| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.49 |
| Liaison | Richard Johnson |
| Submission Date | Nov. 11, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Rice University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Richard
Johnson Director of Sustainability Facilities Engineering and Planning |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:
The official title of Rice's sustainability officer is Director of the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management. Some of the accomplishments over the previous three years include:
1) Founding of the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management (ACSEM), a think-and-do tank providing direction to Rice for short-term management, long-term planning, and stewardship of natural resources.
2) Completion of the Rice Integrated Climate and Energy Master Plan (RICEMaP), which includes the university's climate action plan as well as energy audits of approximately 10 campus buildings.
3) Obtaining funding for implementation of building energy retrofits, plant optimization and improvement projects, and software to improve campus energy measurement and management.
4) For calendar year 2013, the ACSEM staff helped Rice receive earn approximately $450,000 through strategic management of Rice’s energy generating assets, while saving an estimated $350,00 through campus energy management initiatives that also reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
5) Assisting with the creation of a successful farm-to-fork dining program
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The university does not have a single over-arching sustainability committee. However, there are issue specific committees, such as those related to energy, bicycle policies, advising the farmers' market, etc.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management (ACSEM) serves as Rice's sustainability office.
The staff members who report directly to the sustainability director include an energy manager and a manager of energy procurement and strategy. These employees are included in the calculation of FTEs in the sustainability office.
In addition, two other members of the ACSEM do not report to the sustainability director. These include a mechanical engineer/project manager, and a energy/controls technician. These two are thus not included in the FTE calculation.
Other staff members are "affiliates" of the ACSEM, such as the plant director.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
A brief description of each sustainability officer position:
Richard Johnson serves as the university's sustainability officer, and has done so since December 2004.
The website URL where information about the sustainability officer(s) is available:
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.