| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.81 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | Jan. 4, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Houston
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
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Sustainability Committee(s)
Yes
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The Campus Sustainability Task Force, acting with the support of the
President and the Board of Regents, is charged with developing and implementing
policies and practices that create a campus culture of sustainability. This committee advises campus leadership and the Office of Sustainability on sustainability initiatives, develops sustainability policies, and provides representation for varying stakeholders in regards to campus sustainability issues. Active working groups under the sustainability task force include the Campus Tree Advisory Committee and will later include the UH Bike Working Group and Fair Trade Campaign Working Group.
Policy that established the sustainability task force and will transition to the new campus sustainability policy: http://www.uh.edu/af/universityservices/policies/mapp/14/140101.pdf
In 2016, the Sustainability Task Force was transitioned to the Campus Sustainability Committee and will have a slightly different member structure to include alumni and community members. The Campus Sustainability Committee is charged with identifying and championing campus sustainability challenges with the Office of Sustainability based on institutional sustainability performance while representing University of Houston’s faculty, staff, and students. The committee will inform the Office of Sustainability personnel regarding university perspective and advising topics in effort to provide a voice for the community at large.
Responsibilities:
As outlined in MAPP 14.01.01, the roles of the Sustainability Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Advising and supporting the Office of Sustainability staff on their projects and initiatives.
2. Serving as a vehicle for sustainability collaboration on campus and in the community by the identification and dissemination information through departmental contacts.
3. Developing institutional and departmental sustainability policies for the Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures (MAPPs).
4. Partnering with campus members to integrate sustainability priorities within departmental policies and procedures.
None
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
Voting Members
Bruce Race Professor, Dean, Architecture and Design
Michelle Ivey Associate Professor, Instruct, Communication Disorders
Reuben Parrish Asst Dir, Wellness Programs, Wellness Center
Emily Merrell Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling
Kokila Jayasekera Student - SGA Appointee
Kayshewa Chamupathi Student - SGA Appointee
Chelsea Cheung Student - SGA Appointee
Ex-Officio
Dr. Emily Messa Associate Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice President for Administration
Esmeralda Valdez Executive Director, University Services
Maria Honey Director of Sustainability, Marketing and Outreach
Michael Mendoza Sustainability Manager
Melissa Halstead Sustainability Coordinator
Eve Esch Division of Student Affairs, Director of Student Centers
Mackenzie Wysong Division of Student Affairs, Asst. Director of RLH Facilities
Jeanne LaMontagne Facilities Planning and Construction
Joujou Zebdaoui
Jacquie Vargas Facilities Services, Communications Manager
Paul Brokhin Facilities Services, Energy Supervisor
TJ Meagher Athletics
Stephanie Coates UH Energy
Shannon Thomas UH Energy
Eric Holamon Parking & Transportation Services
Jennifer Rea Facilities
Sustainability Office(s)
Yes
None
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The University of Houston Office of Sustainability serves as the hub for campus sustainability efforts. Engaging the campus and community, the office fosters collaboration and educates individuals about social, economic and environmental factors that impact today’s society and generations to come.
Initiatives led by the Office of Sustainability include:
- Fostering collaboration on campus and in the community
- Facilitating educational and outreach programs
- Collecting institutional sustainability data
- Managing the campus community garden
- Communicating about sustainability topics
- Recommending campus sustainability improvements
- Supporting sustainability governing bodies
- Driving institutional sustainability progress
- Encouraging sustainable actions in individuals’ daily lives
None
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
3
Sustainability Officer(s)
Yes
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Michael Mendoza - Sustainability Manager
Institution-Wide Coordination
Yes
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Some accomplishments include:
- launching the uh.edu/sustainability website and The Sustainable Coog newsletter and blog
- creating the first-ever UH Earth Week
- refining all sustainability events, communications, outreach and programming
- collaborating with other Texas sustainability programs through the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability
- leading the STARS reporting effort
- restructuring the office of sustainability staff structure and creating the student sustainability team
- managing the campus community garden through two garden assistants and volunteers
- building relationships with campus departments and community groups to drive institutional and community sustainability progress
Ongoing efforts include:
- leading the Sustainability Committee
- drafting a new campus sustainability policy
- exploring how to integrate sustainability into the campus master planning process, including natural space projects like a pocket prairie, garden improvement project and campus orchard
- developing an indoor recycling process
- drafting a climate action plan
Optional Fields
Job Description (1st position)
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Job Description (2nd position)
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Job Description (3rd position)
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.