university-wide research initiatives for Rice University. The mission, vision, and objectives for this initiative can be found at http://eei.rice.edu/mission-vision/ The mission is “To engage the best of Rice’s multi-disciplinary research faculty and students in collaboration with industry, government, NGO’s, and private citizens to create the transformations required to meet the energy challenges of the future. Energy sustainability will require environmental, socio-economic, scientific, and engineering solutions. Sustainability requires environmental responsibility, energy security, affordability and transformative solutions to assure our future.”
Date Revised: Dec. 10, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Research plan(s):
The measurable objective in the Office of Research’s 2011 Annual Report was to create an Energy and Environment Initiative, and the timeframe was to do so in 2012, as described on page 2 of http://research.rice.edu/FY11AnnualReport/ Page 9 of that report highlights the initiation of an inclusive process of workshops as part of the strategy to engage faculty to create campus dialogue about energy and environmental scholarship.
The measurable objective of the Energy and Environment Initiative would be “transformative contributions from the basic sciences, engineering, public policy, the social sciences and the humanities” as described at http://eei.rice.edu/about
Date Revised: Dec. 10, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Research plan(s):
The Energy and Environment Initiative answers to the Provost's Office.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Campus Engagement around sustainability:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Campus Engagement plan:
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Campus Engagement plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Public Engagement around sustainability:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Public Engagement plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Public Engagement plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Air and Climate:
Rice University has created RICEMaP, the Rice Integrated Climate and Energy Master Plan. RICEMaP contains Rice's Climate Action Plan. Rice has identified a goal of becoming carbon neutral in 25 years (2038) and in achieving a 20% reduction in emissions in 10 years.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Air and Climate plan(s):
Rice has identified a goal of becoming carbon neutral in 25 years (2038) and in achieving a 20% reduction in emissions in 10 years.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Air and Climate plan(s):
RICEMaP is led by the Facilities Engineering and Planning department. In particular, the Director of the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management is responsible for stewarding the Climate Action Plan portion of RICEMaP.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Buildings:
Rice requires all new buildings to achieve a LEED certification of at least silver. This includes new residential and academic buildings. This requirement is contained in the policy for future development of the campus. At every step in the process of developing a new building, the LEED certification is called up as a measurement for sustainable development.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Buildings plan(s):
The measurable objective are those outlined by the LEED certification process, and in attaining the level of LEED-Silver.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Buildings plan(s):
This goal is managed by Facilities Engineering & Planning department.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Dining Services/Food:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Energy:
Also included in RICEMaP are a number of building energy audits. Based on the studies, Rice was able to identify the most energy intensive buildings and set goals to make them more energy efficient. Rice began implementing the recommendations of one of the building energy audits in 2014, with plans to expand this further in the 2014-2015 academic year.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Energy plan(s):
The aim is to reduce the energy use of each building by making energy efficiency improvements. (typically those with paybacks of 5 years or less)
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Energy plan(s):
Facilities Engineering & Planning is in charge of RICEMaP.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Grounds:
The landscape master plan features sustainability as a key point.
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Grounds plan(s):
the measurable objective would include the implementation of a greenway and the development of system for providing irrigation from sustainable water sources
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Grounds plan(s):
Facilities Engineering & Planning manages the landscape master plan.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Purchasing:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Purchasing plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Purchasing plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Transportation:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Transportation plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Transportation plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Waste:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Waste plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Waste plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Water:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Water plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Water plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Diversity and Affordability:
Rice’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion oversees the Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI). The CODI has working groups for the following topical areas: Campus Climate; EEO/Affirmative Action/Human Resources and Disability Services; Faculty Recruitment and Development; Faculty Research, Centers, Institutes, and Programs; Gender and Sexuality; International Students and Scholars; Multicultural Alumni Affairs; Multicultural Graduate Studies and Life; and Multicultural Undergraduate Life.
Each of these working groups has formal goals that are reported as part of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Annual Report. The 2012-2013 Annual Report can be found at the following url, and the goals contained within each subsection constitute in effect a formal plan for Rice within the area of diversity.
http://diversity.rice.edu/Site/docs/CODI%202013%20ANNUAL%20RPT%20%207%2017%2013.pdf
Date Revised: Nov. 26, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
One of the goals for the upcoming year 2014-2015 is a required online training that is being rolled out in beta. It includes awareness and scenarios for how to respond in certain scenarios. It allows people to make choices then go back and review their responses.
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Health, Wellbeing and Work:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Investment:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Investment plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Investment plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in other areas:
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the other plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the other plan(s):
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
Does the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document include sustainability at a high level?:
A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.