Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.49
Liaison Angela Oberg
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2023

STARS v2.2

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Katie Parrish
Program Coordinator
Office of Climate Action
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Sustainability committee(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
Rutgers University Committee for Sustainability
https://sustainability.rutgers.edu/about-us/sustainability-committee/

The University Sustainability Committee’s mission is to organize and articulate sustainable practices and principles in education and research, and in our university operations, with the goal of reducing our impact on the environment as we fulfill our expanding mission as a comprehensive public research university.

The University Committee for Sustainability was established in 2005 to engage the University Community and to advise senior administration on a wide array of sustainability issues. It has been charged with:
- Recommending appropriate policies for sustainability
- Assisting with identifying suitable projects for sustainable initiatives
- Assisting with completing a sustainability audit of the university
- Recommending appropriate goals
- Assisting with preparing an annual report on our achievements

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Vice-Chair, Michael Kornitas, Director of Sustainability and Energy, Institutional Planning and Operations

Marjorie Kaplan, Associate Director, Rutgers Climate Institute

Anthony Broccoli, Distinguished Professor Department of Environmental Sciences · School of Environmental and Biological Sciences

Clinton Andrews, Professor, Associate Dean for Research, Director, Rutgers Center for Green Building

Dunbar Birnie, Professor, Chair, Materials Science and Engineering

Robert Kopp, Co-Director, Office of Climate Action

Henry john-Alder, Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources

Jennifer Senick, Executive Director of the Rutgers Center for Green Building

Joe Charette, Executive Director, Dining Services

Mark McLane, Director, Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety

Brendan Torres, Manager, University Planning and Development

Wes Coleman, Associate Director, Supplier Diversity & Sustainability

Kevin Lyons, Co-Director, Office of Climate Action

Eric Toncre, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Department Vice Chair, and Director of Marketing Education

Chris Pye, Executive Director, Space Management

Joe Vocaturo, Professor, Supply Chain Management

Angie Bonilla, Associate Dean. Student Affairs

Magda Comeau, Senior Program Coordinator, Public Private Community Partnerships

Jeana Wirtenberg, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, Management & Global Business Department, Rutgers Business School

Nathan Levinson, Part-time Lecturer, School of Business, Camden

Allison Wisniewski, Associate Dean of Students

Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia, Associate Professor, School of Nursing

Mike Manchello, Senior Director of Operations

Sustainability office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:
Established in September 2021, the Rutgers Office of Climate Action coordinates efforts towards Rutgers’ climate and sustainability goals. The Office works across central administration and operations, as well as across all four units of Rutgers: Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers-New Brunswick, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

The mission of the office is to-
1. Advocate for climate action and sustainability at the highest levels of University leadership
2. Provide oversight and accountability for and, where necessary, facilitate Climate Action Plan implementation
3. Communicate about and engage internal and external stakeholders in the University’s climate action and sustainability efforts
4. Oversee regular updating of the Climate Action Plan

https://climateaction.rutgers.edu/node/62

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
2

Sustainability officer(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Kevin Lyons, Co-Dir, Office of Climate Action (OCA); Bob Kopp, Co-Dir, OCA; Angela Oberg, Assoc Dir, OCA; Mike Kornitas, Dir of Sustainability & Energy, IP&O; Wes Coleman, Assoc Dir, Supplier Diversity & Sustainability, Procurement

Institution-wide coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The University Committee for Sustainability took part in the President’s Task Force on Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience from 2019-2021. The Task Force developed the Rutgers Climate Action Plan and recommended the creation of the Office of Climate Action.

Since its creation in September 2021, the Office of Climate Action has:
- Established and coordinated 10 Climate Action Groups
- Coordinated the university’s first-ever AASHE STARS submission
- Established an internship program that helps bridge the gap between academics and operations
- Facilitated a partnership with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to add a Climate Action Track in the Rutgers Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship, including funding for 5-6 fellows- https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/
- Hosted a symposium and an ongoing webinar series
- Developed a website, newsletter, and social media channels to communicate about climate action and sustainability at Rutgers.

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
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Job description (2nd position) 

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Job description (3rd position) 

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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.