| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 84.41 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | March 26, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Connecticut
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Richard
Miller Director Ofice of Environmental Policy |
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:
Charter/Mission:
Environmental Policy Advisory Council (EPAC) is advisory to the President, Provost and other senior administrators about strategies for enhancing the University's environmental performance in:
• Fostering environmentally sustainable development and mitigating the environmental impacts of our construction activities
• Improving environmental compliance in our operations
• Distinguishing our academic, operational and community outreach reputation by promoting environmental leadership initiatives.
• Better integrating environmental principles into the University's governance by ensuring coordination with administrative advisory committees and task forces.
Functions:
The EPAC meets once per semester, or as needed, and may appoint committees and task forces in order to:
• Develop and revise UConn’s environmental policy statement.
• Identify environmental risks and recommend goals, policies and procedures to address risks and improve environmental performance.
• Identify opportunities and sponsor initiatives designed to advance and achieve environmental sustainability.
• Develop strategies for building environmental awareness and engaging students, staff and faculty in environmental initiatives.
• Advise the University about conservation and development plans and activities.
• Formulate strategies for dealing with stakeholder groups on environmental issues.
• Monitor the University’s environmental performance and sponsor periodic environmental reports.
• Help organize and promote outreach events and partnerships that showcase the University’s environmental leadership.
• Nominate and select recipients of the University's environmental leadership awards.
Additionally, workgroups, committees, and task forces, associated with EPAC, like the Green Campus Academic Network, and the Green Office Team Organizers, engage more than 400 members of the UConn community in initiatives, events and planning activities.
More recently, EPAC and the OEP have worked with CSR, Human Rights and Public Engagement staff and faculty on initiatives involving the social and economic aspects of sustainability.
The list of EPAC members is found here: http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/uconn-environmental-policy-advisory-council/membership-2016-2017/
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
List of members is found here: http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/uconn-environmental-policy-advisory-council/membership-2016-2017/
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 Sustainability Office comprises one-half of the Office of Environmental Policy. The OEP director devotes more than half of his time to sustainability, as does one administrative coordinator. In 2017 there is also one full-time Sustainability Program Coordinator, who devoted 100% of her time to the Sustainability Office. In 2018, this position has been upgraded to a Sustainability Program Manager.
There are also three full time compliance staff members, who each devote approximately 15% of their time to the Sustainability Office. Additionally, there are 9 undergraduate student interns employed in the sustainability office who each work an average of 12 hours per week.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
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)?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
EPAC meets twice a year (once a semester) in order to review events, activities and progress in UConn's overall sustainability-related programs and to determine and advise the University administration about how to further enhance sustainability at UConn. Most recently, at the EPAC meeting in the Fall of 2017, topics included expanding UConn’s renewable energy portfolio, achieving energy and water conservation through major steam system replacement projects, purchasing more EPEAT Gold products, and applying the LEED Sustainable Sites standards to a major campus road improvement project.
In 2016-17, EPAC was instrumental in the development of the 2020 Vision Plan for Campus Sustainability & Climate Leadership, which was subsequently endorsed by President Herbst. It set forth 21 specific metrics in eight broad categories, with a focus on accelerating our progress to achieving our 2020 interim goals under UConn's Climate Action Plan. The 2020 planning process alone, stimulated progress toward multiple goals, and by early-2018 UConn had already achieved eight of the 21 metrics.
UConn's Climate Action Plan (CAP) was established through a Task Force of EPAC members in 2008-09. In 2011-12, the Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, again as a subset of EPAC members, helped develop the 2012 Adaptation Amendment as a separate section of the CAP, with a focus on resilience goals and targets. The members of EPAC continue to ensure that the objectives set forth in the Climate Action Plan are being carried out as planned.
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Rich Miller is the Director of Environmental Policy for UConn. He established and oversees the University’s Sustainability Office and Environmental Compliance Office. Rich reports to UConn’s EVPA & CFO and directs a wide range of sustainability initiatives and programs that promote clean energy, conservation and resource efficiency, waste reduction and diversion, low impact development, green building, Climate Action, environmental literacy, and student engagement (like his leadership of the UConn@COP program). He is the founding advisor to the EcoHusky and ECOalition student groups, and currently is chair of AASHE.
Rich Miller is also in charge of the Environmental Compliance Office, wherein his responsibilities include overseeing UConn's compliance with environmental regulations for air quality, wastewater and stormwater permitting, environmental CEPA/NEPA reviews, land use permits for construction, and site remediation projects. Many of these compliance responsibilities help identify and prioritize opportunities to exceed compliance through sustainability initiatives, especially in the areas of energy use and efficiency, stormwater management and LID, green building and waste minimization efforts.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Responsibilities for the Sustainability Program Coordinator include developing, planning, and administering sustainability initiatives and events across campus, chairing the EPAC Recycling Workgroup, maintaining the OEP's (EcoHusky) website, and developing and publishing OEP newsletters and outreach materials. The Sustainability Program Coordinator also includes supervising student staff in the OEP's Sustainability Office.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.