Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 62.57
Liaison Kylee Singh
Submission Date Feb. 16, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California Polytechnic State University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Kylee Singh
Sustainability Coordinator
Energy Utilities and Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Cal Poly Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability staff work closely with city and county government officials to take a holistic approach to managing local water, energy, and waste infrastructure. This close communication ensures that local policy is created with the university in mind and that key university stakeholders participate in the local policy making process.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Cal Poly is part of a 23 campus University system represented by the CSU Chancellors office. The Chancellors office works to advocate on a statewide level for all of the CSU's. Most recently related to sustainability, the CSU system has taken a position on the following legislation:
- SB 350 (De Leon) which established targets to increase renewable electricity to 50% by 2030.
- SB 286 (Hertzberg) increases direct access services across the state, including the CSU.
- AB 1150 (Levine) authorized public owned utilities to expands Energy Efficiency Partnership Programs to include the CSU and UC.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Cal Poly is a Charter Signatory of the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitment. By signing this commitment  the university is committed to moving toward Climate Neutrality and also is part of a larger effort to advocate for national climate policy. Most recently the Second Nature organization submitted an open letter on behalf of over 230 universities to the newly elected President and incoming congress to advocate for climate action nationally.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In November 2015, Cal Poly, the CSU, and over 300 other universities signed the White House pledge "American Campuses Act on Climate Change" to amplify the voice of the higher education community in advance of the United Nations COP21 climate negotiations in Paris, and to inspire world leaders to commit to action on climate change. In addition to supporting the Paris conference, the CSU committed to reducing carbon emissions from energy use and transportation, increasing on-site generation of clean renewable energy, and utilizing campuses as living laboratories to educate the climate change leaders of the future.      


A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.