Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 63.89
Liaison Christa Rieck
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Houston
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Sustainability committee(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The Campus Sustainability Committee 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.

Policy that established the sustainability committee: http://www.uh.edu/af/universityservices/policies/mapp/14/140101.pdf

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.

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
David Oliver Facilities/Construction Management
Christa Rieck Facilities Planning
Jeff Benjamin Facilities Services
Jim Taylor University Architect
Brena Baumann-Gonzalez Advancement
Nadine Frias-Martinez Auxiliary Services
Mohammad Saklayen Division of Research
Vicky Rawlson Human Resources
Bradley Eanes Office of the Provost
Eve Esch Student Affairs and Enrollment Services
Alan Rossiter UH Energy
Amber Rangel Marketing and Communications
Mili Kyropoulou Faculty Senate
Tom Brents Staff Council
Taylor Nix Student Government Association
Gabriel Durham Office of Sustainability

Sustainability office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
No

A brief description of each sustainability office:
The University of Houston has an office of sustainability but only with one FTE. 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
- Communicating about sustainability topics
- Recommending campus sustainability improvements
- Supporting sustainability governing bodies
- Driving institutional sustainability progress
- Encouraging sustainable actions in individuals’ daily lives

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
1

Sustainability officer(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Gabriel Durham - Sustainability Coordinator

Institution-wide coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
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
- 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
- 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

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
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Job description (2nd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description (3rd position) 

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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination 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.