| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.80 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 19, 2022 |
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:
Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) Membership:
Dr. Jorge Vanegas, Chair
Mr. Brian Nakamura, Faculty Senate
Dr. Debbie Thomas, College of Geoscience
Dr. Carol Binzer, Division of Student Affairs
Mr. Matt Fry, Division of Research
Mr. Stephen Franklin, VP for Operations
Mr. Les Williams, Director for Utilities & Energy Services
Ms. Sarah Franke, University Staff Council
Ms. Rebekah Parkhill, Athletics
Mr. Scot Obergefell, Athletics
Ms. Case Harris, Student Body President
Ms. Tyler Smith, Speaker for Student Senate
Mr. Adam Jackson, Residence Housing Association
Ms. Dahlia Taha, Graduate and Professional Student Council President
Mr. Richard Gentry, SSC Services for Higher Education
Mr. David Riddle, Chartwells
Ms. Yadira Hernandez, Chartwells
Ms. Miranda Henderson, Association of Former Students
Ex-Officio Members:
Ms. Kelly Wellman, Office of Sustainability
Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) Membership:
Howard Meek - Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
Brad Urbanczyk - Agri-Life Research & Extension
Casey DuPont - Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Cody Stewart - Texas Transportation Institute
Gordon Evans - Texas A&M System
Byron Prestridge - Transportation Services
Chris Diekert - Utilities & Energy Services, Energy Improvement Program
Taylor Cooleen - Utilities & Energy Services, Water & Environmental Services
Barbara Musgrove - SSC Service Solutions
Zofia Rybkowski- Faculty
Len Bierman - Faculty
Rebekah Rabun - Athletics
Scot Obergefell - Athletics
Carol Binzer - Residence Life
Monica Hartman - TEEX
Ben Kalscheur - Office of Sustainability
Student Government Representative
Graduate Student Council Representative
Staff Members:
Tassie Hermann - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Jeff Truss - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Christina Robertson - Office of Safety and Security
Kelly Wellman - Office of Sustainability Staff
Jesse Carswell - Office of Sustainability Staff
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent 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 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?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The Office of Sustainability (OS) at Texas A&M University have been productive on multiple fronts. In October 2018 the university launched a 20 year Campus 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. The entire plan can be viewed at https://sustainability.tamu.edu/_media/documents/pdfs/2018smp.PDF.
OS provides oversight for the Aggie Green Fund (AGF) which awards grants for on campus environmental improvements. From 2013-2022, the AGF has awarded $2.2+M for a variety of projects such as exterior and interior recycling infrastructure, an irrigation pilot program, water bottle filling stations (now over 285 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 AEFIS. Our analysis looks at our education and outreach targets, survey analysis of events our office hosts, and increasing participation in the Sustainable Office Certification was updated and rebranded as the Aggie Sustainability Alliance (ASA). The ASA now has individual as well as office certification components. More information about ASA can be found at https://sustainability.tamu.edu/our-programs/asa.html.
In 2022, the Office released 2021 Sustainability Highlight report which provides an overview of campus achievements in the 2021 STARS submission. The report can be found at https://sustainability.tamu.edu/_media/documents/pdfs/highlight-reports/2021sustainabilityhighlightsreport.pdf.
Each year, the Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) establishes committee goals. Examples of previous goals include recycling, procurement, and energy reduction. Goals are advanced through working groups which contain SEMC members as well as campus experts. The recycling and waste diversion group is developing and initiating beta programs to increase waste diversion programs on campus. Examples of these include a program to capture plastic film from dining facilities and transport it to a chemical processing facility for chemical recycling to virgin grade polymers. The procurement team is evaluating ways to enhance sustainability in the procurement process across the institution. With respect to energy goals, the SEMC has endorsed the Energy Action Plan (EAP) 2025 which includes 11 initiatives that can be found at https://utilities.tamu.edu/eap2025/. 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):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination 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.