| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 88.80 |
| Liaison | Richard Demerjian |
| Submission Date | Aug. 11, 2021 |
University of California, Irvine
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Carrie
Metzgar Sustainability and Planning Analyst Campus Physical and Environmental Planning |
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:
In 2007, the University of California adopted a Policy on Sustainable Practices and signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, articulating the University’s intentions to incorporate sustainability into operations, educational programs, research, and outreach activities. To facilitate this integration, UC Irvine created a Sustainability Committee that convenes under the leadership of Wendell Brase, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability and Richard Demerjian, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Physical and Environmental Planning. The committee convenes quarterly and champions campus activities that meet or exceed requirements established in the University of California’s comprehensive Sustainable Practices Policy.
Purpose of Committee: The purpose of the UC Irvine Sustainability Committee is to promote environmental stewardship, sustainable development, and greenhouse gas emission reductions at the University of California, Irvine.
The mission of the UC Irvine Sustainable Committee is to:
- Engage various campus stakeholders in a joint effort to reduce UC Irvine’s ecological footprint and its impact on the environment
- Work with the campus community and others to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to preserve natural resources, and to integrate sustainability into existing educational, operational, research, and public service programs
- Incorporate sustainability into long-range planning and design
- Oversee the development and implementation of a campus sustainability/climate-neutral action plan
- Provide a foundation for UC Irvine’s support of a systemwide efforts to meet the University’s climate-neutral goals
For additional information, view the UCI Sustainability Committee Charter: https://sustainability.uci.edu//wp-content/uploads/2020/04/charter.pdf
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Members of the UCI Sustainability Committee: https://sustainability.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/20-21-UC-Irvine-Sustainability-Committee_Member-Roster-July-1.pdf
The website URL where additional information about the Sustainability Committee is available here: https://sustainability.uci.edu/about/sustainability-committee/
Note: Although students are not formal committee members, student representatives from sustainability campus organizations and units are invited to attend and present at each quarterly meeting.
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:
The UCI Office of Sustainability supports campus sustainability goals and initiatives. The office is led by the Associate Chancellor for Sustainability and houses the UCI Community Resilience Projects.
UCI Community Resilience Projects (https://communityresilience.uci.edu/) focuses on special projects to support UCI’s Strategic Plan by:
- Designing and facilitating stakeholder engagement and strategic planning for UCI units on cross-cutting themes
- Bringing social and environmental justice thought leadership to campus
- Curating interaction among scholars, staff, community and student leaders to advance community resilience goals
- Integrating equity into public facing convenings on environmental issues; integrating environment into equity convenings
- Advancing UCI role in equity-focused, community-driven COVID-19 response and climate resilience planning in Orange County and beyond
Campus Physical and Environmental Planning (CPEP) (https://cpep.uci.edu/) is a unit within the Division of Finance & Administration that supports the Office of Sustainability and works in collaboration with several campus departments to implement, monitor, and strengthen UCI’s sustainable operations. CPEP oversees campus progress in meeting the goals and targets identified in the UC Sustainable Practices Policy.
The Sustainability Resource Center (https://sustainability.uci.edu/studentinvolvement/src/) is a unit within Student Life & Leadership that also supports the Office of Sustainability. The SRC serves as a hub for students, providing resources, education, and programming to forward environmental balance, economic vitality, and social equity. The SRC coordinates student outreach programs, internship/fellowship placements, and training pathways.
View the Office of Sustainability team and supporting units: https://sustainability.uci.edu/ourteam/
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 oversees UCI's campuswide sustainability strategy and activities initiated and supported by the campus network of sustainability units. These units include, but are not limited to, Campus Physical and Environmental Planning, Sustainability Resource Center, Facilities Management, Transportation & Distribution Services, Procurement Services, UCI Dining, and academic and research units. The UCI Sustainability Committee serves as UCI’s primary coordinating body for sustainability. The Associate Chancellor for Sustainability serves as Chair of the UCI Sustainability Committee and the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Physical and Environmental Planning serves as Co-Chair.
During the previous three years, the UCI Sustainability Committee has achieved many targets, goals, and initiatives. Below is a summary of some of the key achievements. For a more detailed list, view the Campus Sustainability Highlights webpage: https://sustainability.uci.edu/campus-sustainability-highlights/
- Certified five new buildings as LEED Platinum, bringing the campus total to 21 LEED Platinum buildings for new construction
- Maintained a waste diversion rate of 80 percent
- Received Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University designation by the League of American Bicyclists
- Retrofitted the central plant to use treated recycled water, saving approximately 80 million gallons of potable water annually
- Grand prize recipient in 2019 for excellence in sustainable dining from the National Association of College & University Food Service
- Launched the Sustainability Fundamentals Training for UCI Staff
- Created and strengthened virtual outreach platforms and tools for students (ex: student-run blog, virtual events, COVID-19 seminar focusing on community resilience)
- Expanded the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resilience (SLICR) across the UC system
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Appointment of Associate Chancellor for Sustainability:
https://chancellor.uci.edu/engagement/campus-communications/2016/160822-associate-chancellor-sustainability.php
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.