Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management

The Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management (ACSEM) is a collaborative organization dedicated to providing direction to Rice for short-term management and long-term planning of energy and other natural resources. Founded in the summer of 2011, the ACSEM (pronounced “axiom”) is the office of Rice’s campus sustainability program, which was originally created in 2004 with the adoption of a campus sustainability policy and the hiring of a campus sustainability officer. The ACSEM serves as a “think-and-do-tank” and bridges the administrative and academic functions of Rice University. The ACSEM leads and provides support for a broad range of campus sustainability initiatives, such as planning for sustainability, green building, energy and water conservation, recycling, environmental education, public lectures and events, student environmental projects, research partnerships, and classroom engagement.

The ACSEM is staffed by five full-time employees and includes participation from two mechanical engineers and an electrical engineer. The ACSEM is supported by many other administrative and academic personnel.