Texas A&M University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

We have two sustainability-related groups. First, the Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) and the The Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC). The SAC is charged with fostering and promoting sustainability throughout the university community by formulating a sustainability strategy for the university. The SAC will annually report recommendations directly to President Young. The (SEMC) serves as an advisory committee to the Executive Vice President and Provost (the President’s designee) and Environmental Health & Safety. The SEMC reviews environmental policy and programs and recommends methods of improving compliance, pollution prevention, and education.

Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) Membership: Dr. Jerry Strawser, Chair Dr. Jose Fernandez-Solic, Faculty Senate Dr. Debbie Thomas, College of Geoscience Dr. Patrick Louchouarn, Texas A&M Galveston Dr. Carol Binzer, Division of Student Affairs Mr. Matt Fry, Division of Research XX University Staff Council Dr. Barbara Abercrombie, Division of Human Resources Ms. Hannah Wimberly, Student Body President Mr. Joseph Hood, Student Senate Mr. Bryan McBride, Residence Hall Association President Mr. Richard Gentry, SSC Services for Higher Education Mr. Paul Taele, Graduate and Professional Student Council Mr. John Yeager, Chartwells Mt. Antone Nemec, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Ex-Officio Members: Ms. Kelly Wellman, Office of Sustainability Ms. Jane Schneider, Facilities and Operations Ms. Ashley Skow, Facilities and Operations Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) Membership Dr. Mehrdad Ehsani - Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Howard Meek - Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Brad Urbanczyk - Agri-Life Research & Extension Pam Burn - Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Chartwells Representative Cody Stewart - Texas Transportation Institute Gordon Evans - Texas A&M System Ron Steedly - Transportation Services Nathan Jones - Utilities & Energy Management Environmental Issues Committee - Student Group Representative Barbara Musgrove - SSC Service Solutions Sarel Lavy - Faculty Julie Singleton - Faculty Len Bierman - Faculty Athletics Representative Carol Binzer - Residence Life Paul Barzak - Procurement Services Monica Hartman - Environmental Health & Safety Kelly Wellman - Office of Sustainability Syed Ali- Utilities & Energy Management Graduate Student Council Representative Staff Members: Tassie Hermann - Environmental Health & Safety Staff Ben Kalscheur - Office of Sustainability Staff Jeff Truss - Environmental Health & Safety Staff Chris Meyer - Office of Safety and Security

From its inception as a land-grant institution in 1876 to the additional sea-grant and space-grant designations, Texas A&M University has been a leader in research and education for how we interact with - and impact - our environment. In March 2008, The Office of Sustainability was founded to enhance these efforts by creating a culture of sustainability in Aggieland. We work to respect, protect, and preserve the financial, environmental, and people resources that make Texas A&M and our community so great, not only for today, but also for future generations of Aggies. When Aggies commit to a sustainable lifestyle, we bring Texas A&M's core values to life. Our mission is to educate the campus and local community about the importance of sustainability. We will accomplish this by promoting sustainable practices both on and off campus in academic and non-academic settings, providing resources and support for people who wish to incorporate sustainable practices into their work and life, and advocating for sustainable programs and initiatives.

The previous three years for the Office of Sustainability at Texas A&M University has been productive on multiple fronts. The Office provides oversight for the Aggie Green Fund (AGF) which awards grants for on campus environmental improvements. From 2013-2016, the AGF has awarded $707,051 for a variety of projects such as solar-powered trash compactors, an irrigation pilot program, water bottle filling stations (now over 100 on campus), and funding for the student-led Howdy! Farm which provides local, organic produce for sale within the community. The Office of Sustainability provides 6-10 internship positions for Outreach Specialists during Fall and Spring semesters. Outreach Specialists are responsible for participating in New Student Conferences, tabling events, canvassing campus and initiating dialogue about sustainability, and hosting formal educational presentations. The Office of Sustainability has also become engaged in the academic institutional assessment via Weave Online. Specifically, we measure our education and outreach targets, survey analysis of events our office hosts, and increasing participation in the Sustainable Office Certification (SOC) Program. To learn more about the SOC visit, http://sustainability.tamu.edu/sustainable-office-certification.aspx. In October 2014, the Office released its second Biennial Report which provides an update to the Campus Sustainability Master Plan. The 2014 Biennial Report may be reviewed at http://sustainability.tamu.edu/Data/Sites/1/downloads/2014SMPBiennialReport.pdf. During the past three years, the Sustainability Environmental Management Committee (SEMC) has set goals for both campus recycling and energy. In Fall 2013, a Recycling Working Group was formed to evaluate campus recycling. The recommendation from the Working Group was to develop campus-wide signage that would provide continuity to recycling options regardless of the type of recycling container. In November 2014, the SEMC directed the Working Group to proceed with developing signs to be used across campus. With respect to energy goals, the SEMC has endorsed the Energy Action Plan (EAP) 2015 which includes 12 initiatives that can be found at https://utilities.tamu.edu/energy-action-plan-2015/. The SEMC anticipates that the goals of the EAP 2015 will be achieved.