Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.59
Liaison Bambi Ingram
Submission Date July 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Alabama at Birmingham
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 4.00 Julie Price
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Published Plans That Address Sustainability 

Strategic Plan

Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
Yes

A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
UAB's strategic plan includes sustainability as both a foundational unit and an institutional pillar, with the content below describing the ways in which sustainability should be incorporated: UAB is committed to following core sustainability principles in all facets of planning and operations to lessen our environmental impact, support a healthy community and contribute to global solutions. From our awarding-winning energy management projects to sustainability in the curriculum, we strive to ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of UAB’s continued growth. We recently committed to participating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a program conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS is designed to provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education and enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements. We hope completion of STARS will create further incentives and a strategic basis for continued improvement at UAB. Targeted policies and practices – as well as individual, everyday actions – are essential to realizing our vision of incorporating sustainability into every aspect of the UAB enterprise. See link below for graphic including sustainability and institutional pillar text:

A copy of the strategic plan:
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The website URL where the strategic plan is publicly available:
https://www.uab.edu/plan/

Sustainability Plan 

Does the institution have a published sustainability plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
No

A copy of the sustainability plan:
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The website URL where the sustainability plan is publicly available:
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Climate Action Plan 

Does the institution have a published climate action plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
No

A copy of the climate action plan:
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The website URL where the climate action plan is publicly available:
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Other Published Plans 

Does the institution have other published plans that address sustainability or include measurable sustainability objectives (e.g. campus master plan, physical campus plan, diversity plan, human resources plan)? :
Yes

A list of other published plans that address sustainability, including public website URLs (if available):
The UAB Master Plan, approved in February 2016, places strong emphasis on sustainability and the term, along with application are woven throughout the document. The end of document commits UAB to completing a Sustainability Plan within the next 2 years. The primary elements of the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus vision include: • An urban campus of quality places and spaces interconnected by walkable streets and paths • A network of vibrant open spaces for active and passive recreation, gathering, and learning • A richly supportive setting for student living • A hub for innovation, creativity, research and artistic expression • Compelling architecture that frames and engages memorable outdoor places • Integrated parking and multimodal transportation systems that provide convenient access and movement across the campus • A cost-effective utility system with low carbon footprint and energy unit index • A healthy, green and sustainable environment • A harmonious, purposeful partnership with neighbors https://www.uab.edu/news/student-experience/item/7129-new-campus-master-plan-developed-after-key-stakeholder-involvement In addition, the UAB IT Strategic Plan passed in July 2016 has many sustainability components--credited below under "Other Impact Areas." The link is below. This plan also includes a statement of blanket sustainability efforts (though the measurables are addressed in the other impact area related to social and cultural impact): BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS: As UAB IT replaces or enhances services, it constantly looks at energy usage, specifically in the power and cooling needs of infrastructure. As UAB grows, information technology needs will grow, and sustainability is one of the criteria considered as new or expanded technology choices are considered. Consolidation of servers from existing central and distributed IT locations into a single, cost-efficient and secure computing environment will be foundational for building a sustainable campus from a technology perspective. https://www.uab.edu/it/home/images/IT_StrategicPlan_2016_FINAL.pdf

Measurable Sustainability Objectives 

Curriculum

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Research 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Research?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Research and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Campus Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Public Engagement 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Air & Climate 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Implement a Climate Action Plan.

Buildings 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Develop single platform instrumentation, control and electronic systems. Implement sustainability standards for new construction and renovations.

Energy 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Be within the top 10% of peer universities in energy efficiency. Reduce annual energy costs by $15 million.

Food & Dining 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Grounds 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Landscape and streetscape standards update to include complete streets, street tree inventory and plan, etc. The measurable objective is having the standard in hand for design firms and all projects.

Purchasing 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Transportation 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Bicycle and pedestrian master plan Transit system plan update Parking master plan Streetscape master plan and traffic studies These plans are the measurable objectives.

Waste 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Water 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Water?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Water and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Diversity & Affordability 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Investment & Finance 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work and the published plans in which each objective is included:
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Other Impact Areas 

Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas (e.g. arts and culture or technology)?:
Yes

A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas and the published plans in which each objective is included:
The IT Strategic Plan's Imperative 7: Enhance the community of information technology excellence for the economic, social, and cultural benefit of Birmingham and beyond.This imperative lists more than 50 measurable objectives related to UAB IT's support of tech-related social and cultural improvement in the Birmingham area. https://www.uab.edu/it/home/images/IT_StrategicPlan_2016_FINAL.pdf

Optional Fields 

Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body (e.g. a mission statement that specifically includes sustainability and is endorsed by the Board of Trustees)? :
No

The formal statement in support of sustainability:
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The institution’s definition of sustainability (e.g. as included in a published statement or plan):
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Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
Yes or No
The Earth Charter No
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) No
ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter No
Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment No
The Talloires Declaration (TD) No
UN Global Compact No
Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) No

A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.