| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.21 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 28, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Texas A&M University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Kelly
Wellman Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability & Campus Enrichment |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
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. Lou Tassinary, Faculty Senate
Dr. Debbie Thomas, College of Geoscience
Dr. Jay Maddock, Texas A&M Galveston
Dr. Carol Binzer, Division of Student Affairs
Mr. Matt Fry, Division of Research
Ms. Kelly Peck, University Staff Council
Ms. Mary Schubert, Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness
Ms. Stephanie Rempe, Deputy Director of Athletics
Ms. Danielle DeChellis, Student Body President Delegate
Mr. Mitch Parker, Student Senate
Ms. Lauren Pechon, Residential Housing Association President
Mr. Richard Gentry, SSC Services for Higher Education
Mr. Purna Chandra Doddapaneni, Graduate and Professional Student Council President
Mr. John Yeager, Chartwells
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
Ben Kalscheur - Office of Sustainability
Graduate Student Council Representative
Staff Members:
Jamie Everett - Office of Sustainability
Tassie Hermann - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Jeff Truss - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Chris Meyer - Office of Safety and Security
Kelly Wellman - Office of Sustainability Staff
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
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.
The Office of Sustainability provides vision and leadership for campus sustainability, implements programs and planning to encourage sustainable practices, coordinates an annual institutional sustainability assessment, and collaborates with other institutions of higher education through regional and national engagement.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
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)?:
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 (OS) at Texas A&M University have been productive on multiple fronts. In April 2017, OS hired Ayers Saint Gross (ASG) to update the 2010 Sustainability Master Plan. To develop the plan, we established four working groups comprised of 18-22 campus experts. The working groups were 1) Physical Environment 2) Waste Management 3) Social Sustainability and 4) Institutional Effort. We held multiple working group sessions, open houses, and met with a variety of campus stakeholder groups. In the end, over 500 campus members contributed to the final product which was released in October 2018. The entire plan can be viewed at http://sustainability.tamu.edu/Data/Sites/1/downloads/2018SMP.PDF.
OS provides oversight for the Aggie Green Fund (AGF) which awards grants for on campus environmental improvements. From 2013-2018, the AGF has awarded $900,000+ for a variety of projects such as exterior and interior recycling infrastructure, an irrigation pilot program, water bottle filling stations (now over 200 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 is actively engaged in the academic institutional assessment via Weave Online. Our analysis looks at our education and outreach targets, survey analysis of events our office hosts, and increasing participation in the Sustainable Office Certification which has recently been updated and rebranded as the Aggie Sustainability Alliance (ASA). More information about ASA can be found at http://sustainability.tamu.edu/aggie-sustainability-alliance.aspx.
In April 2018, the Office released 2017 Sustainability Highlight report which provides an overview of campus achievements in the 2017 STARS submission. The report can be found at http://sustainability.tamu.edu/Data/Sites/1/downloads/2017SustainabilityHighlightsReport.pdf.
Each year, the Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) establishes committee goals. Examples of previous goals include recycling and energy reduction. Goals are advanced through working groups which contain SEMC members as well as campus experts. Recycling-related working groups created campus wide signage to be applied to exterior recycling bins across campus. In 2016 a pilot was initiated to use this same labeling system on interior recycling containers. These labels are being made available for the campus community to apply to existing interior bins. While there are numerous types of containers within the many campus buildings, it is the hope of the SEMC that a universal labeling system will reduce confusion and improve overall recycling rates. 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:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.