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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.
Spring 2010 Initiatives
We are currently working on encouraging UT to create a Climate Action Plan for reducing GHG emissions through the Climate Change committee, and improving the sustainable transportation infrastructure in the Transportation Committee. We are looking at ways to educate the campus about the green building initiatives occurring in Campus Planning and Facilities Maintenance.
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We are also happy supporters of baking yummy treats for meetings!
Sub-Committees
Green Building is a way of building for human needs while maintaining the integrity of our natural surroundings. Our Green Building team 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. If you want to learn more about green building technology, have an engineering or architecture background, or help make a lasting physical difference on our campus, this is the team for you! contact Green Building at ssc(at)UTenvironment(dot)org.
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 our transportation team and we work with various UT departments and committees to develop sustainable transportation options we can all be proud of. We are in full partnership with the Rail4Real Coalition, which is a team dedicated to promoting the future of light rail in the Austin area and around campus. If you like rail, biking, planning, or blazing new trails, this is the team for you! contact us at ssc(at)Utenvironment(dot)org.
Climate Change is the key to ensuring our future here on planet Earth. There are many ways to reduce our climate impact as a campus, and this team 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 helping with data collection for STARS, 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(at)UTenvironment(dot)org.
SSC Accomplishments
The SSC spent several years developing a formal UT Sustainability Policy. After much good work, in April 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. The President has also created an official Committee on Sustainability 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 this year.
This is an achievement 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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