University of Connecticut
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Charter/Mission: Environmental Policy Advisory Council (EPAC) is advisory to the President, Provost and other senior administrators about strategies for enhancing the University's environmental performance in: • Fostering environmentally sustainable development and mitigating the environmental impacts of our construction activities • Improving environmental compliance in our operations • Distinguishing our academic, operational and community outreach reputation by promoting environmental leadership initiatives. • Better integrating environmental principles into the University's governance by ensuring coordination with administrative advisory committees and task forces. Functions: The EPAC meets once per semester, or as needed, and may appoint committees and task forces in order to: • Develop and revise UConn’s environmental policy statement. • Identify environmental risks and recommend goals, policies and procedures to address risks and improve environmental performance. • Identify opportunities and sponsor initiatives designed to advance and achieve environmental sustainability. • Develop strategies for building environmental awareness and engaging students, staff and faculty in environmental initiatives. • Advise the University about conservation and development plans and activities. • Formulate strategies for dealing with stakeholder groups on environmental issues. • Monitor the University’s environmental performance and sponsor periodic environmental reports. • Help organize and promote outreach events and partnerships that showcase the University’s environmental leadership. Additionally, workgroups associated with EPAC have over 250 members of the University and surrounding community involved in individual incentives and targeted goals. The list of members is found here: http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/uconn-environmental-policy-advisory-council/membership-2016-2017/

List of members is found here: http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/uconn-environmental-policy-advisory-council/membership-2016-2017/

The Sustainability Office comprises one-half of the Office of Environmental Policy. The OEP director devotes more than half of his time to sustainability, as does one administrative assistant. There is also one full-time Sustainability Program Coordinator, who devotes 100% of her time to the Sustainability Office. There are also three full time compliance staff members, who each devote approximately 15% of their time to the Sustainability Office. Additionally, there are 9 undergraduate student interns employed in the sustainability office who each work an average of 12 hours per week.

EPAC meets twice every year (once a semester) in order to review the progress made in the area of sustainability and to determine and advise the University administration how to further enhance sustainability at UConn. Most recently the members of EPAC involved with academics or with facilities and operations on campus discussed progress in sustainability, brainstormed ways in which our University was lacking as far as sustainability initiatives were concerned, and considered how to address these issues. The Climate Action Plan (CAP) Committee was established from EPAC members in 2009 to help draft the CAP and the Climate Change Adaptation Task Force was created by the EPAC members in 2012 in order to add the Adaptation section to the CAP. The members of EPAC continue to ensure that the objectives set forth in the Climate Action Plan are being carried out as planned. The staff at the Office of Environmental Policy (OEP) also aided in the drafting of the CAP and continues to aid in the enforcement of the Climate Action Plan. In order to reach the goals stated in the Climate Action Plan, the OEP has also written a sequence of suggestions titled the 2020 Vision for Campus Sustainability & Climate Leadership, which has been endorsed by the University President. The OEP is also in charge of improving and maintaining environmental awareness on campus through outreach activities that address everything from recycling to water resources and sustainable food to energy usage.

Rich Miller, the director of the OEP and the primary sustainability officer on campus, is in charge of both environmental compliance and sustainability initiatives on campus. His responsibilities include overseeing compliance with environmental regulations for air pollution, waste water, and storm water permitting, as well as developing policies and guidelines for protecting natural resources, reducing the University’s ecological footprint, and ensuring accountability for green building and low-impact development in UConn’s ongoing capital improvement program. Some of the areas Rich is involved with include the campus ecological footprint, the use of natural resources, recycling initiatives, and the inclusion of sustainability in academics.

Responsibilities for the Sustainability Program Coordinator include developing, planning, and administering sustainability initiatives and events across campus, chairing the EPAC Recycling Workgroup, maintaining the OEP's (EcoHusky) website, and developing and publishing OEP newsletters and outreach materials. The Sustainability Program Coordinator also includes supervising student staff in the OEP's Sustainability Office.