Boston University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

As an institution, the University does not advocate for public policy, however its faculty, students and other community members advance sustainability in the policy realm. Since 2012, a number of student activists at BU formed an informal student group called Students for a Just and Stable Future (DivestBU). The group recognizes the scale of the crisis presented by climate change, and believes that the University’s unique position provides both the means and obligation to take bold action. Some BU faculty also participated in the movement, including Professor Cutler Cleveland of the Department of Earth and Environment. The group is also active in political activism at the state and local level. In 2013, Boston University Professor Nathan Phillips was featured in a The Boston Globe discussing natural gas leaks in Boston’s underground pipelines. Phillips has been conducting research on the leaks which allows policy makers and gas companies to work on fixing the leaks and reducing the flux of greenhouse gases from the city of Boston. In 2013, the Boston University Vegetarian Society successfully convinced the University to use cage-free eggs in all of the dining facilities on campus. This change marks BU’s participation in a nationwide movement to make changes to the inhumane and unsustainable practices of the food production industry. In 2013 and 2014 Boston University provided support for the City of Boston's initiative to report building energy and water consumption for all buildings larger than 50,000 square feet by September 2014, and 35,000 by May 2017. This ordinance further requires energy audits and conservation measures be taken for poorly performing buildings. On September 15, 2014 the City's Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) will go into effect.