Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.23
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date June 14, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Texas at Austin
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Jim Walker
Director of Sustainability, Financial, and Administrative Services
University Operations
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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 University of Texas at Austin President's Sustainability Steering Committee, was initially chartered and appointed by the President of the University in 2007. The charge of the PSSC is to develop recommendations on policy and operations to reflect the University’s commitment to sustainability and stewardship of the environment, and to serve as the principal channel of communication between the campus community and the University administration on setting priorities for sustainability related activities. https://sustainability.utexas.edu/leadership/pssc The Green Fee Committee is a nine-member committee of six students and three non-students that governs the distribution of approximately $460,000 per year of tuition fee funds for environmental services on campus. The Office of Sustainability serves as ex oficio for the Committee and facilitates funded projects, but all funding decisions are made by these nine members. https://sustainability.utexas.edu/getinvolved/greenfee The Sustainability Staff Roundtable is a less formal group that meets monthly and consists of front-line staff responsible for initiatives with direct impact on the wellbeing and health of the physical campus, including students and employees.

None
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
Five members of General Faculty • Sharon Wood, Dean – Chair (engineering) Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2018 • Jay Hartzell, Dean – Vice-chair (Chair-elect) (business) Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2019 • Jay Banner, faculty (GeoSciences) (continuing) Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2018 • Heather Houser (Liberal Arts) (continuing) Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2018 • Shalene Jha, faculty (Natural Sciences) (new) Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2019 Three Staff members • Chris Plonsky, staff (from Athletics Director) • John Salsman, staff (from Associate VP for Campus Safety and Security) • Dean Hansen, staff (from Associate VP for Utilities, Energy and Facilities Maintenance) Students •Valerie Vines, undergraduate student (SG appointment), Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2018 •TBD, graduate/post graduate (GSA appointment), Sept. 1, 2017-August 31, 2018 Ex-officio • Jim Walker, Director of Sustainability Green Fee Committee, 2018 Katie Aplis – undergraduate (at-large member) Susan Ward – undergraduate (at-large member) Hailey Thompson – undergraduate (SG appointment) Jake Greenfield – graduate student (at-large member) Laura Sigelman – graduate student (at-large member) Angelica Ferandino – graduate student (GSA member) John Salsman, Director of Environmental Health and Safety – CFO appointment Jennifer Speer, Director of Communications, Assessment and Development – VP of Student Affairs appointment Dr. Jayme Walenta, Lecturer, College of Liberal Arts – Provost appointment Sustainability Staff Roundtable, Spring 2018 Ana Thiemer Blanca Gamez Brianna Duran Claire Moore Carin Peterson Craig Gilden Dixon Hankins Elizabeth Cobbe EJ Patterson Grace Hsieh Jen Hrobar Jennifer Hobson Jeremy Hernandez Jill Parrish Jim Carse Jim Walker Kristin Phillips Lauren Lichterman Laurie Lentz Laramie Gordon Lindsey Hutchison Markus Hogue Matt Stevens Meaghan Cuddy Meaghan Jones Merrick MyCue Neil Kaufman Nick Parras Patrick Mazur Robert Moddrell Sarah McKay Stephanie Perrone T Hilterbran Tejas Pevekar Tejashri Kyle Teresa Rodriguez

Sustainability Office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
Yes

None
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Office of Sustainability was created in 2010 and collaborates across the university to advance ideas and programs that transform the physical, social and educational environments of campus for the enduring benefit of society and the planet. The Office staff collaborate year round on producing various events with both academic and operational departments, auxiliary units and student groups. Office staff have also worked within policy and procedural initiatives to promote sustainability outcomes; for example, green purchasing guidelines, green building design and construction, building efficiency and operations, and course and degree development.

None
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
4

Sustainability Officer(s) 

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

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Jim Walker, Director of Sustainability, Financial and Administrative Services, Brianna Duran, Program Coordinator, Campus Environmental Center, Jill Parrish, Program Coordinator, Green Fee, Kristin Phillips, Communications and Events Coordinator

Institution-Wide Coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution (e.g. a campus-wide committee or an officer/office responsible for the entire campus)?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
For the entire institution, the primary entities are the Office of Sustainability, the President's Sustainability Steering Committee, the Sustainability Staff Roundtable, and the Green Fee Committee. These groups collaborate frequently from the policy to the front line implementation level. Their accomplishments include numerous annual series, academic and staff oriented, focused on sustainability efforts, both day to day and long term. The joint efforts of these entities has played a significant role in elevating the presence and importance of sustainability across campus.

Optional Fields 

Job Description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer 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:
http://www.utexas.edu/operations/sustainability/index.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://sustainability.utexas.edu/office https://sustainability.utexas.edu/leadership/pssc https://staffcouncil.utexas.edu/files/2015/06/Sustainability_2015.pdf https://sustainability.utexas.edu/partners

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