Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.49
Liaison Julia Angstmann
Submission Date Dec. 20, 2021

STARS v2.2

Butler University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Jamie Valentine
Assistant Director CUES
Biological Sciences
"---" 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 SGA Sustainability Advisory Committee oversees the Green Fund, a pool of money dedicated toward campus sustainability projects. The Green Fund is available to students, staff, and faculty to submit proposals. In addition to receiving and reviewing applications and monitoring project success, the Green Council also promotes sustainability education and awareness through events, social media, and other programming.

Butler also has a Tree Campus committee made up of students, faculty, and staff that discuss campus green spaces and fulfill requirements through Tree Campus USA including adding new trees, policy for removing trees, creating native habitat, and outreach events.

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Members of Sustainability Advisory Committee are sustainability minded students as well as faculty and staff advisors who have expertise in sustainability and program development.

Members of the Tree Campus Committee include Biology faculty, AVP of Facilities, Grounds Supervisor, CUES Assistant Director, and several environmental/biology students.

Sustainability office(s) 

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 Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) is an academic center at Butler University dedicated to the science and practice of urban ecology and sustainability. In the liberal arts tradition, we view urban ecology as inherently interdisciplinary and aspire to engage disciplines across Butler’s campus—from biology to business and beyond—in gaining a fundamental understanding of urban ecology and sustainability for a more environmentally resilient, economically viable, and equitable society.

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
3

Sustainability officer(s) 

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

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Jamie Valentine, Assistant Director at the Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES)

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:
The development of the Butler University Sustainability and Climate Action plan (BUSCA) Addendum which identifies initiatives for specific areas and departments.
GHG analysis and reporting including GHG assessment for reporting to Second Nature as Butler is a signatory of the Second Nature President's Carbon Commitment.
The development and implementation of Green Office program.
The development and implementation of Greed Grad program.
$1M grant for placed-based experiential education with The Farm at Butler as place to be incorporated into curriculum.
A Sustainability Leadership Cohort with 30+ students working on urban ecology and sustainability projects through internships and work study positions a year.
The development of an Applied Local Food System minor and concentration.
The implementation of post-consumer composting in addition to pre-consumer composting from the main dining hall.
Supporting the campus farm which grows approximately 10,ooo pounds of food annually.
Development of a sustainability newsletter for campus community.
Earth Month events and programming.
Two presentation in 2020 AASHE conference.
Teaching two classes a year on food systems including DEI.
Support of student groups including Sustainability Advisory Committee, EcoReps, and Food Recovery Network.
Butler DEI Innovation grant awarded for supplier diversity research.
Development of guides to support faculty in incorporating sustainability into the curriculum.
Leading a Faculty Staff Learning Community on incorporating sustainability into classes and staff role.
Multiple speaking engagements to students, faculty, and staff on sustainability.

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

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

Job title of the sustainability officer position (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:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.butler.edu/cues/about

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.