The University of Houston’s Office of Sustainability participated in the statewide Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability summit in Austin.

The conference served to discuss the University’s recently published Tree Inventory and its related impacts to campus operations and beyond, along with other sustainability efforts throughout campus.   

“TRACS is basically a network of collegiate members throughout the state, such as faculty members, students and sustainability professionals that support higher education in Texas,” said Michael Mendoza, manager of the Office of Sustainability. “This summit helps us share and learn different ways to implement climate change and sustainability solutions across campus operations, academic curriculum and off-campus fields of influence for our university and our surrounding communities.”

During the three-day summit, both members of the Office of Sustainability spoke about various sustainability efforts that highlighted UH’s $16.25 million Tree Inventory value, as well as what it could mean for new construction on campus, and some of the other efforts currently taking place to further encourage a greener mindset.  

“We participated in two different presentations, one directed by Michael Mendoza, and one directed by me,” said Gabriel Durham, sustainability coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “My presentation highlighted our recent sustainability events and our efforts on commitment to equity in both audience and content, while Mike discussed the University’s Tree Inventory.”

According to Durham, UH’s presentations served to discuss the Office of Sustainability’s green efforts. Some of these efforts, known as Sustainability Meetups, took place during the fall semester. They highlighted a series of events that ensured to draw a diverse audience, as well as highlight areas of sustainability that otherwise do not have a platform to be heard.

Social and environmental justice were also key topics of the summit, along with a wide array of other presentations by Texas agencies that were in attendance.

Mendoza stated that TRACS facilitates collaboration between higher education institutions through a variety of means, including the annual TRACS Summit, which is supported by volunteer members representing Texas colleges and universities, including UH.

For more information about TRACS, visit its website. To learn more about UH’s sustainability projects, programs and partnerships, visit the Office of Sustainability’s website.