UH Approves Official Sustainability Policy

Things are looking greener at the University of Houston, as the UH administration has now approved an official sustainability policy for the campus.

This policy comes as an accumulation of a number of sustainability initiatives that have been implemented on campus in the last few years.

The proposal for the sustainability policy clearly defined the purpose of this program, explaining that, �The University of Houston commits to defining sustainability and what it means for our campus, measuring our efforts, and translating these measurements into a comprehensive strategy for university sustainability.�

The Campus Sustainability Task Force (CSTF) was convened by Assistant Vice President of University Services, Emily Messa, in order to serve as a key role in this process of
�developing and implementing policies and practices that create a campus culture of sustainability�, with the support of the President and the Board of Regents.

The sustainability policy will also involve the utilization of STARS, the Sustainability Tracking and Reporting System. This program will allow the University of Houston to carry on self-reporting within a useful framework of comparison to other colleges and universities. The goal in this participation is to increase sustainability in higher education.

�Completing the university�s sustainability policy along with the members of the Task Force was a gratifying experience,� said Emily Messa. �The creation and implementation of this policy illustrates the university�s commitment to being green. It also provides the structure we need to build a stronger, more diverse sustainability community.�

From establishing annual goals to presenting and publishing UH�s carbon footprint and other benchmarks of sustainability, the new campus sustainability policy is sure to set the ground for greater understanding of the need for such a program, as well as increased involvement from the campus community in these policies and procedures.

For more information about Green UH, visit https://www.uh.edu/af/greenUH/.