Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.39
Liaison Ciara Tennis
Submission Date Dec. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Eastern Connecticut State University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 2.00 Daniel Simpson
Environmental Intern
Institute for Sustainable Energy
"---" 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?:
No

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:
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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:
Eastern's President Elsa Nunez, through her active participation as Vice Chair of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Steering Committee, has advocated, with other university presidents,for strong public policies on climate change at the regional level, including the following: June 19, 2018 - President Nunez signed a Regional Transportation Initiative letter that was delivered to NE and Mid-Atlantic Governors, and provided a quote for the press release issued by Ceres. The letter called for Governors to support low-carbon regional transportation policies and initiatives, including investing in critical transportation infrastructure, increasing public transit accessibility and efficiency, and electrifying the transportation sector. In addition, The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University participates in the development of state-level (Connecticut) policies that advance state-wide sustainability. The Executive Director of ISE (who reports to the university president) was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change from 2016-2018. The Council is charged with identifying interim GHG targets for Connecticut and identify strategies to meet CT’s goal of 80% reductions in GHG emissions by 2050. In December 2018, the Council released its report for achieving the state's greenhouse gas emissions goals. https://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/climatechange/publications/building_a_low_carbon_future_for_ct_gc3_recommendations.pdf

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:
In June 2017, Eastern President Elsa Nunez signed the "We are Still In" declaration. The declaration declares that the signatories - 3,500 leaders across the US - will continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement. This is a strong public policy statement and showing of national commitments to endorse climate change targets set by the Paris Agreement.

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

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:
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Optional Fields 

A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
ISE/Eastern CT State University is a state agency and does not make political donations.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This information was provided by Lynn Stoddard, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, the W/E CAN website and second nature website. http://www.easternct.edu/towngown/ https://secondnature.org/

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.