| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.39 |
| Liaison | Stephanie MacPhee |
| Submission Date | Feb. 5, 2025 |
Dalhousie University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Stephanie
MacPhee Executive Director Office of Sustainability |
Local advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
The University Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management Departments have been assigned by the university's Vice President of Finace and Adminstration, and in connection with government relations, played an active role in municipal and provincial level active transportation and transit public policy discussions and Projects. Concrete examples include the University involvement with Halifax Regional Municipality in the implementation of the Peninsula South Complete Streets project.
Regional advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
Yes, members of the Dalhousie community including the Office of Sustainability are involved in providing feedback on provincial processes regarding topics such as sustainable development, waste management, social justice and resource conservation, climate change and energy.
Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions have been exploring large scale renewable electricity options for several years. In 2020, under the direction of the VP Finance and Administration, the Executive Director of the Office of Sustainability initiated a report to identify large-scale renewable energy options for the university. The outcome of this initiative led to the formation of the Nova Scotia Universities and Colleges Power Purchasing Collaborative (the Collaborative), which is made up of nine of the eleven universities and colleges from across Nova Scotia (NS). The Collaboarive has given input into the Province regarding renewable energy options such power purchase agreements. In March 2024, the Collaborative put forward an application to participate the Green Choice Program (GCP). GCP is a provincial government initiative that was created to enable large electricity users to procure new off-site renewable electricity in NS under a new initiative with Nova Scotia Power (NSP). This effort is supported by the instutiton's top governing bodies.
National advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
The MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University is a nationally focused, non-partisan, interdisciplinary institute designed to support the development of progressive public policy and to encourage greater citizen engagement. A number of recent discussions and engagements relate to topics such as climate change, energy and social justice https://www.dal.ca/dept/maceachen-institute/events.html
Students and faculty are engaged through a number of actions. For example, Dr. Ingrid Waldron and federal MP Lenore Zann introduced Bill C-230, a private member’s bill that aims to address environmental racism. Dr. Waldron’s book and the subsequent video and community partnerships are advocating for public policy changes at the local, regional and national level.
International advocacy
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
Dalhousie is actively involved in international public policy advocacy through multi-sectoral groups like the Ocean Frontiers Institute (OFI) representing the University at United Nations discussions, committees and events. In 2022, OFI hosted an Ocean Carbon Workshop, held as part of the World Ocean Tech and Innovation Summit hosted by The Economist, the workshop focused on the urgent need for integrated ocean observation globally in order to close the gap on climate models. Senior leaders such as the Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean) of Dalhousie University was in attendance. Some other examples of international policy infuence can be found on the OFI website:
Optional Fields
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.