| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.03 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 12, 2024 |
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 |
Sustainability committee(s)
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 University Sustainability Advisory Committee(USAC) and the Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC). The website is https://sustainabilitycouncil.tamu.edu/.
The USAC is charged with fostering and promoting sustainability throughout the university community by formulating a sustainability strategy for the university. The USAC will annually report recommendations directly to the President.
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:
University Sustainability Advisory Committee (USAC) Membership:
CO-CHAIRS:
Peter Lange, Chief Operating Officer and Sr. Vice President
Kelly Wellman, Sustainability Director
MEMBERS:
Mr. Erik Baker, Gift Planning Officer, Representing the Texas A&M Foundation
Dr. Carol Binzer, Residence Life and Housing – Representing the Vice President for Student Affairs
Mr. Sean Cargo, Associate Director, Information Technology – Representing University Staff Council
Mr. Chris Danko, Regional Vice President, Chartwells
Ms. Adelade Edington, Undergraduate, Representing Residence Hall Association
Mr. Matt Fry, Associate Vice President, Representing Vice President for Research
Ms. Miranda Henderson, Director of Advocacy & Legislative Affairs, Representing The Association of Former Students
Ms. Jordan Jeffcoat, Undergraduate, Representing Residence Hall Association & Aggie Eco Reps
Mr. Evan Kennedy, Graduate, Representing Graduate & Professional Student Council
Ms. Jessica Kilby, Assistant Vice President for Finance, Representing Operations Finance
Ms. Brandy Kosh, Associate Vice President of Employee Experience, Representing Human Resources & Operational Effectiveness
Ms. Claire Leffingwell, Undergraduate, Representing Student Senate
Ms. Debbie Lollar, Associate Vice President of Transportation Services
Ms. Christina Robertson, Assistant Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety
Dr. Tim Scott, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Mr. Craig Valka, Executive Associate Athletics Director, Representing Texas A&M Athletics
Mr. Les Williams, Associate Vice President of Facilities and Energy Services
Ms. Isabel Wormington, Operations Manager, SSC Services for Education
EX-OFFICIO:
Dr. Scott Shafer, Chief of Campus & Community Enrichment, Community Enagement
Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) Membership:
Casey DuPont - Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Stuart Denner - Texas Transportation Institute
Gordon Evans - Texas A&M System
Byron Prestridge - Transportation Services
Cherise Toler - Strategic Sourcing
Diana Freas-Lutz - Environmental Health & Safety
Zofia Rybkowski- Faculty
Carol Binzer - Residence Life
Monica Hartman - Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX)
Tassie Hermann - Environmental Health & Safety Staff
Wendy Webber - Office of Sustainability
Student Government Representative
Graduate Student Council Representative
Staff Members:
Jeff Truss - Environmental Health & Safety
Kelly Wellman - Office of Sustainability
Jason West - Environmental Health & Safety
Sustainability office(s)
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):
Sustainability officer(s)
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Institution-wide coordination
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 & Campus Enrichment (OSCE) provides oversight for the Aggie Green Fund (AGF) which, awards grants for on-campus environmental improvements. From 2013-2023, the AGF has awarded $2.8+M for a variety of projects such as exterior and interior recycling infrastructure, an irrigation pilot program, and water bottle filling stations (now over 450 on campus).
The Office of Sustainability provides 8 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 that 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/programs/asa.html.
In 2023, the Office released 2022 Sustainability Highlight report which provides an overview of campus achievements in the 2022 STARS submission. The report can be found at https://sustainability.tamu.edu/_media/documents/pdfs/highlight-reports/2022sustainabilityhighlightsreport.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/.
Optional Fields
Job description (1st position)
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description (2nd position)
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description (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.