Memberships & Affiliations

UT Dallas is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE [Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education] ) and measures holistic effectiveness according to AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS [Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System] ) Report which encompasses administration, academics, engagement and operations. It is an international standard for sustainability in higher education.

The STARS [Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System] framework measures sustainability across all aspects of higher education in four broad categories: academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration. Within these four categories, UT Dallas measures 63 credits and provides over 1,000 data points in order to holistically assess sustainability. Sustainability efforts are quantified by STARS as points and are awarded in each credit category according to performance. Depending on the number of points accumulated, a university earns certification as a Reporter, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum institution.

The Office of Sustainability has embraced the international standard for sustainability provided by the AASHE [Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education] STARS [Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System] report and has adopted a mission statement to collaborate with stakeholders to integrate sustainability into the fabric of UT Dallas impacting academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration. For this reason, the Office of Sustainability is pleased to announce that The University of Texas at Dallas has achieved AASHE STARS Gold status.

To commemorate this achievement along with The University of Texas at Dallas’ 50^th anniversary, The Office of Sustainability has released The University’s first holistic Sustainability Report (PDF [Portable Document Format File] ).

Air North Texas is a regional public awareness campaign and partnership that seeks to improve air quality in North Texas.

The Arboretum Accreditation Program establishes a widely recognized set of industry standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community. Accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum’s level of achievement of accreditation standards, including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and tree science research and conservation.

Bee Campus USA is an organization that provides a framework for campus communities to work together to conserve native pollinators. Campuses are recognized for increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides among other projects. As an affiliate, UTD students, faculty, administrators and staff work together to carry out these commitments and make our campus a better place for pollinators.

As a bicycle-friendly university, UT Dallas cultivates an environment that provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages students, staff, and visitors to enjoy cycling on campus. Cycling is a cost-efficient and zero-emission form of transportation that helps us reduce our carbon footprint. UT Dallas has approximately 87 bike racks, 960 bicycle parking slots, 8 repair stations, and various well-being routes on campus. Our mission is to embrace enthusiasm for this alternative mode of transportation and inspire more action to build a healthy, sustainable, and livable UT Dallas.

The Bicycle Friendly University (BFU [Bicycle Friendly University] ) program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff, and visitors. The BFU [Bicycle Friendly University] program provides the roadmap and technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling. In 2024, UT Dallas renewed as a Bronze-rated Bicycle Friendly University for 2024-2028, for continued work to provide safe and sustainable biking options for the campus community.

Visit Bicycle Friendly University (BFU [Bicycle Friendly University] ) to learn more about creating a safe environment for cyclist throughout the United States of America.

The Bicycle Advisory Committee advises the Bicycle Friendly University program on stakeholder priorities, common issues, and areas for partnership. The advisory committee meets at least twice per semester and is open to all students, staff, faculty, and community members.

Bike Safety & Parking Information

The North Texas Regional Center for Expertise (RCE [Regional Center for Expertise] North Texas) is a collaborative effort by the University of Texas at Dallas Office of Sustainability and the University of Texas at Arlington Office of Sustainability to bring together sustainability stakeholders in North Texas to discuss regional problems and solutions.

• Mission: We connect organizations in North Texas to enable healthier communities, shared value and sustainable development through education, collaboration and capacity building.
• Vision: A healthy, equitable and resilient North Texas.
• Newsletters
• Contact RCE NTX
• 2022 Summit

The mission of TRACS [Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability] is to provide resources, expertise, education, peer to peer support, and training to advance sustainability in Texas higher education through an annual statewide summit and diverse member-driven network of students, faculty, and staff.

The Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS [Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability] ) was formed in 2008 at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE [Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education] ) conference in Raleigh, North Carolina with the support of the Environmental Science Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas State Energy Conservation Office. Since 2008, TRACS [Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability] has facilitated events and collaborations to forward campus greenhouse gas emissions reductions and sustainability initiatives, including the Annual TRACS [Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability] Summit hosted by a different participating college or university each year.

With more than 6,700 trees on campus, and as the recipient of $50 million dollars for landscape enhancement, The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to maintaining our fabulous landscapes. To demonstrate that commitment, the University has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus Higher Education^®, a program that helps campuses establish and maintain healthy community forests.

To maintain that certification, UT Dallas has established a Tree Advisory Committee, a standing sub-committee of the Campus Sustainability Committee. A Tree Care Plan has been developed and implemented by Facilities Management. Tree Planting events take place annually on campus. Service learning events are hosted by the Office of Student Volunteerism, both on campus and with community partners.

The UT Dallas Tree Campus Higher Education^® program began in 2016. As part of existing tree management practices, a publicly accessible campus map and tree inventory has been made available online for students, staff, and faculty to view.