Currently on Campus

Texas A&M was among the schools that participated in the College Sustainability Report’s survey. This survey asks about the President’s Climate Commitment, but Texas A&M is currently not a part of it. At this time, Texas A&M diverts only about 10% of trash and only recycles paper, cardboard, aluminum, and some plastics. Although 99% of landscape waste is composted on campus, there are no other bins for combustibles. Single stream recycling is one way to improve this statistic. The three bin recycling collection system makes “recycling almost as easy as using the trash can”.  One bin is for all recyclables, one is for combustibles, and the last one is for the remaining trash. By combining bins and reducing the amount of sorting, it increases the ease and convenience of recycling.

There are no sustainability themed residence halls, but there is a Residence Hall Energy Challenge in which resident halls attempt to decrease energy use by 5%. There are no internship positions available, but there are several student organizations that provide opportunities for students to take a stand for sustainability. They are: Association for Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Issues Committee, One Love, Community Garden and Sustainability Council. Texas A&M has 727 buses in their transportation fleet, 79 of which operate on biofuels, 10 are hybrid, and 39 use Flex Fuel. While there is no bike-sharing program, there is a car sharing program that is made up of 10 cars, and 45% of people use environmentally friendly transportation to campus.

Overall we have improved our grade from a C+ in 2009 to a B- in the 2010 report. Two of the eight goals in Texas A&M’s master plan goals have to do with sustainability. They are to “establish an accessible, pedestrian campus” and to “promote sustainability by teaching and acting in an environmentally sustainable manner”. These goals are being worked toward, but based on the sustainability ratings, there is still a lot to be done before they are achieved.

The second annual Campus Sustainability Day is one step toward reaching them. Student organizations at Texas A&M came together to promote sustainability on campus. Many organizations passed out fliers and pamphlets to raise awareness about energy, water, and recycling efforts on campus among students. Students were also given the opportunity to purchase fresh produce at this event. In Ann Littmann's article in the Battallion, Campus Sustainability Officer Kelly Wellman said, "This is part of our culture and we have sustainability integrated into our curriculums. These issues are important and we are preparing our future leaders to address them." She also said "Sustainability is so much more than going green. It's about making choices that respect our resources and the financial impact of our decisions… Sustainability is about finding the balance between a healthy environment, social equity and economic growth”. This shows that there are people at Texas A&M that are dedicated to improving our environmental culture.