About Us
Students for a Sustainable Campus (SSC) is a committee of the Campus Environmental Center whose objective is to keep sustainability concerns at the forefront of every aspect of campus development. SSC members share a vision of a campus whose natural beauty, respect for the environment, and social responsibility are a source of pride. Several of CEC's other committees and projects were born out of ideas hatched in this committee and we are continuing to seek new ways for the UT Community to be sustanable.
Spring 2012 Initiatives
The SSC is working on a variety of projects and campaigns this semester. Some of these include: working with the UT Administration to work sustainability into the upcoming UT Campus Master Plan, promoting sustainability teaching outcomes in UT curriculum, partnering with the Recycling Committee in their Reinvent the Way UThink and Operation Tiger Campaign, working to clean up West Campus and extend recycling to off campus dormitories such as Dobie, as well as, educating other student orgs on how to go green in their own day to day practices. And we are, of course, always seeking out new opportunities and strategies to work sustainability into the infrastructure and culture of the university.
Some Sustainability Issues On Campus
Green Vending is ensuring that the vendors that you use or allow to sell on campus or elsewhere get there products from sustainable venues and package their material in environmentall concious ways. This is an area that needs improvement on the UT Campus and the SSC is working with the administration to ensure that the university continues to improve its vending policy.
Sustainable Purchasing means ensuring that what you buy (or what the university buys) comes from renewable and sustainable sources. The SSC believes that it is very important to ensure the products one buys are a sustainable as possible and is continuing to encourage the university to buy sustainable.
Teaching Sustainability is extremely important and an area that needs improvement at UT as well. Much of the student body still does not know how to recycle correctly and does not know number of other easy ways to make their lifestyle more sustainable. The SSC is currently working with UT Administration and a number of academic departments to ensure that sustainability is taught in as many classrooms as possible.
Green Building is a way of building for human needs while maintaining the integrity of our natural surroundings. The SSC maintains contact with various UT departments to give students the chance to ensure that green building is an element in the design of every new building and renovation on campus.
Transportation is an area with a lot of potential for sustainable development. Imagine a campus in which everyone is free to move from place to place without being forced to contribute negatively to the natural world we all depend on. That is the vision of the SSC and we work with various UT departments and committees to develop sustainable transportation options we can all be proud of.
Climate Change is a key issue when it comes to ensuring our future here on planet Earth. Two years ago the SSC made a great step forward by passing a resolution through student government that advocates carbon neutrality for the university by the year 2033. Hopefully, this resolution will help convince the university to form a climate action plan with carbon neutrality as the main goal. To read the resolution that we passed in student government please click here.
There are many other ways to reduce our climate impact as a campus, and this SSC focuses on getting as many of those ways as possible into the way our campus does business. UT completed a greenhouse gas inventory in November of 2008, and we're working to develop a Climate Action Plan to provide the University with recommendations on reducing its CO2 emissions. We're also helped with data collection for STARS the past several years, a self-assessment on the University's sustainability acheivements. If taking direct action on this global issue makes you breathe easy, then this is the team for you! Contact us at ssc@utenvironment.org.
Some Recent SSC Accomplishments
The SSC spent several years developing a formal UT Sustainability Policy. After much good work, in April of 2008, President Powers agreed to sign a policy very similar to the one that we first dreamed up. The policy is an official statement by the university on how sustainability considerations must be factored in to each and every element of UT's operations. In May of 2010, the SSC also succeeded in drafting and passing a Carbon Neutrality Resolution through student government. This resolution advocated a carbon neutral campus by 2033, the 150th anniversary of our university. The President has also created the President's Sustainability Steering Committee chaired by Dean of Architecture Frederick Steiner and University Operations Vice President Patricia Clubb. The committee is comprised of leading experts and proponents of sustainability at UT and includes student representation. It will be up to the committee to put the policy into practice and much progress is expected in the coming years. Also, last semester, the SSC joined forces with environmental organizations from around the country to fight and defeat the Keystone XL Pipeline. We consider this a great accomplishment and although the fight is far from over, we plan to keep Texas and America a cleaner place by opposing similar proposals in the future.
These are achievements that we're all extremely proud of, as it shows just what students can accomplish when we put our minds to it. If you find this news exciting and want to join the push for a more sustainable campus, SSC may be the place for you.
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If you have any questions or concerns or would like to know more about out committe or sustainability on UT Campus please email ssc@utenvironment.org. Also, feel free to stop by one of the CEC's weekly meetings, every Wednesday night from 6:00 - 7:30 in PAR 206. (Click for map.)
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