I believe the degree at Rice is a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and according to their website: "Our ABET-accredited BS degree program is designed for students who have an interest in one of the broad and diverse fields of civil and environmental engineering. " They also have a BA degree which I think is not accrediated. But I agree that OP should double check the accrediation issue if they have any interest in Rice. Rice also has an Environmental Science major which was another interest of OP.
The reason I suggested they might want to consider RIce is that it does check a lot of their boxes (collaborative, small size, good research/internship opportunities, diversity, etc.). And their reason for not being interested in Rice seems to be “I personally don’t prefer white southern type culture like country music or cowboy boots” which I don’t think describes Houston at all. I just thought it might be worth a second look/visit. BUT, I completely agree that they should not ED unless absolutely certain.