Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.81
Liaison Kelly Wellman
Submission Date Dec. 6, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Texas A&M University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Kelly Wellman
Sustainability Director
Office of Sustainability & Campus Enrichment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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:

We have two sustainability-related groups.

First, the Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) and the The Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC). The website is https://sustainabilitycouncil.tamu.edu/.

The SAC is charged with fostering and promoting sustainability throughout the university community by formulating a sustainability strategy for the university. The SAC will annually report recommendations directly to President Young.

The (SEMC) serves as an advisory committee to the Executive Vice President and Provost (the President’s designee) and Environmental Health & Safety. The SEMC reviews environmental policy and programs and recommends methods of improving compliance, pollution prevention, and education.


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):

Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) Membership:
Dr. Jerry Strawser, Chair
Dr. Jose Fernandez-Solic, Faculty Senate
Dr. Debbie Thomas, College of Geoscience
Dr. Patrick Louchouarn, Texas A&M Galveston
Dr. Carol Binzer, Division of Student Affairs
Mr. Matt Fry, Division of Research
Mr. Casey Ricketts, University Staff Council
Ms. Mary Schubert, Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness
Mr. Bobby Brooks, Student Body President
Ms. Jasmine Wang, Student Senate
Ms. Lauren Pechon, Residential Housing Association President
Mr. Richard Gentry, SSC Services for Higher Education
Mr. Matthew Etchells, Graduate and Professional Student Council President
Mr. John Yeager, Chartwells
Mt. Antone Nemec, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)

Ex-Officio Members:
Ms. Kelly Wellman, Office of Sustainability
Ms. Jane Schneider, Facilities and Operations
Ms. Ashley Skow, Facilities and Operations

Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) Membership
Dr. Mehrdad Ehsani - Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)
Howard Meek - Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
Brad Urbanczyk - Agri-Life Research & Extension
Pam Burn - Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Ms. Courtney Bryant - Chartwells Representative
Cody Stewart - Texas Transportation Institute
Gordon Evans - Texas A&M System
Ron Steedly - Transportation Services
Nathan Jones - Utilities & Energy Management
Carlo Chunga - Environmental Issues Committee
Barbara Musgrove - SSC Service Solutions
Sarel Lavy - Faculty
Julie Singleton - Faculty
Len Bierman - Faculty
Athletics Representative
Carol Binzer - Residence Life
Paul Barzak - Procurement Services
Monica Hartman - Environmental Health & Safety
Kelly Wellman - Office of Sustainability
Graduate Student Council Representative

Staff Members:
Tassie Hermann - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Ben Kalscheur - Office of Sustainability Staff
Jeff Truss - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Chris Meyer - Office of Safety and Security


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

A brief description of each sustainability office:

From its inception as a land-grant institution in 1876 to the additional sea-grant and space-grant designations, Texas A&M University has been a leader in research and education for how we interact with - and impact - our environment. In March 2008, The Office of Sustainability was founded to enhance these efforts by creating a culture of sustainability in Aggieland.

We work to respect, protect, and preserve the financial, environmental, and people resources that make Texas A&M and our community so great, not only for today, but also for future generations of Aggies. When Aggies commit to a sustainable lifestyle, we bring Texas A&M's core values to life.

Our mission is to educate the campus and local community about the importance of sustainability. We will accomplish this by promoting sustainable practices both on and off campus in academic and non-academic settings, providing resources and support for people who wish to incorporate sustainable practices into their work and life, and advocating for sustainable programs and initiatives.


Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
4

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

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Kelly Wellman

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution (e.g. a campus-wide committee or an officer/office responsible for the entire campus)?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:

The previous three years for the Office of Sustainability at Texas A&M University has been productive on multiple fronts. The Office provides oversight for the Aggie Green Fund (AGF) which awards grants for on campus environmental improvements. From 2013-2017, the AGF has awarded $800,000+ for a variety of projects such as solar-powered trash compactors, an irrigation pilot program, water bottle filling stations (now over 100 on campus), and funding for the student-led Howdy! Farm which provides local, organic produce for sale within the community.

The Office of Sustainability provides 8-10 internship positions for Outreach Specialists during Fall and Spring semesters. Outreach Specialists are responsible for participating in New Student Conferences, tabling events, canvassing campus and initiating dialogue about sustainability, and hosting formal educational presentations.
The Office of Sustainability has also become engaged in the academic institutional assessment via Weave Online. Specifically, we measure our education and outreach targets, survey analysis of events our office hosts, and increasing participation in the Sustainable Office Certification (SOC) Program. To learn more about the SOC visit, http://sustainability.tamu.edu/sustainable-office-certification.aspx.

In February 2017, the Office released 2016 Sustainability Highlight report which provides an overview of campus achievements in the 2016 STARS submission. The report can be found at http://sustainability.tamu.edu/Data/Sites/1/downloads/2016SustainabilityHighlightReport.pdf.

During the past four years, the Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) has set goals for both campus recycling and energy. In Fall 2013, a Recycling Working Group was formed to evaluate campus recycling. The recommendation from the Working Group was to develop campus-wide signage that would provide continuity to recycling options regardless of the type of recycling container. In November 2014, the SEMC directed the Working Group to proceed with developing signs to be used across campus. With respect to energy goals, the SEMC has endorsed the Energy Action Plan (EAP) 2020 which includes 12 initiatives that can be found at https://utilities.tamu.edu/energy-action-plan-2020/. The SEMC anticipates that the goals of the EAP 2020 will be achieved.


Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Sustainability Director

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
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Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Sustainability Assistant Manager

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Sustainability Operations Cooridnator

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.