Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.58
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date March 2, 2020

STARS v2.2

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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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.


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:

President’s Sustainability Steering Committee
Chair, Dean Jay Hartzell, Dean of McCombs School of Business
Dean Paul Goldbart, Dean of College of Natural Sciences
Dr. Lucy Atkinson, Associate Professor of Advertising & Public Relations, Moody School of Communication
Dr. Molly Polk, Associate Director of Sustainability Studies, College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Lynn Katz, Director of Center for Water and the Environment, Cockrell School of Engineering
Jimmy Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety
Chris Plonsky, Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director
Juan Ontiveros, Associate Vice President for Utilities, Energy & Facilities Management
Sarah Boatwright, Student Government representative
Jennifer Pranskevich, Graduate Student Assembly representative


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

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.


Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
4

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

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:

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.


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

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.