Texan by Nature Recognizes American Campus Communities as Conservation and Sustainability Leader

Texan by Nature (TxN), a Texas-led conservation non-profit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush, today announced American Campus Communities (ACC) was named for the second year in a row to the Texan by Nature 20 (TxN 20), an official ranking of companies with Texas operations that have made a demonstrative commitment to conservation.

The TxN 20 recognizes the best and most innovative work in conservation coming from Texas-based businesses and operations. As part of the TxN 20, Texan by Nature honors companies across 12 industries in the Lone Star State whose ingenuity is forging new, beneficial paths in conservation. With 168 million acres of land paired with global leaders across multiple industries, Texas is fortunate to have industry leaders who see the value in partnering with conservation initiatives and developing innovative, sustainable methods and processes within their business.

"At Texan by Nature, we accelerate conservation efforts that are beneficial to our natural resources, health, and economic prosperity,” said Joni Carswell, president and CEO of Texan by Nature. "It is an honor to showcase and celebrate conservation led by Texas-based businesses that pairs our wealth of natural and business resources.”

In 2019, ACC developed an internal multi-departmental Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) task force to manage and implement structure around the company’s environmental, sustainability, and social initiatives. The company conducted a materiality assessment to identify their most relevant ESG issues and further formalized ESG programs, including resource management systems and sustainable developments.

This year, the company has been working towards sourcing renewable energy and achieving the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) highest level of green building certification: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum for LightView, its community at Northeastern University. The 20-story residential tower offers an innovative live-learn environment for students and marks a key milestone in the "Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030” initiative, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of housing for students attending Boston institutions of higher education. To date, ACC has developed 39 LEED projects (either certified or tracking certification) across the nation.

"American Campus Communities intentionally focuses on integrating sustainability into our communities as a critical component of delivering the best experiences for students,” said Bill Bayless, CEO for ACC. "We believe it is important to create a healthy, comfortable, and socially-responsible living environment for ACC residents and also for the future of our planet. We are honored to be recognized again this year for being a Texas-based company that proudly supports innovation in conservation.”

A catalyst for thought leadership, innovative partnerships, and community-led solutions, Texan by Nature has been working with the Texas business community to implement Texas-led conservation practices, partnerships, and resources. The TxN 20 provides not only recognition to honorees, but a catalog of best practices and metrics to industry peers.

The TxN 20 honorees were selected based upon a stated dedication to conservation, demonstrated commitment to conservation via investment and volunteerism, measurement and reporting of spending and impact on conservation efforts, and employee engagement. Honorees were identified through submissions as well as researched via publicly available information on conservation and sustainability efforts. An esteemed, cross-industry selection committee made the final selection of honorees for the 2020 TxN 20.

2020 TxN 20 HONOREES INCLUDE:

1. American Campus Communities
2. CEMEX
3. Cirrus Logic
4. Citi
5. City of San Antonio Office of Sustainability
6. Dallas Area Rapid Transit
7. Dell Technologies
8. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
9. Farmer Brothers
10. Harvest Seasonal Kitchen
11. H-E-B
12. Marathon Petroleum Corporation
13. North Texas Municipal Water District
14. Overland Partners Architects + Urban Design
15. Plateau Land & Wildlife Management and Braun & Gresham, PLLC
16. Sanderson Farms, Inc.
17. Stantec
18. Sysco
19. Target
20. Texas Health Resources
21. Vistra

Activating new investments, amplifying and accelerating innovations, and connecting partners to the resources they need to succeed, Texan by Nature offers select programs to help engage Texans in the stewardship of the state’s rich land and diverse communities including the Conservation Wrangler Program, TxN Certification, the Conservation Wrangler Summit and the TxN 20. For more information on TxN partnerships and programs, or to learn how to get involved, please visit www.TxN20.org.

To review American Campus Communities complete ESG Report, view here.

About American Campus Communities

American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager, and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed, and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management, and operational management of student housing properties. As of June 30, 2020, American Campus Communities owned 166 student housing properties containing approximately 111,900 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC's total managed portfolio consisted of 201 properties with approximately 138,000 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com.

About TxN:

Texan by Nature (TxN) brings conservation and business together to positively impact natural resources, prosperity, and health across Texas and beyond. TxN partners deeply with conservation groups and business, acting as an accelerator for conservation groups and a strategic partner for business. Their projects and programs (TxN Conservation Wrangler, TxN Certification, Symposia Series, and TxN 20) have impacted 7M+ people, 19.5M acres, and all of Texas' 254 counties over the last two years. Get involved and learn more at www.texanbynature.org and follow on Facebook @TexanbyNature, Twitter @TexanbyNature, and Instagram @texanbynature.

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