Environmental Services Committee

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Services

Purpose:

The Environmental Services Committee is put in place to call for, review, prioritize and recommend approval for funding awards to SFA campus environmental improvement projects through the Environmental Services Fee. These projects may include recycling, energy efficiency and renewable energy, transportation, product purchasing, planning and maintenance, or irrigation conservation; or to provide matching funds for grants related to environmental improvements. For more information, refer to HOP policy 05-410.

Specific Responsibilities:

The Environmental Services Committee will accept proposals for environmental improvement projects through March 1 of each year. The committee will meet in April to review and prioritize proposals based on campus impact/scope, interest, available funding and eligibility requirements. Meetings may only be conducted at which at least a quorum is present. Feasibility studies will be conducted, when deemed necessary by the committee, by the Physical Plant Department. The committee will vote on proposed projects and develop a project priority list. This list will be forwarded to the university president for final approval. Approved projects will be awarded funding and submitted to the Physical Plant Department to initiate and oversee the project through completion. The allocation process for projects is described in more detail in the following section.

Previously Funded Projects:

  • Campuswide water bottle filling stations 
  • Electric vehicle charging and fleet study
  • Environmental services interns
  • Lanana Creek restoration study
  • Non-native species removal by SFA Sylvans
  • ISSP and AASHE memberships
  • Compost facility for SFA horticulture/agriculture
  • Energy conservation outreach in conjunction with Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation

Allocation Process:

The environmental services coordinator shall notify the SFA campus community through standard notification channels (SFA Today, email, website) to solicit proposals for campus environmental improvement projects. The process for approval and funding allocations are described in the following sections.

  1. Project Submittals

    Project proposals shall be submitted via email to the environmental services coordinator by March 1 to be considered for current year funding. Contact Matt Romig, environmental services coordinator, at romigmatt@sfasu.edu.

    Proposals shall include the following information to be considered:

    1. Project title
    2. Submitter's name and contact information
    3. Submitter's department or organization, if applicable
    4. Cost assessment
    5. Project description
    6. Supporting information (similar projects, research, hyperlinks, etc.)
       

  2. Committee Review

    The committee will hear proposed project presentations during the April meeting. Project proposals will be discussed during this meeting and the committee will decide if a feasibility study is needed. The committee will deliberate, prioritize and vote on project proposals in this meeting. Projects that receive a favorable vote will be added to the priority list and forwarded to the university president for final approval.

    The committee will vote based on:

    1. impact to campus/scope
    2. student interest
    3. available funding
    4. and eligibility requirements.
       

  3. Feasibility Study

    Some project proposals may require a feasibility study before the committee can make an informed decision. Physical Plant Department staff members will work with anticipated end users, suppliers and contractors as needed to create a more comprehensive scope of work and develop a reasonable project budget. Once completed, the results of the feasibility study will be submitted to the committee for final review during the September meeting.

  4. Final Project Approval

    Projects will be recommended for approval based on their priority ranking and available funding. The committee will submit final recommendations for awards to the university president for approval. The president may submit an award proposal to the Building and Grounds Committee for consideration when deemed necessary. Once finalized, the approved project list will be submitted to the Physical Plant Department to initiate and oversee the projects. Allocations will be provided for new projects, standing projects and maintenance of existing projects.

  5. Additional Project Funding

    Should opportunities for eligible projects come after this process, the committee may vote and recommend to allocate funds to new projects based on feasibility and available funding.

  6. Awards Notifications

    The committee will notify submitting entities of the final results of approved and denied projects. The environmental services coordinator will send out final decision emails to the project proposal contact.

  7. Project Status Updates

    The Physical Plant Department will provide status updates, including expenditures, on funded projects to the committee at least once per year to be discussed during the September meeting. Status updates may also be provided to the proposal submitter and/or submitting organization upon request.
     

Standing Projects

The Environmental Services Fee will be utilized to fund approved projects regardless of whether or not the project is proposed during a given year and based on available funding. Examples of standing projects include the purchase and installation of water bottle filling stations and facility LED light installation. Standing projects may be funded to exhaust the available funding in any given year.

Long-Term Projects

Some projects may be ongoing or take more than one year to complete and will therefore be funded in such a manner to continue funding or see the project to completion. The committee will review long-term ongoing projects annually during the April meeting to assess their impact and the need for continued funding. An ongoing project may be canceled at any time if the committee decides the project is ineffective or the funds may be utilized on another project.

Environmental Services Fee Process Timeline

January

  • Committee communicates the purpose of the Environmental Services Fee and solicits project proposals through standard campus communication channels such as campus-wide email and SFA Today.
  • The committee chair or designee will confirm Environmental Services Fee Committee members and request new members from the Student Government Association or the vice president of finance and administration as applicable and described in HOP policy 05-410.

March

  • Project proposals are due to the environmental services coordinator, Matt Romig at romigmatt@sfasu.edu by midnight March 1.
  • Project proposals will be forwarded to the committee members for initial independent review prior to the April meeting.
  • The committee chair will set a date, time and location for the April meeting to notify all members and the campus community at least 72 hours in advance via the committee website and the SFA Pine Log at thepinelog.com.

April

  • The committee chair or designee will provide final notice of the date, time, place and subject of the meeting at least 72 hours in advance via the committee website and The Pine Log at thepinelog.com.
  • The committee chair or designee will prepare meeting materials, including:
    1. meeting agenda and action item handouts
    2. current project priority list
    3. and proposed project priority list - remove funded projects, update cost estimates, add proposed new projects and re-prioritize as proposed by the Physical Plant Department project managers; provide clear notice of proposed changes on the document and/or the agenda.
  • The committee chair or designee will send meeting materials and guidance to committee members in advance of the meeting.
  • Project proposal submitters will be called up to present their project ideas during the April meeting. Presentations should be limited to 10 minutes. Additional discussion time may be scheduled at a later date, if needed.
  • The committee will meet in an open forum to hear presentations, review, prioritize and vote on all new project proposals as well as any long-term or standing projects requiring continued funding. All action items on the agenda will be addressed.
  • Approved priority list of projects recommended for approval will be forwarded to the vice president of finance and administration for review, who will forward to the president for final approval.
  • Upon final approval, the priority list will be forwarded to the Physical Plant Department for initiation and project monitoring through completion.
  • Project proposals recommended by the committee for a feasibility study will be tabled until the September meeting to allow for completion of the study.

May/June

  • The approved list of new project awards will be forwarded to the Physical Plant Department for initiation and monitoring through completion.

Ad Hoc Meetings

  • The committee chair may call a meeting at any time during the year to review current or new project opportunities.
  • The committee chair or designee will provide notice of the date, time, place and subject of the meeting at least 72 hours in advance via the committee website and The Pine Log at thepinelog.com.
  • The committee chair or designee will prepare an agenda and any appropriate handouts. These materials will be distributed to committee members in advance of the meeting.